Current Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton MBE

A place to put all the posts from all the other threads primarily but love him or hate him, and even for the indifferent amongst us this is the place to discuss the marmite that is Lewis Hamilton, to learn a thing or two about his rise, talk about those controversial, genius or mad moments and something that i am bemused by, the recent articles that suggest something quite different to my perception of what's going on. Any experiences of meeting LH?

Brundle had to write a Lewis Hamilton article recently and in my tweets (which were probably ignored) I asked him to talk about LH the driver not LH the personality. It seems that you can't have one without the other.

So as a starter for ten, here is a fairly recent LH article. Posts should not be limited to this link but it can get some discussion going. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/formula_one/13755883.stm

The only banned topic as it is clearly ridiculous involves these four things "Glock" "2008" "Brazil" "conspiracy"

 

[Sarinaide]

Under the old scoring system I'd agree Sarinaide, losing two points to the race winner and coming second wasn't a big deal. Neither was losing 4 really. But 7 points is big. Last year because it was so close and went down to the wire and this year because SB is running away with it. He doesn't even need to turn up to a couple of races now.

So, if you take the sensible approach (such as Button maybe last year) then you will never rack up enough points. We've even seen a change in him this race, because if you don't go for it now, you're never gonna win. Sometimes it really pays off, sometimes it doesn't. At least with the go for it approach there is a chance.

Finishing races and not incurring penalties or the stewards wrath is also a good ploy. Right now RBR are running away with it because of the car and that is something the techs should address not reckless decisions, but again LH is the "maverick" of racing, lives by the seat of his pants, changing that is counter productive.

 

[Hamberg]

SB? I think not!

Er.... You clearly misquoted me!

 

[Hamberg]

Finishing races and not incurring penalties or the stewards wrath is also a good ploy.

Hence the Jenson Button approach to 2010 - that paid off the least out of them all. I think Vettel and Alonso racked up the most race/point critical errors out of the whole season. In fact the final order of the top 5 was a complete reversal of critical errors incurred (This is from an autosport pre Singapore '10) article but there were some clear cut mistakes post this.

It is really irritating to watch and with LH there are always going to be "why Lewis WHYYYYYY?!??" moments, but then it's this style that kept him in the running and had him 2nd in the championship until Montreal.

 

[Hamberg]

I know Vettel had a few mistakes, notably running into Mark Webber, the only vivid Alonso boo boo I remember is the pranging at Monaco in FP 3 when Pole looked a certainty.

Everyone has brain drain, just seems like LH brain drains result in the same outcome.

Ok I don't want to get into that discussion, as said it was in Autosport and they clearly showed who had made the most race critical errors and the order was a reversal of the the final WDC positions.

As TBY has said, it just seems to be LH's that are magnified and often remembered. They all make mistakes that result in the same outcome. Vettel likes to turn right, Alonso seemed to enjoy the barriers last year and concentrating on covering others, Webber using other cars as brakes, Hamilton going for moves that could wait, Button sitting back when he could put a bit more effort in (as we know he can from Monza '10 and Montreal '11).

 

[Cookinflatsix]

Passionate. Brave. Quick. Volatile. Fragile?

I look at the way he is with his brother and see that deep down, he is a good man.

Vivian Senna was glowing in her praise for Hamilton.
She said: "He reminds me of Ayrton as a pilot and also as a good man. We can see this in his eyes."

She is possibly better qualified to assess this than the random media pundit

The Sun newspaper had a headline that said murderer, and then went on to say that a faded Austrian GP driver had called him a potential causer of fatal accidents

 

[FB]

Not to put in into simplistic terms but as the first afro-caribbean driver in F1 he is bound to be under more scrutiny than any of his peers. Not being black I can't imagine the additional pressure this brings but F1 is a very white, very middle class sport and this young black man, from a working class background, has come in and blown the established order apart. Let's hope it encourages a greater level of ethinc diversity in F1.

