Hot Rod or Hot Dog? The Top Dog!
- Published on Oct 28th, 2010 by Benson Jammichello
Self help from Vettel. Courtesy of Red Bull Racing.
Vettel.
We know he didn't finish, didn't take home any points and lost ground to Fernando Alonso in the title race. However, he was simply did the best job over the course of the Grand Prix weekend and looked set for victory until his engine went, not to put too fine a point on it, BANG.
Now, we at Badger don't usually like to give the Top Dog prize to the person who won the race (which Vettel would have done), instead choosing to look for those who drove well but may not have got the immediate recognition they deserved.
Nevertheless, in this instance it's only fair to give it to Red Bull's (number one) driver. Quite simply in a league of his own over the course of the weekend, he adapted to the changing conditions with panache - very quick after every restart behind the safety car, no one looked like catching him until his engine expired.
Still, he didn't have to pass anyone, did he?
Also, we can't help but feel that if the two drivers' situations were reversed, Red Bull would be exerting significant pressure on Webber to support his team mate. The fact they're not speaks to Vettel's status within the team as their effective number one driver.
oh and i’d love to see a mark webber movie he is the most...
Comments and Discussion
For me Rosberg was top dog. Qualified 5th, out hustled Lewis and looked very racey until Marks schoolboy error sent him for an early bath.
Sorry can't agree, Ferrari, Mclaren, Mercedes could all design cars to go faster but at the same time become more fragile.
To win a race first you have to finish.
Would probably give it to Fenando 'Dick Dasterdly' Alonso, much as it pains me to say.
Hamilton simply does not have the speed to compete at this time.
Vettel's drive was equally as good as Alonso's, Hamilton did all he could with what he had underneath him. Likewise Massa and *twitch* Schumacher.
Barrichello was steady til his tyres gave up, Liuzzi profited from others losses, as did the Sauber's. And everyone else drove well to finish.
I probably wouldn't nominate anyone because no one stood out ahead of everyone else at any point. Maybe have run a one-off "Dog Botty" instead!
Just the two contenders for that one, both have 'Red Bull' written on their side pods.
Damian - I take your point, but I felt Rosberg wasn't in the race long enough to justify Top Dog.
Chris - While I agree with you that the more reliable a car is the better it is, I'd say that Vettel's engine actually blew up, something not wholly controlled by Red Bull. Also, I don't really (or at least try not to) take into account mechanical failures unless they mean the driver didn't have enough time to impress, a la Rosberg. I'm not a particular fan of Vettel, but he drove perfectly all weekend so deserved his award I think.
Dave - I have no idea what you mean by "Dog Botty" unless I'm missing something incredibly obvious, which it might turn out I am.
While 'Hot Dog' would be the correct terminology here for those whose performances were a little lacking, i was aiming for something that suggested a far worse performance than that and "Bottom Dog" didn't sound silly enough.