[PapaofGags]

Hello peeps 

Lewis was asked who the top drivers are, now knowing how highly Lewis speaks of Daniel I guess when asked he just had a bit of brain fade, (I suffer from that for different reasons lol) 

The Mercedes driver was quoted in Motor [i]Sport[/i] Magazine saying: "The four strongest drivers I think are me, Fernando, Sebastian, Max."

"Lewis Hamilton would be "very foolish to underestimate" Daniel Ricciardo in the F1 2018 world championship battle, according to Red Bull team principal Christian Horner."

Now i guess some of us (in no particular order yet) would agree the top 5 are Lewis, Fernando, Daniel, Seb & Max? 

Feel free to Add or remove to get your top 5.

Now the question, who do you drop to make the top 4? think I know who Morini might drop lol. 

I find it really hard, I believe we are in another golden period of F1.

Any views welcome. 

[forzaferrari]

Very difficult question there Papa, in different scenarios I would drop different drivers to get my top 4, the only driver I wouldnt drop in any scenario would be Fernando, so in a round about way...I`ve no idea

[morini]

Ok, lets put the moggie amongst the sky rats.

F1 2018. My name's Lewis Hamilton, who would I (as current champ) most fear to take my crown off me?

1. Max Verstappen - fastest driver out there, also has some proven race nous and wet weather skillzzz
2. Daniel Ricciardo - my personal favourite after LH himself, dark horse
3. Valterri Bottas (don't laugh, I still really rate him) - not shown his best yet, will be motivated
4. Fernando Alonso - might be motivated after years in the doldrums, but overrated IMHO :-)
5. Sebastian Vettel - fast when the car is spot on

No other driver on my radar.

[Antilochos]

Hard to tell who to drop, almost impossible to compare them (how would Hamilton do in a Red Bull and Verstappen in Mercedes, how would Alonso do in Mercedes with Vettel beside him, etc).
I kind of agree that the top drivers now are Hamilton, Vettel, Verstappen, Ricciardo and Alonso (in no particular order!)

Anyway, put a gun against my head to make a top 4 (not sure why it has to be four though, nothing special about the number):
1. Verstappen
2. Hamilton
3. Alonso
4. Vettel
Again, just put them in this order because it looks nice with the size of their names...
Enfin. So kind of agree with Hamilton. Why Ricciardo? I like the guy more then all the others on the grid when it comes to personality. Also think he is at least the level of Vettel and Hamilton (yes, think Alonso is better and Verstappen is getting better very rapitly). Still, I have to pick one and he has been unlucky to be Verstappen's teammate. Not only is he being overshadowed in media because of Verstappen (latter being the hottest driver on the grid), but Verstappen is becoming the better of the two and Ricciardo knows it, Ricciardo could suffer under that knowledge next season. Again, think Ricciardo is world class, but Verstappen seems to be something else, something special (not there yet though, but it already is having its effect on the sport in many facets). Best for Ricciardo, and maybe for the fans, would be if Ricciardo would leave to Ferrari, McLaren or Mercedes (although don't believe this will happen any time soon).

[PapaofGags]

Hello peeps thanks for your replies.

"Forza" > Agree about Alonso, he doesn't seem to have to many off days, pure class, trouble is so are the others lol.

"Morini" > Just say what you think lol
"Fernando Alonso - might be motivated after years in the doldrums, but overrated IMHO :-)" he made your list!
with Bottas in the same car as Lewis he will obviously be learning all the time, (off Lewis & the team) as its been his 1st year i'm sure he will shine next year, "no other driver on my radar" we're keeping an eye on Ocon with high hopes.

"Antilochos" > "Hard to tell" yes I have sympathy with this, though put any of these drivers in any car & they would shine obviously, I find it almost impossible to drop one, nice reply.

Thing is i'm pretty settled/happy on my view of the top 3, but I still find it hard to drop 1 from the top 5.

My opinion of top 3

1/Lewis
2/Fernando
3/Daniel

This is why I find dropping 1 almost impossible, Max the future of F1 with more talent at his age than I have ever seen in my time, providing he gets in the right car this kids future is very bright, or drop a 4 x W.D.C. a man who has won multiple championships? I just cant do it....

So there you go I cant answer my own question lol

Kids! Gag's just nailed it, "Dad if you got your top 3 right you wouldn't have such a hard decision"

[Foghorn Leghorn]

Paps>   Thing is i'm pretty settled/happy on my view of the top 3, but I still find it hard to drop 1 from the top 5.

My opinion of top 3

1/Lewis
2/Fernando
3/Daniel

Small correction bud

1) Fernando
2)Lewis
3) Daniel

4) Vettel - like you say can't discount a 4x WDC  (as much as I'd like to, ahem, Lewis, haha)

5) Max -   all potential, but hasn't been able to show it, I'm sure in time my top 3 may well look like Nando, Max, Lewis, and he may even surpass my estimation of Nando, though I doubt it, he'll never beat Schumacher in his prime

Morini>   F1 2018. My name's Lewis Hamilton, who would I (as current champ) most fear to take my crown off me?

Answer - No-one, can't see Valteri being a real threat - and Merc will walk to another double championship

and a great catch on Morini - not appreciating Nando, while putting him in his top 3 hahah

Edit; others of note - Sainz, Ocon, the Hulk, all still waiting to see what they can really do

[morini]

Small correction bud

1) Fernando
2)Lewis
3) Daniel

Funniest post in a long time, cheers for that :-)

4) Vettel - like you say can't discount a 4x WDC  (as much as I'd like to, ahem, Lewis, haha)

I think that dog has had his day. I'm hoping for tighter competition between more teams next year. Not expecting Vettel to feature if there's more teams in the mix. DR and MV are better than him in my opinion.

