What Now For Lewis Hamilton?

[Jen]

Last comment on this one incident - at no stage was Hamilton sufficiently in front of Massa for that to class as an overtake. It was a wing and a prayer which didn't come of. If you want to be really controversial you could blame Webber for trying to keep both of them in check.

 

[sushifiesta]

Having looked at the incidents again I do think Maldonado incident is as much Maldonado's fault as it was Hamilton's as Lewis was right alongside him but he turned in anyway.

The Massa incident I'm not so sure about - I'd like to see the Schumacher overtake on Hamilton, di Resta's collision and Hamilton's all together a few more times. I do think Massa turned in early (in an attempt to overtake Webber?) but Lewis' front wing was only in line with Massa's rear tyres so I think he has to take the lion share of the blame.

Lewis has had an extremely frustrating weekend. I think tomorrow he needs to look over the incidents again and talk to the team, Maldonado and Massa to try and diffuse the situation even if he doesn't think he's to blame.

 

[tranquility2k9]

Final word from me tonight as im going out to get suitably wasted with my girlfriend after a very dissapointing weekend of F1. Lewis may be 58 points behind, but he only needs to make up 34 points on Vettel over the next 12 races and he will be within 24 points of Vettel in the final race. If Vettel has a failure or crashes and Lewis wins that race, he will win the championship. If you look at things from that perspective, it doesn't look so bad huh? It looks like this season has a long way to go!

C'mon Hamilton!

 

[teabagyokel]

Certainly, I hope the Monacagasques enjoyed the day's events enough to mask the pain elsewhere!

Lewis may be 58 points behind, but he only needs to make up 34 points on Vettel over the next 12 races and he will be within 24 points of Vettel in the final race.

Oh, that simple! We need 2009-spec Vettel for that to happen, I'm afraid.
Unless their EBD is more important than even the RBR doom mongers expect!

 

[Tacitus]

I happen to agree with the stewards, we saw consistency with their choices as we saw di resta collide at the hairpin get a penalty. Avoidable crashes should be penalised, simple as that. Hamilton was unlucky to an extent at this weekend, but COME ON, it's monaco, track position is king at this track more than any other track. You can't just expect the other driver to give in at monaco. I just can't undestand why with micheal shumacher he gave him room, he could have easily defended that position by holding the inside line.
Any other track I would have applauded such aggression but he happily ruined maldenardo's race which the william's needed those points so desperatly.
Its a wedge that was always going to disappear.
It seemed very reminiscent of monza 2010 when he just stuck the nose in a gap that just didn't exist.
That interview just annoyed me especially when he claimed that massa ruined his qualifying lap. Where else was massa expected to go? He really just needs to cool down with his allegations especially after the spanish grand prix of blocking.
just "Shut up and drive"

 

[landogeorgelewis1]

This was just a heat of the moment interview, he'd just finished the race and emotions run high after a race at pace.

I do think the Massa incident warranted a penality as it was similar to the Di Resta incident and you can't punish one without punishing the other.

But the Maldonado one was defo a racing incident and Lewis should never have recieved a 20 sec pen for that.

But like others state i wouldn't want Lewis to change his driving style it's so unpredictable that it makes him an exciting driver to watch.

I do hope he keeps his head and goes on to win the next 2 GP's or does well at both.

 

[RayInTorontoCanada]

Boyle, re your OP:

My own opinion is that EVERY driver who isn't winning thinks "the F1 world is against them".

Alonso thought that last Summer.

Maldonado must be thinking that today.

Etc.

I think Lewis would have avoided his Monaco problems had he, like my thread suggested yesterday, completed his Flyer in Q3 instead of aborting it like he did.

I said yesteday what Brundle said this morning/afternoon: Massa really wasn't in Hamilton's way in Q3.

Vettel also had to lap traffic when he stuck in a Pole lap...Why should Hamilton go out really late and expect no traffic at Monaco of all places?

McLaren was in line to win this race but Vettel's confidence in Q3 and in his ability to manage his tyres trumped them.

Lewis is frustrated. That's all.

I'll be at the Canadian GP...and i'm sure he'll be back on it to defend his victory from last year. He's got the car for it.

 

[Tacitus]

Has anyone even thought to consider that massa's retirement was due to a lack of downforce down the monaco tunnel, thus pushing massa onto the marble causing the crash. Watch the collision again and massa's front wing is smashed into webber.
Thus hamilton causes two retirements directly

 

[RasputinLives]

I have to say whether the stewards were right or wrong today I'm a bit dissapointed in Lewis's "because I'm black" comment - I hope its been taken out of context. He has no evidence for that whatsoever and accusing somoene or an organisation of being racist is a serious issue. I fully understand him having a moan about the stewards but thats too far - did we ever hear Schui say "its because I'm german"? I think he's better than that and should leave that sort of comment to the tin-foil hats over on 606.

I just hope it was all heat of the moment and he meant it as a joke.

 

[Fenderman]

I have to say whether the stewards were right or wrong today I'm a bit dissapointed in Lewis's "because I'm black" comment - I hope its been taken out of context. He has no evidence for that whatsoever and accusing somoene or an organisation of being racist is a serious issue. I fully understand him having a moan about the stewards but thats too far - did we ever hear Schui say "its because I'm german"? I think he's better than that and should leave that sort of comment to the tin-foil hats over on 606.

I just hope it was all heat of the moment and he meant it as a joke.

With the greatest of respect, I've used that one myself. And even in the 21st century it often isn't far from the truth. What he is saying by making that remark is that there is an inconsistency in the way that he has been treated and the evidence, if you chose to see it is there for all to see.

When we say "is it 'cause I is black?" we are asking why? We are asking for a reason that adds up.