It's a shame Karun Chandhok isn't driving as well as Karthikeyan is mainly there due to his large sponsorship package, a better mix of ethnic identities would expand F1's appeal across the globe.

 

[Cookinflatsix]

Everyone has brain drain, just seems like LH brain drains result in the same outcome.

Same outcome each time? Do you mean DNF?

If you are correct then it would mean that Lewis has lowest brain fade rate over his F1 career

 

[Dave Aston]

I think he's brilliant. Combative, super fast, and I love that he doesn't let his head drop when things aren't falling his way, like Schumacher, and a characteristic I don't see in all the quality drivers. I would say his judgement in overtaking isn't always high quality, but that doesn't bother me, at least he goes for it, and he's still developing. I do think, judging by his performances this year, and some of his dealings with the media, that maybe things aren't so settled off track. Not business, or management specifically, but just being a young guy, you know? It's a guess, and none of my business! He's been in the spotlight since he was just out of his teens, so I think to deal with all this pressure and still perform is remarkable. I would love to see him at another team, maybe it would rejuvenate him. In any case, he will be one of the all time greats, and he nearly beat all the best in his first year. I think he'll peak in about 5 years. It's currently such a quality grid. Vettel, Alonso and Hamilton are standouts. Webber, Button, and Massa are great too, maybe a little less consistent. Michael is, regardless of last year, a legend. And the guys who are yet to win a race, Rosberg, di Resta, Petrov, all hungry and fast. I reckon the next real star is Kobayashi. Lewis is fighting all these tough guys; I've been following it since the 70's, and I feel lucky to be watching this, another great era!

 

[ZoltanF1]

Under the old scoring system I'd agree Sarinaide, losing two points to the race winner and coming second wasn't a big deal. Neither was losing 4 really. But 7 points is big. Last year because it was so close and went down to the wire and this year because SV is running away with it. He doesn't even need to turn up to a couple of races now.

So, if you take the sensible approach (such as Button maybe last year) then you will never rack up enough points. We've even seen a change in him this race, because if you don't go for it now, you're never gonna win. Sometimes it really pays off, sometimes it doesn't. At least with the go for it approach there is a chance.

Exactly. With Jenson's racing attitude I'm afraid he's never gonna beat a faster Red Bull. Lewis has tried it but had to push it very very close to the limit sometimes over it by frustration like Monaco where he started down the field because of a strategy mistake by his team so he got a bit tangled with midfielders but still came away with the max points he could antisipate prior to the race (finished 6th after starting 9th) and then Canada he gets crashed into by Button well let's put it down as a racing incident although Brundle said it was more Button's fault and also Jenson apologized to Lewis after the race. And that's all he's done wrong this year really and he gets crucified. What's all the fuss about???

 

[Incubus]

One thing sticks in my mind: Hamilton's post-race interview after Singapore last year. He (Webber) was on my blind spot and I didn't see him nor know he was there"...
That' a a funny thing to say, talking about someone you're in the process of overtaking?!
He might not have seen him but he should at least known he was there? Where else did he expect him to be?

But the thing that struck me was that in the interview he looked as though his main concern was justifying himself to the camera, like a kid who'd just been caught red-handed... whereas Alonso for example would not have given a damn one way or the other...

I've no idea whether this is affecting his driving, but the correct response after Singapore woul;d have been not to give a damn about whatever outside people (press, fans etc) say, and just focus on the next race/

Hamilton is immensely naturally talented, but what I'm saying is, he willl be a lot more able to fulfill his natural talent if he can get rid of a limiting factor that resides firmly in his mind rather than his abilities. He doesn't make that many mistakes per season, but when he does they always tend to be the same or similar sort of mistakes, and that's not good because it tends to show he doesn't really learn from them...

 

[Sarinaide]

Same outcome each time? Do you mean DNF?

If you are correct then it would mean that Lewis has lowest brain fade rate over his F1 career

More the fact that when he goes through a bad phase, it happens to be at a critical point in the title race.

