Autosport's Personality Of The Year Assessment

"SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie" (sidewaysondirt)
12/03/2015 at 13:45 • Filed to: f1, max verstappen, no, nope, all the nopes

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . That did it for me.

DISCUSSION (9)

Leon711 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
12/03/2015 at 13:51

PAYWALLED! AIN’T PAYING NO 94P A WEEK!

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Leon711
12/03/2015 at 13:52

The Formula 1 season may be over, but there is plenty to fight for as awards season kicks into gear.

The FIA began dishing out a gong for the personality of the year across all motorsport a couple of years ago, but if it was focused purely on F1, who would be among the 2015 contenders?

If you ask the fans, they would probably say Kimi Raikkonen, despite his brand of anti-charisma. He ranked as the second most popular driver in the Autosport and F1 Racing fan survey earlier this year , and most popular in the survey carried out by the GPDA.

The Finn is old school. He does what he wants, when he wants. He doesn’t try to go out of his way to please anyone but by doing so in a world full of media-trained drivers, that’s incredibly likeable. He hasn’t changed that style since he joined the championship, further enhancing his authenticity. This year, he’s been at his monosyllabic best.

Fernando Alonso is something of an enigma. He is considered one of the greatest drivers of his generation but off-track, many people - even those close to him - struggle to truly understand him. He’s indecipherable. But that’s the way he likes it.

This year, he hasn’t held back with his criticism of Honda, as the Japanese manufacturer struggled on its comeback and his McLaren return. And his contradictory answers in Abu Dhabi about whether or not he would take a sabbatical next season simply muddied the waters.

Not for the first time in his career, he and his future became the subject of considerable debate.

Sebastian Vettel has come out of his shell since leaving Red Bull and joining Ferrari.

He’s embraced the opportunity and frequently gushes about how special it is to drive for the famous team, gradually endearing him to the Tifosi. He’s got a great sense of humour, often joking around in press conferences and interviews. Away from the cameras, he’s even more relaxed and sociable.

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Daniel Ricciardo would be in with a shout. The Australian has been refreshingly - and at times brutally - honest with his assessment of engine supplier Renault’s problems throughout the year, rather than toeing the party line.

His trademark smile remains in place, no matter how tough life is on the track. He’s always up for a laugh, whether it’s dancing with Daniil Kvyat in the pit lane during the rain delay in Austin or ending his media sessions with a song either to cheer himself up or just for the hell of it.

Lewis Hamilton could potentially take a double-trophy haul, as alongside his success on the track, he lives a showbiz lifestyle that endears him to many outside the sport.

It’s much easier, of course, to get an idea of his ‘personality’ compared to his rivals because he’s so prolific on Twitter and Instagram. This year, Hamilton has snapped pictures of himself all over the world going to gigs, parties, fashion shows and award ceremonies.

During grand prix weekends, he also rarely hides his emotions, openly showing his disappointment when things don’t go right and then opening up when they do.

Jenson Button would be a contender, too. The Briton is universally liked both inside and out of the paddock. Few people would have a negative thing to say about him. His style and attitude on track is no different, with rivals acknowledging his firm but fair approach when racing wheel-to-wheel.

And in a year of so many struggles with his troublesome McLaren-Honda, amid uncertainty over his future in F1 for the second successive season, Button has dealt with everything like a gentleman.

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Some may feel Nico Rosberg would be a strange choice as he’s well media-trained, rarely says anything controversial and isn’t as outgoing, at least publically, as his rivals.

But there was a glimpse in Texas of his personality shining through. Just hours after the disappointment of making a mistake to lose the race as Hamilton won the title, the German was up on stage in a piano bar in downtown Austin, belting out Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on a Prayer, and then stuck around to chat to and pose for photos with fans.

The aforementioned are all worthy contenders, but this season they would be hard-pressed to beat the teenager who has taken F1 by storm.

Max Verstappen has been a phenomenon both on and off track. Sure, the Toro Rosso driver doesn’t have the profile or experience of his adversaries. But he’s made a brilliant start to getting there.

Two fourth places, in Budapest and Austin, have been the highlights while his recovery drive to salvage some points at Interlagos was brilliant. And despite the pressure on his shoulders - the naysayers believed he was too young and inexperienced - he’s just blocked it out and importantly, been himself.

A 17-year-old coming into a world where his rivals are considerably more experienced must have been daunting. But from that first race, he was on it, letting his personality shine through on the track. He’s been bold, aggressive and exciting on track with his overtaking judgement, shown impressive ability with tyre management and not been afraid to take risks.

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He suffered poor reliability in the first half of the season, which could have easily hurt his confidence and rhythm, but he’s dealt with that well. And when the car was reliable, Verstappen made the most of it, scoring points in six of the final seven races.

Off track, it took a little longer for his personality to break through.

Understandably, he was reserved, perhaps slightly intimidated when he arrived in Melbourne to make his debut. But it didn’t take him long to settle in, admitting after a few races he already felt himself relaxing into the role. And since then, he hasn’t looked back.

When he has been involved in a controversial incident, he hasn’t been afraid to speak up and defend himself. When rivals criticised him, such as Felipe Massa calling his driving “pretty dangerous” when he collided with Romain Grosjean in Monaco or Pastor Maldonado suggesting the Dutchman wasn’t respecting the rules during their Austrian GP battle, Verstappen wasn’t concerned.

He simply hit back with a considered defence of his driving and then moved on. Furthermore, he has no qualms about having a jibe himself and insists he has no plans to change his approach.

That mentality, paired with the speed and talent he has demonstrated behind the wheel, has earned him respect while his personality both on and off the track has shone through consistently across the season.

That’s quite some achievement in his first year on the job and why I believe he would be most deserving of the accolade of F1 personality of the year.

Leon711 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
12/03/2015 at 13:58

You are doing God’s work.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Leon711
12/03/2015 at 13:59

Haha, I just didn’t want to post the after-paywall content in the main post.

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
12/03/2015 at 14:14

So...F1’s personality of the year was ‘douche’?

I guess I wasn't as impressed by Verstappen this year as most...he was quick, as you'd expect a 17 year old deemed good enough for F1 would be, but he was also 17 and very stupid.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
12/03/2015 at 14:15

Kimi’s a douche too. That’s why we love him!

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
12/03/2015 at 14:17

Kimi has earned the right to be a douche, haha.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
12/03/2015 at 14:18

He knows what he’s doing, that’s why.

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
12/03/2015 at 14:35

It’s true. We should probably stop talking about him, I feel like he can hear it somehow and we’re distracting him from something.