Fizzy V Smooth

[Brogan]

I'm quite glad Hamilton's finally standing up for himself.
He has a lot to be angry about with McLaren after they lost him the biggest prize in F1, namely winning the WDC in your rookie year, after they kept him out on worn tyres in China 2007 in the vain attempt of trying to win the title that day instead of settling for a safe podium.

Sadly some people will always find fault with Hamilton, that has always and will always be the way.
If he tows the party line by being a team player he gets criciticised for being a mechanical, corporate robot.
If he blames his team for a poor strategy decision he gets called a whinger.

 

[genji]

I'm quite glad Hamilton's finally standing up for himself.

I agree, Bro:

you can well understand Hamilton's need to vent. And as I said, good on him.

He has a lot to be angry about with McLaren after they lost him the biggest prize in F1, namely winning the WDC in your rookie year, after they kept him out on worn tyres in China 2007 in the vain attempt of trying to win the title that day instead of settling for a safe podium.

Well, of course, in those days they won together and they lost together. I wouldn't say they lost him the championship in China, but they certainly put him in a very difficult position, needing a fifth place from the final race.

 

[Brogan]

This is probably for another thread but in the history of F1, has any other new driver's actions, words and gestures both on and off the track been dissected, analysed and criticised so comprehensively?

I'm guessing not.

 

[FB]

Just to pick up on a point made earlier on other drivers "perceived" as smooth:

Alain Prost (smooth) - beaten by Aytron Senna (fizzy)
Damon Hil (smooth) - beaten by Michael Schumacher (fizzy)

and to add a few of my own:

Carlos Reutemann (smooth) - beaten by Alan Jones (fizzy)
Fernando Alonso (smooth (as well as being as dull as ditch water)) - beaten by Lewis Hamilton
Gerhard Berger (smooth) - beaten by Ayrton Senna (fizzy)
Jacques Laffite (smooth) - beaten by Keke Rosberg & Didier Pironi (fizzy)
Graham Hill (smooth) - beaten by Jim Clark (fizzy? Q mark added as I'm not sure if that's a fair description of Clark but he was certainly a driver who could adapt his style to suit the car, conditions & what was needed in the race)
Jody Scheckter - would have been beaten by Gilles Villeneuve (fizzy) if Villeneuve hadn't been such a great team man.
Nelson Piquet (smooth) - beaten in all ways by Nigel Mansell (fizzy) apart from in the WDC

The only exception to this I can think of is Prost vs Rosberg snr but Keke had such appaling reliability during his time at Mclaren it's not really fair to draw a comparison.

From my perspective there appears to be a bit of a pattern emerging. Doubtless I will get a point by point rebuttle...

 

[snowy]

The McLaren strategy for the final race in Brazil was shamefully less than brilliant aswell in 07. And in 08 they repeated a similarly shabby strategy and only just got away with it.

I have no idea why Lewis gets so much flak for overtaking people, it seems to me he is doing F1 a favour, as overtaking is all anybody appears to be interested in!

 

[snowy]

This is probably for another thread but in the history of F1, has any other new driver's actions, words and gestures both on and off the track been dissected, analysed and criticised so comprehensively?

I'm guessing not.

Is it 'cause I is black?

 

[genji]

This is probably for another thread but in the history of F1, has any other new driver's actions, words and gestures both on and off the track been dissected, analysed and criticised so comprehensively?

I'm guessing not.

Do you mean since internet forums became widely populated or before?

 

[cider_and_toast]

This is probably for another thread but in the history of F1, has any other new driver's actions, words and gestures both on and off the track been dissected, analysed and criticised so comprehensively?

I'm guessing not.

Is it 'cause I is black?

That may be a small part of it but I think in the main Hamilton arrived on the scene after a long period without a top line British driver. Coulthards career all though studded with at least two good drives for Red Bull had faded after his best years at Mclaren and Button had that one good season inlcuding his win in Hungary but hadn't really captured the British public. It had been 11 years since Britains last world champion with peoples favourite Damon Hill and then we were coming to the end of the Schumacher years.

So on to the scene arrives this young man who suddenly from race one proved to be a bit special. Had that first season been totally different I don't think anywhere near the number of column inches would have been written on Lewis but as it is, in an era of maximum publicity for F1 he's the flag carrier for British F1 racing. Not forgetting of course that Jenson has now bagged a seat at the top table as well.

It's the rise of celebrity culture where lives off the track are as important to the press as the lives on it and after a really dull race sometimes the former is all they have to write about.

 

[snowy]

A lot of Michael Schumacher's unpopularity was fuelled by all those endless column inches praising him. People are easily put off others just because others find them attractive and praise them... I wonder if it is sexual...

 

[Brogan]

Can I just add, excellent post FB

Worthy of a thread in it's own right as this one is mainly focussed on Lewis and Jenson.

 

[cider_and_toast]

I've written to Mr FB esq to request permission to start a new thread to debate his analysis. I await his reply.

 

[Boyle]

A lot of Michael Schumacher's unpopularity was fuelled by all those endless column inches praising him. People are easily put off others just because others find them attractive and praise them... I wonder if it is sexual...

This could easily be edited to:

A lot of Michael Schumacher's popularity was fuelled by all those endless inches praising him... I wonder if it is sexual...

 

[snowy]

Indeed. As soon as I wrote "column inches" I sensed a double entendre charging up my rear end.

 

[teabagyokel]

I have to say I won't double your entendre.