It has been quite apparent to all I suspect that the fight for best of the best in F1 over the last 5 to 10 years has only really been between Alonso, Hamilton and Vettel. But of the three, who is really the best??! I guess that begs the question as to what is meant by 'the best'? By what metrics do you determine the best F1 driver? Is it the fastest? The most consistent performer? The most intelligent? Or the most mentally strong?
If all three were put in the same car under the same circumstances, who would come out on top?? It's clear there is no doubt in Hamilton's mind as to where he would be (Telegraph article here). But saying that, a certain Daniel Ricciardo has blown that idea straight out of the water with his amazing lap time on the Top Gear test track and beating Hamilton's and vettel's times in the process.
Alonso, the oldest of the three, has been quite openly contemplative of his position in the sport over the last couple of years and has openly admitted that he does not see himself as the fastest driver in F1 but rather the most consistent driver. Many claim he is the best all round driver - one things is for certain he is definitely one of the most determined drivers with his gutsy drives in almost every race he participates in. The guy rarely has an off day. Lsat year (2014), with the performances of the Red Bull and Ferrari much closer together, we saw some nice dicing between Vettel and alonso and it was invariably Vettel that came out on top.
From a mental strength point of view, the clear winner is Vettel with Hamilton needing to have 'all the pieces of the puzzle' around him to operate at his best. Some people may say Alonso is mentally the strongest but his loss of the 2012 championship despite having a 40 point lead going into the last 3 races revealed a clear kink in his mental armour. By contrast, Vettel's steely nerve was clar for all to see during his amazing recovery drive at the last race in Brazil where, after a first lap spin and collision that placed him plum last, he went on to finish high enough to secure his third world championship (and surpass Alonso in the process)!
Intelligence is another measure and by this I would say that from my experience, champions are those that can most accurately assess the situations they find themselves and clearly see the positives and the negatives and move on. Alonso and Vettel both appear to be good at this although sometimes Alonso likes to play games and try to make himself out to be in a stronger position than he really is: note his comments at the last season 'I am in the unique position of being able to go to any team and any time...' Errrr no, McLaren was your only choice and not your first choice come the end of 2014 (a sabbatical for 2015 was mooted if it meant a 2016 race seat at Mercedes).
Intelligence also means being in the right team at the right time and in this regard, everyone will agree Hamilton has played a masterstroke. I heard stories that Sebastian Vettel actually spun in the Red Bull simulator when he first heard Hamilton was moving to Mercedes. Everyone assumed Hamilton was a McLaren man through and through and Vettel and Red Bull knew as long as he stayed there, the continuing shortcomings of the McLaren team would frustrate Lewis' title ambitions. By moving to Mercedes, Hamilton fundamentally changed the game and the subsequent movements of Vettel and Alonso have been delayed attempts and counter-moves to respond to Hamilton. So far it would appear Vettel's move has been the more successful one but Alonso just might have the patience to see his McLaren gamble pay-off, which despite the new car's current performance, could materialize.
In summary, I believe Hamilton is the fastest and most naturally talented of the three. But it takes more than talent and speed to win championships, which is why Sebastian is on World Championship number 4. Vettel is the most mentally strong of the three and Alonso has displayed great perseverance, determination and consistency of performance in his continuous challenge for the top spot. Such battles are what Formula 1 is made for and parallels the Senna, Prost and Mansell battles of the 80s and early 90s - an era considered to 'Golden' in F1 history. I would say the battle that these three gladiators represent will be looked back on as another golden age of the sport in the future too and that we should make the most of their duels while this level of competition exists in the sport.
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