In general LH would have better results if he took the high points finishes when they presented themselves, rather than pushing for more, but again he is not that kind of driver and that is probably the excitement factor.

 

[Speshal]

To put things in perspective Hamilton has had 8 DNFs since his debut in 2007 - Vettel has had 15 (9 in a STR and 6 in the RBR) over the same period Jenson has had 13

Maybe it's the manner of his retirements that gives people this distorted perception that he crashes a lot.

 

[Josh]

To a match a reigning WC in the same car as a rookie was remarkable, to beat him to second place is unprecedented

I can't really think of anyone else that was actually teamed up with a reigning WC as a rookie, can you? Saying this is unprecedented doesn't really justify calling him "great" for me.

Lewis Hamilton is exciting, and a very very good racing driver, but he isn't a great driver yet, not for me atleast. He doesn't learn from his mistakes, and it is never, ever his fault, it's always (at least partially) someone else's fault. I can't remember a single time where he said it was his fault. If anyone knows a time when it was, feel free to tell me!
He makes too many silly errors and, atleast from what I see, he's not such a great tactical thinker. He needs to step up and take control of the tactics more often, force his team into doing what he wants - then the next WC will come sooner or later.
I'm sure he'll win another championship, he's too good not to, but he has to improve in a number of areas if he wants one in the next few years.

 

[Quintessentially]

I the only vivid Alonso boo boo I remember is the pranging at Monaco in FP 3 when Pole looked a certainty.

Well he conveniently threw in the barriers at Spa too.

Jump start at China was more wee wee than boo boo but Charlie (the steward not the clown) said noo noo.

 

[Cookinflatsix]

I can't really think of anyone else that was actually teamed up with a reigning WC as a rookie, can you? Saying this is unprecedented doesn't really justify calling him "great" for me.

nope it just means that it has never been done before

but he has to improve in a number of areas if he wants one in the next few years.

So he missed the WC in his first season by one point, and has been in contention till the last day in every season bar 2009 when he had a dog of a car for half the season

I take it the areas he has to improve on are all relating to how to win on the last day?

Do you think he should also learn some more cliches?

 

[The Pits]

My opinions on Lewis Hamilton.......

Personally, i believe his record speaks volumes, no need to cover that ground agai. I do not get taken in by the false tag of a crash kid, as he is not really,.

He was, in my opinion, thrust into the spotlight, and under really close scrutiny because of where he started, and how he started, and many people seem unable to accept his ability, or simply look at his career through impartial eyes.

What amazes me the most, is the extremes that he evokes in people. I do not think any other driver has polarized opinion in the same way.

Personally, I love the way he drives, there are few more talented or exciting in the history of the sport. I would say I am certainly not the most avid Lewis fan, and sometimes I feel that his on track performance does not match his off track image, at least the one that I see. However, i make no judgement on his personality, as I do not know him.

I am not sure how I would summarize all that! However, I was crestfallen in 07, elated in 09, and appreciate seeing him drive.

 

[MCLS]

The fact with Hamilton is, he has always been in the spotlight, so any rookie mistakes he made would be severly highlighted while someone like Alonso had a year at Minardi to get those mistakes out of his system and hone his skills.

 

[Josh]

nope it just means that it has never been done before

So he missed the WC in his first season by one point, and has been in contention till the last day in every season bar 2009 when he had a dog of a car for half the season

I take it the areas he has to improve on are all relating to how to win on the last day?

Do you think he should also learn some more cliches?

No, but he could've won multiple championships already if he didn't make the same mistakes over and over again.

 

[MCLS]

And what mistakes would these be?

 

[Josh]

Pushing beyond his/the car's limits when it would have been better to sit back and just finish the race or going for a gap that isn't there, for example. I also think he should take the initiative more when it comes to tactics during the race - the team has shown on multiple occasions that they don't make the right choices, so why he hasn't taken more control of this is beyond me.

And no, I can't give you any hard examples as I don't have an encyclopedic memory of every grand prix.

I have a feeling I'm going to get more than half this forum against me now but oh well