Suggested

Driver Stat Suggestion

Hi All,

having played the game for many months now and seeing all the suggestions around tyres and the changes that have happened I got to thinking that maybe we're looking in the wrong place for improving this.
We can change they tyres as much as we like, but eventually we will all find out which strategy is ultimately the best, and then we're back to square 1.
My suggestion would be to add an additional stat to drivers. One that cannot be changed. A driver personality attribute if you will.

For example:

Wet Weather Driver - This would mean that on a like for like basis a driver with this attribute would be faster than one without it
Smooth driver - A driver with this would be able to get more out the tyres, the wear rate being say 10% lower than those without. i.e. if the wear in free practice is 9%, when it comes to the race they would be 8.1% (10% improvement)
Fuel saver - this would be a driver who was more economical on fuel.

These attributes could also be used in reverse so could demonstrate poor in the wet, or fuel burner, or tyre eater etc.

I'm sure there are other attributes that could come into play, but if this was added as a non trainable static stat, only visible once in your team, maybe that would provide some interesting play, and add a touch of realism as we all know in any form of motor racing there are always drivers who are better at certain things than others. With this it also means strategies are adjusted to suit the driver. So even if you had a 32 team league all with maxed 20 drivers, you would need different strategies to suit your individual drivers. there will always be some teams who can eek out an extra lap or two on SS because there driver is smooth, while others can go longer on other types because they don't need as much fuel, or if it starts raining your driver suddenly becomes a Michael Phelps and gobbles up the road.

Now I'm not a coder so I don't know if what I'm suggesting is impossible, or something that might be quite easy to implement, but I just think it's all become a bit lazy to bang on about tyres consistently.

I would be interested in others thoughts on this

You been playing Motorsport Manager, have you? =P

I like this idea

No, I'm a cheapskate and don't pay for games. . Ha ha. 
It just came about as an idea in a WhatsApp chat the league I'm in has.
It was as we were talking about the recent tyre changes. When it changed it provided a few races that were slightly unpredictable as we all got used to  then strategies became pretty static again. Also we chatted about the F1 season and how some drivers are able to eek a bit more out of tyres than others, and how in the German F1 race Lewis was able to take seconds out of Vettel in 1 lap,  both good drivers, but Hamilton is clearly a better wet weather driver, so we got thinking that was all

I dislike 99% of the suggestions made on here...but I like this one.

Hi David.
It's not a bad suggestion, it would definitely add another layer of management to the game. 
However, I got thinking and wondered if, over the course of a full season, one particular type of driver would have a balance of attributes giving the best compromise across all 17 circuits. They might not win every race but would win a few and place very high in others giving them an above average chance of winning the championship. After a few seasons the managers with many test accounts in closed leagues would work out the ideal driver attributes and then it would be just like CDs, every manager would be chasing after drivers with a very selective set of attributes. If you're lucky enough to find one you're going to be in with a chance of a championship, if not you're destined to run around in the middle of the pack. 
Like I say, I don't dislike your suggestion but you did ask for people's thoughts.

Hi Kevin, I do see your point and you're probably right. I was just putting forward something other than the laziness of others who just bang on about tyres. 

Kevin, Davids initial suggestion was that the attribute was hidden until the driver was in the team. That kinda rules out the prospect of managers seeking out drivers with certain attributes. You get what you get. I like the idea

I like this idea.