And so it begins...

[Daika]

Totally agree... Its even still too early to compare him to Federer. If he shows that form over the rest of the season then yeah. His results have been breathtaking to date. I just hope he doesnt become a victim of his own success

How about winning a grand slam first?

[CarlMetro]

In a way it is a shame that Lewis has gotten off to such a fantastic start. All the media hype, and the extra pressure that places on him, is not good for one so young. The biggest test will be when he makes a mistake or doesn't make it to the podium and how much the media jump on him. God forbid that MacLaren make some changes to the car that make it a dog to drive for a couple of races and Lewis finishes outside the points.

I think he has talent. I have seen him trackside in Formula Renault UK and GP2, as well as seeing him in some of his early cart races on TV, and I have always thought that he had something special, something which made him stand out from other drivers, especially in the one-make series, but whether he will be the greatest of all time is a long, long way from being decided.

He has made a phenominal start to his F1 career, better than any driver previous in fact, but he's only three races into a very long season. I hope he can keep this form going and then maybe one day we'll all be able to say that we watched the first races of the world's 2nd/3rd/4th greatest driver ever.

[Ranger]

He's a great driver, but for god's sake I wish everyone would calm the **** down. Most F1 sites after the Bahrain and Sepang races had Lewis' mug as the main pictire despite the fact that he hasn't won anything in F1 yet... apart from slightly sensationalist media attention and fanatics.

Lewis has got his career off to a flying start but I'm kind of wishing he has an accident or something else that disrupts his season.

That may sound harsh, but maybe we could see an end to the Hamilton honeymoon that has gripped the media and maybe we could actually see press related to the racing, and not the driver.

Secondly, he is a rookie. He NEEDS to make mistakes. For two reasons - he needs to learn in Formula 1 and I fear that if he somehow scores in the top 2 in championship points then the rest of his career may turn into one big long recession a la Villeneuve. That would be the worst case scenario for one of the brightest rookies in years.

[jens]

Unlike some others I don't wish any accidents for Lewis. One of my biggest hopes before this season was that some other guys will come and prove that Alonso and Räikkönen are not drivers "from another planet" and now Lewis, Felipe and Nick are in position to try to prove those statements wrong.

[Ranger]

One of my biggest hopes before this season was that some other guys will come and prove that Alonso and Räikkönen are not drivers "from another planet"

Considering every media outlet seems to think Lewis is from another planet at the moment... Maybe you got more than you bargained for!

[leopard]

Unlike some others I don't wish any accidents for Lewis.

Who were wishing that?...

[DimitraF1]

2007 season is a low-quality season from my point of view.withoun michael push all of them to the limits we will have many winners this season,and a rookie like Hamilton ,5 years ago it would be a joke to drive for a top team.but this days f1 has become advertisting company,so a product that sells also can drive :P

[Valve Bounce]

2007 season is a low-quality season from my point of view.withoun michael push all of them to the limits we will have many winners this season,and a rookie like Hamilton ,5 years ago it would be a joke to drive for a top team.but this days f1 has become advertisting company,so a product that sells also can drive :P

Are you suggesting Lewis Hamilton's success so far this year is because he is a cute walking billboard? :

[Ranger]

so a product that sells also can drive :P

In Hamilton's case he's a product that can (first and foremost) drive, then can also sell as he is a pretty marketable guy.

McLaren and Vodafone scored a beauty when they realised he's pretty damn good at both.

[ShiftingGears]

2007 season is a low-quality season from my point of view.withoun michael push all of them to the limits we will have many winners this season,and a rookie like Hamilton ,5 years ago it would be a joke to drive for a top team.but this days f1 has become advertisting company,so a product that sells also can drive :P

I think they're all pushing each other to their limits just fine. Most drivers out there have a point to prove, Webber wants to thump Coulthard because he doesn't want to be seen losing to what many call a 'has been', Coulthard wants to prove he isn't a has been, Heidfeld wants to assert himself as team leader at BMW, Kubica wants to beat his experienced teammate to market himself as a very good young driver, Massa vs Kimi etc etc. We have teammate battles in the frontrunning teams, Heidfeld driving the wheels off the BMW, a fairly unpredictable midfield, customer engine teams beating the factory teams...

I'm not sure what you're talking about with "low quality" either. In 2003 were about 8 different winners in that season when Schumacher was racing. Come off it.

If Hamilton came along in another 5 years you'd still say that 5 years ago (ie now) it would be a joke to drive for a top team. He's lucky that McLarens only options at the time of his signing were himself and Pedro, and he's lucky that he got Dennis' attention when he was 12, and he's lucky to be so collected both inside the car and out. But you make your own luck in F1

BTW Villeneuve had his first season in the 1996 Williams, so don't say "it would be considered a joke then".

For me, having Schumacher not on the grid simply means that the benchmark has changed to Alonso, who is now the most successful driver in F1.

Sorry about the rant :