Current Lewis Hamilton

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"

 

[Cookinflatsix]

I agree Mad Monk

Its possible that every era has a villain for most people, and I bet the level of his perceived villainry is exactly correlated to how good he actually is compared to the favourite drivers of most people.
If forums had been active in Senna or MS glory years, I would bet my house that the debates concerning these drivers and their penalties , misdemeanours and pushing of boundaries would make Lewis debates seem like those found on gardening shows.

 

[Quintessentially]

Stewarding decisions generally have been much better post Mosley and his kangaroo courts. I don’t think Hamiltonis especially targeted and his driving style will inevitably attract more scrutiny. Regardless of the way he expertly spun the car around last weekend and arguably alleviated the situation, I feel most drivers would’ve waited for clear traffic. Then again it is a measure of his quick thinking the way he slotted back in that fast disappearing gap and admittedly he didn’t even see Di Resta. I feel we will need another season at least under the current stewarding setup to gauge the level of consistency being applied but I guess this is a discussion for another topic. One thing for sure is that Todt has shown he is his own man and Charlie seems to be operating with more independence without constant interference from Alan Donnelly type characters.

 

[Brogan]

but I guess this is a discussion for another topic.

http://cliptheapex.com/threads/inconsistent-stewarding-is-still-an-issue.1388/

http://cliptheapex.com/threads/interpreting-fia-rules-and-the-consistent-application-of-them.2344/

 

[VanChallis]

In those milliseconds after the car switches ends, racers are instantly working to get the vehicle pointed in the right direction again. There is absolutely no time for frustration, they are simply reacting to the situation they have found themselves in. The frustration would set in a few seconds later when they realize they have lost a position.

As someone who has done a bit of racing in his time (Karts) I can totally agree with this. When you spin, the ONLY thing going through your mind (true with me anyway) is getting going the right way again and getting up to full speed. Once you get going again, then you start thinking `bugger, lost time there`

 

[Cookinflatsix]

No driver in his right mind would spin the car round if there was risk of collecting another car and therefore a dnf or worse. He appraised the situation, his instincts kicked in and he did the best he could

The probability is that the stewards involved including Alan M would not ever be in this cognitive space and therefore misjudged the intent and penalised him. Yes it could have been dangerous but it was nowhere near being so

And I am sure all true racing fans recognise this regardless of driver allegiance

 

[Josh]

Can we stop talking about the penalty and the spin? It's obvious that there are 2 completely different opinions and no one is going to convince the other.

Surely there are other things we can discuss about Lewis? Like his future; do you guys think he should stay with McLaren, or is it a better idea if he starts looking elsewhere? (please keep it a bit civil...)

 

[The Pits]

Appreciate that this has already been discussed, but I would like to say that I think the penalty at Hungary was harsh, however, regardless of the outcome.

However, one of the things that I think, is regardless of anyones view of the reactions etc, is that the car was moving whilst other cars were passing. Whichever direction the car had move, he could have collected another, especially as by his own admission, Lewis had not seen Paul di Resta. Any driver coming across another car pointing the wrong way has to make a quick decision, which is a lot easier to do if the car is stationary, if the car is moving, it is a little tricky to know where it is going in a split second.

The Spa incident is one that I think seems to have grown legs. The rule in question is

20.3 Drivers must use the track at all times. For the avoidance of doubt the white lines defining the track edges are considered to be part of the track but the kerbs are not.
A driver will be judged to have left the track if no part of the car remains in contact with the track.
Should a car leave the track for any reason the driver may rejoin. However, this may only be done when it is safe to do so and without gaining any advantage.
As I understand it, this is the same regulation that was in place prior to Spa 08 (if someone knows diferently, please let me know, as I have been unable to find any reference to any different regs pre 08) however, it was unclear what actually defined not gaining an advantage.

Personally I think Spa 08 was wrong, however, to the best of my knowledge, the RULE was not actually changed, but a clarification was offered as to what determined surrendering an advantage.

 

[F1ang-o]

Maybe he gets penalised the most because he breaks the rules the most?