 

[RasputinLives]

With the greatest of respect, I've used that one myself. And even in the 21st century it often isn't far from the truth. What he is saying by making that remark is that there is an inconsistency in the way that he has been treated and the evidence, if you chose to see it is there for all to see.

When we say "is it 'cause I is black?" we are asking why? We are asking for a reason that adds up.

hmmm, yes I think I understand that. Maybe my comments on the issue can never be fully informed as I've never experienced the situation and have been told before that I live in a bit of a naive world where just because I don't notice something doesn't mean other people don't but I always thought the F1 world embraced the ethnicity issue if not because they thought it correct at least because they see how it opens the sport up to a wider world. Lets remember Max Mosley is not here anymore. I could have course be incorrect and as I said naive to the whole thing but I thought the reason that adds up was nothing to do with Mr Hamilton's background but the team he is driving for - especially as the director of his team seems to be leading the fight against the FIA at the moment. Why not Jenson you say? well Jenson never gets involved in incidents that give them the chance to do it.

Overall I think I'm dissapointed at the timing of the comment. If he'd made this in Malaysia I would have accepted that he was angry at a very stupid penalty and may have a point. At Monaco he was involved in 3 major incidents which saw other drivers races coming to an end - whether he was to blame or not isn't the issue - of course he's going to be asked to come to the stewards! In the previous Grand Prix a whole host of drivers including himself were called to the judges to be penalised for not slowing down for a yellow flag - so he wasn't being singled out there either. I just think he had a bad day at the race track and him trying to suggest that was possibley down to any prejudice just bothers me a little. But then as I said maybe I'm just naive.

I think maybe Lewis should read up on Jesse Owens - a man who faced far more prejudice that he could even dream of - and see that Owens was given multiple chances to critices Hitler and the Nazi regime both before and after the Olympics and who could blame him if he did? But he refused to get involved in that and just compeated because he knew winning those four gold medels would speak far louded to the world and to those against him than any speach would.

 

[Sarinaide]

I would make Button the face of McLaren, at least he knows when to zip it. I will say that Hamilton had showed a lot over the past year or so to suggest he was moving on from that wet behind the ears petulant racer, though the last week has left me with a sense of "WTF is going on here" feeling.

 

[snowy]

"that wet behind the ears petulant racer"

Yeah, I know what you mean. Lewis has been such a freakin' lousy ambassador for the sport what with all his childish and unrestrained outbursts over the past few years. I can't believe all the times he has thrown his toys out of the pram and criticised his team and bad mouthed his opponents. He is a disgrace, and should have been banned from the sport. Never once thanking his team or having a good word to say about his fellow drivers.

Long live 606 and the voice of reason.

 

[Sarinaide]

Yeah, I know what you mean. Lewis has been such a freakin' lousy ambassador for the sport what with all his childish and unrestrained outbursts over the past few years. I can't believe all the times he has thrown his toys out of the pram and criticised his team and bad mouthed his opponents. He is a disgrace, and should have been banned from the sport. Never once thanking his team or having a good word to say about his fellow drivers.

Long live 606 and the voice of reason.

Extreme methinks, I was like thinking more like curbing his enthusiasm

 

[cider_and_toast]

Several comments back, TBY made a point that it always difficult for someone with the huge ammount of self belief that Lewis has to accept that when things don't always got to plan it could be down to his fault and I couldn't agree more with that point.

A lot of the great drivers of the past have had a hard time excepting their own mistakes and it always seemed to me that the bigger the driver (normally in their opinion) then the bigger the "blame game" comments. Very few drivers actually come out and say "yeah, well errrr actually I stuffed it up". It's not really in their make up to say something like that.

It's only recently that we've actually had access to the pit / car radio conversations and don't forget that it's usually only the ones that are thought to make good TV being the ones we hear. I've used the "Hamilton, just shut up and drive" line in the past but I guess they could all be whinging away in their cars for all we know.

For what it's worth I believe he was in the wrong (by the letter of the law) on both counts yesterday and received a penalty that was consistent with other infractions during the race.

His post race comments were a very poor attempt at a joke and I think he made himself look a propper plonker as a result but that will all blow over.

 

[ATL11]

Had my say in regards to Lewis before reading this, he is what F1 needs, like some have said his approach for how Schuey over took him was to hang the car out, let him over take, Lewis knew he had a fair chance of getting him later (turn1). Both Maldanado & Massa both in a way crashed into Lewis, but it is a fine line on who's driving line it is.

Thinking about this, has Lewis not been smart here by using a very touchy subject in 'Racism', to raise a point for discussion that F1 hasn't had to deal with in many years.......when does the driving line switch between drivers?

 

[snowy]

There is such a thing as racing room, giving your opponent room to race is conventionally regarded as good manners and safe practice.

In the case of Schumacher vs Barrichello in Hungary, Michael was rightly and roundly criticised for not giving Rubens any racing room. Just because the speeds are slower and the point at which the other driver stuck his nose in differed, doesn't detract from the premise that one should give your opponent racing room. Enough space for him to think better of it and pull out or to press on if it is safe. He shouldn't be forced to mount the curb to avoid serious damage to both cars.

 

[snowy]

In Indy Car the kind of blocking we saw yesterday is actually banned. However they have rather gone over the top. Perhaps they had to though because cars were being launched into the air and put into walls left, right and centre.

 

[ATL11]

It may be a daft idea but could they have something on the dashboard that plots the cars position using GPS and it could indicate you now have the driving line in the over taking procedure.......

 

[Fenderman]

It may be a daft idea but could they have something on the dashboard that plots the cars position using GPS and it could indicate you now have the driving line in the over taking procedure.......

No reason why they couldn't have proximity sensors. I mean they are fitted to a lot of road cars as standard kit. Just a shame such aids may be needed to replace drivers spacial awareness