5) Max -   all potential, but hasn't been able to show it, I'm sure in time my top 3 may well look like Nando, Max, Lewis, and he may even surpass my estimation of Nando, though I doubt it, he'll never beat Schumacher in his prime

Still not sure of where all the adoration for the whinging Spanish chap comes from? Yeah, he's a talented racer, but there's quicker and better out there since 2006. I can kind of understand the MS adoration, his records are awesome to behold, but I never liked him either :-)

Morini>   F1 2018. My name's Lewis Hamilton, who would I (as current champ) most fear to take my crown off me?

Answer - No-one, can't see Valteri being a real threat - and Merc will walk to another double championship

and a great catch on Morini - not appreciating Nando, while putting him in his top 3 hahah

I don't appreciate him, that's the point, I think he's the definition of hype. Lots of pundits talk him up, but he doesn't have a very impressive track record at the end of the day. And you also know my opinions on how I think he affects team morale.

Edit; others of note - Sainz, Ocon, the Hulk, all still waiting to see what they can really do

Love to watch these guys, but a sideshow in terms of the WDC / WCC.

[Foghorn Leghorn]

haha - we're never going to come to terms on this one Morini - But as I grew up on F1 in the Schumi years - surrounded by Ferrari fans - and I too hated Schumacher at the time, though have softened my opinion over the years

one of the main reasons I rate Fernando so highly is because he knocked Schumacher off his perch, twice, while at the top of his game in arguably a slower car - gotta count for something bud - no fake hype here mate - hahah
don't make me do the car dominance percentages again - hahah

[Jody Barton]

I think the question of top 4 was asked specifically to create this kind of controversy. Ask for a top 5 and it’s pretty easy to fill right now. Ask for a top 4 and it gets tough. I think for me personally there are two drivers who slot into that top 4 easily and with no question:

1) Lewis Hamilton
2) Fernando Alonso

And yeah Fog, in that order. The next two is where it gets difficult. Although he’s 4 time WDC the truth is Vettel isn’t the complete deal in the same way Lewis and Fernando are, he has certain very big chinks in his armour. This season Lewis skinned him a few times in wheel to wheel combat, we’ve yet to see Seb really do that to a genuine top line driver on equal strategies / tyres. However, he’s a 4 time WDC and whether or not he’s prone to moments of madness is neither here nor there, he’s rapid, so he takes my third slot for now:

3) Sebastian Vettel

Now for the final slot you are left picking between the two Red Bull drivers. No one else on the current grid really warrants a mention. For Danny Ric, in his favour he is arguably the best over taker on the grid, his ability on the breaks is reminiscent of the top two drivers in this list. That ability the break later and somehow make the corner cleanly while getting your elbows out is something all the true greats had, be it Senna, Prost, Schumacher or Hamilton, and yes, I do think he deserves to be mentioned in the same breath, even if he annoys me. On the negative side for me is Danny’s ultimate lap pace. No matter the formula Danny has never really ‘shone’ in qualifying, and again this season he was out done by a team mate for ultimate one lap pace...

Which brings me onto Max Verstappen. Ultimate one lap pace he is up there with the likes of Lewis, able to chop extra tenths off when it doesn’t look possible in the car they are driving. Senna, Schumacher and many other greats like Lauda have all hinted that drivers alway respect other drivers more for the one lap pace thing, why? Because anything can happen in races that are beyond your control. I think this is the reason Lewis picked Max over Danny. There is also the wet weather skill, in Brazil 2016, when they needed too, both Max and Lewis were able to consistently lap 1.0 to 1.5 seconds a lap quicker than everyone else. Rain as they say is a great equaliser, so take from that what you will. As a race day driver though... Max is still clumsy, and prone to the odd error / incident. I don’t like his middle of the track then swerve defence tactic as it’s junior league stuff. So who, right now would I slot into the fourth position?

4) Danny Ricciardo

I disagree with Lewis on his choice. Yeah, ultimate pace Max wins out, and I do think he’ll go down in history as one of, if not the greatest driver the sport has seen (car dependent of course). Right now though? Danny is the more complete driver for me, I think his ability to manage a car that’s not right at the pointy end and make it competitive through his driving and change in styles has to elevate him. On that score he very much reminds me of Prost,the ability to adapt to the car or the conditions is the measure of a driver with great range and touch. Give it a season or two and I might change my mind and include Max instead, or knock Vettel out of the top four, but for now:

1) Lewis Hamilton
2) Fernando Alonso
3) Sebastian Vettel
4) Danny Ricciardo

[Foghorn Leghorn]

fair play bud, again not to labour the point as with Morini, I respect your opinion very much, but another reason I think Alonso edges it, though to be honest I think it's hard to put a piece of paper between them in terms of talent, Lewis has a bit more one lap speed, but Nando is super consistent - Lewis raised his game this year, but I think he's shown over the years that you can unsettle him - I've never seen this from Nando - even when he had the team boss Ron and Lewis to deal with, he held his own, and when a the SF boss criticised him he again went out on track and showed him just what he can do, similarly again with the difficult Honda years,

I get everyone has a different perspective on these incidents in Fernando's career (Morini/Chloe, haha) but I think Nando's unflappable nature is my reason for putting him first, but again like I said the difference in strengths and weaknesses is paper thin

theoretical scenario - would Lewis have won this WDC, if Nico was still there? And would Nando have won if he was in this years Ferrari?