Originally Posted by steelbock:
“I think we could debate between sports endlessly. I would just like one question answered regarding F1. How can Hamilton suddenly become so much better than Vettel if it is not mainly about the equipment used? Has Vettel suddenly become a poorer driver or Hamilton a better one?”
Hamilton
hasn't "suddenly become so much better" and nor has Vettel become worse.
Simple fact is that different drivers have differing styles which suit different cars better.
If you put all the drivers in identical Caterhams, for example, you
might find that Alonso and Hamilton were easily top of the tree because they're drivers who can flatter a poor car.
If, OTOH, you put all the drivers in a Merc' you
might find that there's little to choose between Vettel, Hamilton, Alonso, Raikkonen and Rosberg.
Over the last few years, Vettel obviously had a car underneath him which suited his style and he was able to make the most of it.
This year the cars have been a bit "wilder" and it's obviously not suiting him as much.
FWIW, I wonder if 2014 might have been a good year to start with a new team?
I mean, the cars were vastly different and, if you were with the same team that you were with in 2013, you might find yourself climbing into the 2014 car, thinking "Blimey! WTF is going on here?" whereas, if you were joining a new team, you'd have no preconceptions about how it "should" feel.
Going back to Hamilton, he joined Merc' in 2013 and spent most of the year saying "It's okay but it's not like my McLaren was" because clearly, even though the cars change year on year, they had an evolutionary feel to them.
This year
all the drivers probably felt like they were racing in an entirely different series so the ones who stayed with the same teams probably found themselves struggling with reconciling what they have with what they
used to have as well as struggling to get along with a new car.
On that basis, I guess Hamilton kinda lucked-out because he had 2013 to forget about how his McLaren felt and then, when the new cars came along for 2014, he wasn't
that unbalanced by the way
they are, whereas guys like Vettel and Alonso would be, basically, where Hamilton was in 2013.