Off the wall thinking

[goldmeerkat1]

Off the wall thinking here, but what if Lewis Hamilton has peaked ? He is a brilliant driver, in one of the best cars,
virtually no competition . So i was thinking, where does he go from here if he doesn't win this year or in the next couple of years.
Is it downhill from here, meaning most drivers come up through the ranks reaching his acheivement of the WDC. It's a different situation for him because almost everybody else started their F1 careers in inferior cars. Imagine driving one of the best cars for years, then wallop!! your out of contract you now find yourself driving a simtek. I take my hat off to the guy for being probably the fastest driver this year , in the wet or dry.

 

[Amdathlonuk]

Personally I think he has years left yet.
Last year was just poor team decisions on a couple of occasions and his hotheadedness.

However, even if he doesn't win it this year (let's be honest if he loses to Massa by less than 7 points, he should have been crowned champion anyway.....), I think he's strong enough to bounce back and I think Maclaren are mature enough to realise they probably have the most exiting and talented driver since Senna.

 

[veravista]

Interesting theory, but I think it's a bit of the glass half full, half empty scenario. I can't agree with your analysis goldmeerkat1 that there is hardly any competition, if he wasn't in the championship this year it would still be tight. I think what Hamilton has is a rare talent, and one that has nowhere near reached it's peek yet, anyone who saw his drive at Turkey in GP2 could see what his potential is. It's easy to forget that it's only his second year in F1 and he has already acheived more than most of the greats managed after several years. It's true that he was in the fortunate position to be able to step into one of the best teams in his first year, but look who his teammate was - the reigning world champion and although he hardly blew Alonso away he managed, quite spectacularly at times, to freak him out. And but for a couple of poor team decisions could have walked away with the championship as a rookie. I don't believe this was due to favouritism on Mclarens part, Alonso had years of experience in set up to call on to allow him to succeed, but a feel and natural ability to extract the best out of the car.
What I do think may happen (well hope at least) is that the rest of the drivers and teams will rise to the challenge and that the old, tired order of drivers will fade away. Massa and Kubica look like they can, Vettel, Sutil and Kovalinen have potential.

 

[goldmeerkat1]

I still think if a driver ends up in a car/team of either Mclaren, Ferrari or BMW the expectation is huge. F1 is a ruthless business. Personally i would've like to have seen L.Hamilton start off in a lesser team, but i suppose you grab every chance you get. My worries are that if he stays in a top team without results, p45 on the way out. I know all of these drivers are very rich , do think they would give up a few million £s for a couple of WDCs , i think the answer would be a resounding, YES!!!!
Put it this way, can you name who finshed 2nd in the WDC for the last 20 years (without looking it up). If the gossip in the papers is true, F.Alonso is on his way to Ferrari ( something to do with a sponsor called Santander) . Anyone else struggling to understand what Kimi is achieving by doing the fastest lap nearly every race, this is only going to annoy the hell out of a team boss.

 

[Speshal]

I'll admit I'm a racing fan first then McLaren fan and have followed them for 27 years but, and I'll nail my colours to the mast here, I am a huge fan of Lewis Hamilton

I genuinely think he is going to be the star of his generation and that he will stay at McLaren for a very long time - I trust Ron Dennis' eye and I think he saw the raw talent in that young man at a very early age and has nurtured that to what it is today. I think Lewis is only going to get better and better, if you look at his incremental improvement from last season to this and his drives in the wet this season (yes a lot of that is down to the MP4-23) but to have that confidence in your car in the wet is unbelievable and shows a huge amount of innate talent and he's shown that he is a natural born racer.

So, no, I don't think he's peaked, nowhere close and with less aero next year, even if the MP4-24 is a pig you'll see him scything through the field if necessary



let the slating begin

 

[goldmeerkat1]

Hi, speshal. I do agree that he is very talented driver. Talking of nailing my colours to the mast, i am a huge Ferrari fan.

I am thinking along the lines of M.Schumacher here (my hero) wins two WDC's in a benetton then thinks i need a new challenge. Moves to Ferrari, which by the way was a dog of a car. Spends the next couple of seasons driving the nuts off of this bucket. The rest is history.

Lewis may want to stay at Mclaren, what i'm saying is the sponsors always want results. I think if schumi hadn't been so successful at Ferrari he to would've been given his p45.

What Lewis needs to remember is, the boss is the boss.I think if you swear at your boss too often it's just a matter of time before he says enough is enough. No doubt, that probably in a couple of years time i will be saying something completely different. In the winter testing(limited it may be) i think a lot of drivers need to learn how to preserve their tyres. It's going to be a very interesting season next year.

 

[bogaTYR]

I think you could be very well right.

The lead LH had last year was so massive and the fact he lost it in the end was more then surprising. This year he is top of the league much more due to the issues other drivers have (especially Massa) then his own driving. At times he's been ok to good but at other times sloppy to say the least.

And then next year a lot of changes. I think this will be a very important year for Lewis. If it still does not happen next year, then he will leave mclaren. Everyone tells him he's the best and if he by then still hasn't won anything then it will be a huge problem. Plus next year he might get serious competition from other young drivers who so far have not had the advantage of driving a mclaren. If the changes do bring the field closer together then people like Vettel, Kubica, Sutil and maybe even Rosberg and Piquet will make life extremely difficult for LH. All these drivers are at least as good as LH. Vettel being the one who might turn out to be the best of all of them.

To me, LH will join Ferrari in about 2 years, if Vettel does not pip him to the post.

So to me, he already blew his best chance ever last year and it does not look too good for this year and the coming years.