Pushes the limits.........& makes F1 so exciting.....not .'Lukin after mi points'

 

[Cookinflatsix]

Overtakes, races, pushes the boundaries (competes), gets penalised for shocking behaviour

DRS is introduced, KERS activated, degradable tyres introduced

Lets promote overtaking and force drivers to push and not settle for points

The irony is that most fans are not able to work out whats exciting about F1 racing

Ohh I like a cerebral driver who racks up meaningful statistics

 

[Josh]

Look, I respect your opinion and all, but saying "most fans are not able to work out whats exciting about F1 racing" is a bit disrespectful, and forgive me for saying this, but it's also a bit shallow minded.
Different people have different opinions, and just because they do not like what you like does not mean that their opinion is void. (not sure if that's the right word, but you know what I mean)

 

[Cookinflatsix]

Josh

What I mean is that several years ago everyone complained about F1, no overtaking, one driver dominating (MS), processional, drivers afraid to take risks etc

Audiences dropping, general apathy

Then we got new drivers who actually make us sit up and watch, and what happens?

Popular endorsement to ostracise and penalise them as much as we can, at the same time introducing new gadgets that will stimulate exciting racing

Maybe I should aim this at the F1 authorities and not at 'most fans' but when I hear supposed racing fans condemn a driver for retaining control of his car after a spin I despair

 

[ExtremeNinja]

Josh

What I mean is that several years ago everyone complained about F1, no overtaking, one driver dominating (MS), processional, drivers afraid to take risks etc

Audiences dropping, general apathy

Then we got new drivers who actually make us sit up and watch, and what happens?

Popular endorsement to ostracise and penalise them as much as we can, at the same time introducing new gadgets that will stimulate exciting racing

Maybe I should aim this at the F1 authorities and not at 'most fans' but when I hear supposed racing fans condemn a driver for retaining control of his car after a spin I despair

I think it's just better to use phrases such as "a lot of people" rather than "everyone". When you say "everyone" and someone reads it it automatically refers to them and people don't generally like to be told what they think or how they feel.

 

[Quintessentially]

Do you think he broke a rule at Spa?

The answer to that is a resounding no!

 

[VanChallis]

The answer to that is a resounding no!

Seconded. He pushed the rule, but did not break it

 

[teabagyokel]

To be fair, the same equally ridiculous punishment was applied to Alonso in Japan in 2005.

 

[Sarinaide]

To take the Top Gun theme "rules are rules and they are in place to ensure the safety of all drivers, they are neither flexible nor are the powers to be". When a driver has to take the farming route to avoid a collision, then runs the risk of losing it into a wall in the process......I don't see how that is pushing the rules.

What Lewis was punished for should be equally enforceable upon all drivers without fear or favour and without prejudice.

 

[teabagyokel]

What Lewis was punished for should be equally enforceable upon all drivers without fear or favour and without prejudice.

Except that it was utterly ridiculous:

The only thing unsafe about that situation was the closing speeds, had Hamilton not passed him he'd have careered into the back of him.

 

[Quintessentially]

To be fair, the same equally ridiculous punishment was applied to Alonso in Japan in 2005.

I don't think so. Totally different circumstances and I don't recall Alonso ever receiving restrospective punishment after being advised during the race that he'd satisfied the rules (this is exactly what Charlie albeit in an advisory capacity told McLaren after they sought clarification). Fact of the matter is Alonso was told to give the position back just as he was in Silverstone last year, Hamilton wasn't after believing he'd satisfied the rules. If he had, this whole debacle would've been consigned to history.

 

[Sarinaide]

Except that it was utterly ridiculous:

The only thing unsafe about that situation was the closing speeds, had Hamilton not passed him he'd have careered into the back of him.

Ah, I thought it was the Hungary thing.......sorry for the confusion.

 

[teabagyokel]

I don't think so. Totally different circumstances and I don't recall Alonso ever receiving restrospective punishment after being advised during the race that he'd satisfied the rules (this is exactly what Charlie albeit in an advisory capacity told McLaren after the sought clarification). Fact of the matter is Alonso was told to give the position back just as he was in Silverstone last year, Hamilton wasn't. If he had, this whole debacle would've been consigned to history.

Just check 1:33 in this video: there is your precedent.

Equally ridiculous, by the way, but its the same crime, same result!