 

[goldmeerkat1]

Helo bogatyr, your reply was excellent.
I have to say that Lewis will probably will be champion this year. After my team had a slight hiccup this weekend ithink ferrari will be crowned chumpions. I could be wrong here but my gut instinct says that Alonso will be driving for ferrari sooner rather than later. Was i seeing things but hammy boy still didn't look to happy at the end of the GP. Your right boga, the youngs guns might be showing lewis a clean pair of heels next year.

 

[Speshal]

Alonso will be driving for ferrari sooner rather than later.

I think you might be right there

Was i seeing things but hammy boy still didn't look to happy at the end of the GP.

How's about I lock you in a sauna at 30 degrees for two hours whilst you ride an exercise bike at full pelt whilst doing the killer soduku, shall we see how happy you look after?

 

[GeoffP]

Hamilton might have been a bit down from the race, but Alonso and Rosberg were totally wired, those guys had run out of energy 10 laps earlier and had been running on pure adrenelin for the past 30 mins.

Probably should watch the interviews again, but on first hit I got two impressions, 1) Hamilton must be fitter to be so in control in comparison; and 2) There's the odd chance he "settled" for 3rd too early. That's why I turned into sad git and went and re-ran the season's results using the old scoring to see the impact of a strong weighting for finishing at the front.

Not the best testamony gor a GP if the 3rd place guy settles with 25% remaining

 

[Penske666]

I guess you need to look to Mansell and Prost for an answer - chop and change until you get what you're after

 

[goldmeerkat1]

hi frog n flymo,
brilliant answer, myself being a triathalon expert can do the first two no problem, as for killer sudoko too easy . The next step is for lewis to play the points game, 7 points is a huge advantage so the pressure should be on Massa.

 

[goldmeerkat1]

hi penske666,
totally agree with you , i think most drivers will grab the chance to drive for what looks like the best/fastest car.I remember a situation occuring when Senna joined Mclaren whilst Prost was still driving for them. This was one of Mclaren biggest mistakes.
Thinking back to a byegone era where drivers had to preserve their tyres, and fuel . Modern drivers these days have either lost this skill or never had it in the first place , for me this is part of race craft (following the safety car does not count). Watch nascar and you will see this practise being used widely. Yes i know it's not needed in this modern era of F1 but i for one miss this skill. Maybe the FIA could limit the amount of for each race, when did you last see a driver short shift the gears to preserve fuel .

 

[teabagyokel]

I have to say that your original point is not too far off the wall imo. In a way, over the next few years there is a possibility that Hamilton will become the Hakkinen to Vettel's Schumacher. I really hope so tbh! Anyway, with Alonso in a slower car, Raikkonen in a daze and Kubica in a team that's throwing everything at 2009, its hard to see how Hamilton will ever get a better chance than this!

Massa, of course, probably will never come as close again, but I can't see how Massa's going to beat Hamilton by 8+ points with Raikkonen running into walls all over the place and at three tracks where logic dictates there's going to be at least 1 wet race.

I think that Hamilton's seat at McLaren is pretty safe. Ron Dennis loves the kid, he's invested a lot in bringing him to F1 and believes that he has the temperament and talent to do it. McLaren don't habitually change drivers either. Since 1996 they've had these drivers:

HAKKINEN
COULTHARD
RAIKKONEN
MONTOYA
DE LA ROSA
ALONSO
HAMILTON
KOVALAINEN

Of those, all but Coulthard either resigned to go to "a sabatical", Ferrari, NASCAR or anywhere bloody else but McLaren(reds, respectively) or are still at McLaren.

By all accounts Hamilton is Ron Dennis's "new Mika" and he'll stick with him 'till he gets too old imo. I can't see Hamilton going to Ferrari, he's got too many blood ties at McLaren. If he leaves for a new challenge he'll go to some tinpot team and try to build them up á la MSC!

Always remember, cream rises. You don't get top jobs by default (unless your manager is Nicholas Todt and Ferrari are desperate) and even that seems to be working now! We'll see Vettel, Kubica and Hamilton probably fighting for the title* in 2011, so whilst the other two are AWOL, Lewis needs to score a WDC!

*Although we said a couple of years ago "the future of F1 is Raikkonen, Alonso & Montoya". 2/3 ain't bad!

 

[goldmeerkat1]

Hi teabagyokel, i have to agree with everything in your reply . As for this year, lewis is in the driving (sorry about the pun) seat, if he does not win the WDC this year he should hang his head in shame. You reckon lewis will remain racing for Mclaren for a few years yet , i say the opposite. If he/team doesn't win the WDC/WCC regularly Mercedes will apply extreme pressure on (ARTHUR DALEY) sorry R.dennis for results ( i'll probably be eating my own words) . Over the last thirty years watching F1 i haven't seen this situation before, i mean for a young driver( a very capable one at that ) to start his F1 career in one of the best teams i have a fear it's going to go badly wrong for him , just my gut feeling! Saying this he'll probably go on and win umpteen WDC's. Ferrari will be doing this at the end of the season

 

[Galahad]

Hello all. A bit late coming to this debate I suppose.

In terms of peaks it depends what you mean. Most drivers are at their peak (these days) from the age of about 26-30. But if they're stuck in a Force India it probably doesn't show.

If Hamilton can stay in a good drive until then I can't see him not winning the world championship at least once.

Mercedes have never interfered in McLaren's driver selections before and I see no reason for them to start now. I get the strong impression this year the team is more united, more comfortable and performing better on track (largely). What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, as they say.

It is true though that at the moment there are more good drivers than good seats, so we'll have to see. If I had to bet though I'd say that it will be Lewis that decides to leave McLaren - they won't fire him.