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View Full Version : Brilliant first race Lewis!!



Dave B
18th March 2007, 06:02
Fantastic move on his double WDC team-mate on the first corner, a series of blistering fast laps, and a podium on his first F1 race!

Words fail me. There aren't enough superlatives, at least not ones I can think of at 5am.

Congratulations Lewis, that was an amazing drive :D

ATF
18th March 2007, 06:05
I have to say well done for a fantastic debut and a thoroughly deserved podium! This fully justifies McLarens decision to put him in the race seat and I don't think Pedro de la Rosa would have done a better job today. Even though he lost 2nd late on, that's still no shame in that! Let's hope for more performances like this during the rest of the year!

akv89
18th March 2007, 06:05
Indeed, I'm really surprised at how quickly he has understood the F1 car and challenged his World Champion Teammate, and on a circuit that is new to him :eek:

ClarkFan
18th March 2007, 06:06
Well done for Hamilton, indeed. He even kept his head and form well when he found himself in the lead. Wonder what his heart rate monitor showed then?

Congratulations also to Nico Rosberg for a solid drive for Williams. Not in the main spotlight like Hamilton was, but a race and points that Williams sorely needed.

ClarkFan

pino
18th March 2007, 06:14
Lewis was just amazing and deserved 2nd place, let's hope it wasn't a Team order by McLaren ;)

Roamy
18th March 2007, 06:16
cmon pino - alonso is just more seasoned but lewis was great no doubt about it.

AJP
18th March 2007, 06:16
outstanding performance by Lewis Hamilton...

I am certainly going to enjoy watching in the years to come..

good luck to him...

pino
18th March 2007, 06:20
cmon pino - alonso is just more seasoned but lewis was great no doubt about it.

Sure Alonso is a great and very experienced champ but I still have some doubts ;)

ioan
18th March 2007, 06:25
cmon pino - alonso is just more seasoned but lewis was great no doubt about it.

And FA needed a pit stop to go by! ;)

truefan72
18th March 2007, 06:27
phenominal, that is all I can say, absolutely phenominal!
the pace, the guile and absolutely brilliant driving. He kept Alonso behind him for most of the race.

I just wonder why he came in 2 laps early that's all!

jas123f1
18th March 2007, 06:30
What a guy - suberb start for a f1 career. :)

ioan
18th March 2007, 06:30
I just wonder why he came in 2 laps early that's all!

That's a bad question!

truefan72
18th March 2007, 06:36
That's a bad question!

well maybe pino has a point..
he wasn't scheduled to come in for another 2-3 laps. I say they called him in. He pited after Alonso after the first stint and was supposes to pit after him again, makes you wonder, but I'll take 3rd place :}

F1boat
18th March 2007, 06:41
Amazing debut, Lewis was brilliant and all people who say that he is arrogant - WTF? Lewis was always smiling and seems very likable. I don't like Mclaren, but I congratulate the kid! Fantastic!

jens
18th March 2007, 06:50
Hamilton seemed pretty matured, although he took a couple of slight offs on the last sector, but managing to match reigning World Champion on a debut race is an amazing achievement.

Although IMO Hamilton's race proves pretty clearly one more statement - F1 cars are easier to drive these days and for a talented rookie it won't be a big problem to get mixed into the battle of other top drivers already in early career.

Hopefully it won't be a "Rosberg-like" case, who managed one good race at the start of last season and then dropped backwards.

Hoss Ghoul
18th March 2007, 07:38
well maybe pino has a point..
he wasn't scheduled to come in for another 2-3 laps. I say they called him in. He pited after Alonso after the first stint and was supposes to pit after him again, makes you wonder, but I'll take 3rd place :}

The Speed commentators speculated that it was to keep him out of traffic. They also noted that after he came in Alonso put down a quick lap(was it a few?) and that the tactic was "Schumacher-esque", meaning Alonso would thus come out ahead after the stops(not that it was team orders). Perhaps that's all it was.

Still, can't argue with a podium in his first race.

wmcot
18th March 2007, 07:51
Amazing debut, Lewis was brilliant and all people who say that he is arrogant - WTF? Lewis was always smiling and seems very likable. I don't like Mclaren, but I congratulate the kid! Fantastic!

I don't think he's arrogant, just confidant. Let's hope he doesn't develop arrogance as the years go by. He definitely looks like he has a very bright future. He might be the best thing Ron has ever done for the sport!

Giuseppe F1
18th March 2007, 08:10
Superb performance all weekend!

Garry Walker
18th March 2007, 08:14
I reckon Lewis has exposed Alonso.

raikk
18th March 2007, 08:17
Great race by Hamilton! He looked like he has been in F1 for a while.. This kid is something special.. deffinetly my new fav driver in F1... Ive been saying from the beginning that Lewis will be great.. Can't wait till the next round of the circus! :D

Mikko
18th March 2007, 08:47
Poor Lewis - they are screwing with him already... :laugh:

Hawkmoon
18th March 2007, 09:04
I have to admit that he had a damn good weekend.

I don't think we should too carried away. Jean Alesi nearly beat Ayrton Senna in a Tyrrell very early in his career and Alex Wurz had a podium in only his third race. Neither guy had or has had, a great career.

JV's career started just like Hamilton's has done and though JV had much success early, his career finished on a very sour note.

So, all-in-all, good job lad but there's a bloody long road ahead of you.

EuroTroll
18th March 2007, 09:41
I don't think we should too carried away. Jean Alesi nearly beat Ayrton Senna in a Tyrrell very early in his career and Alex Wurz had a podium in only his third race. Neither guy had or has had, a great career.

JV's career started just like Hamilton's has done and though JV had much success early, his career finished on a very sour note.

It's also worth remembering how impressive Rosberg was in his first race last year, and how dismal the rest of his season was.

A lot will depend on everybody keeping their feet on the ground. ;)

ArrowsFA1
18th March 2007, 11:26
Outstanding. He looks like he was born to race and win in F1. The finest F1 debut I've seen. Lewis Hamilton has confidence without arrogance, an ability to learn, and the ability to apply what he's learnt very quickly. Sheer class :cool:

I agree we shouldn't get carried away, but Lewis Hamilton certainly won't. Although he'll probably suffer setbacks during the course of the season, and with all due respect to the likes of Alesi and Wurz, this guy is a class above them and is in the best possible place to make the most of all the talent he has.

Shalafi
18th March 2007, 11:39
He is a real deal. Great performance and surely a great future ahead of him. It will be very interesting to watch Alonso vs Lewis battles this year. Everybody were talking about Kimi vs Massa before the season...But it seems like Kimi will destroy Massa (as I expected) and Lewis will really challenge Alonso (and that is a complete surprise for me!).

EuroTroll
18th March 2007, 11:51
I agree we shouldn't get carried away, but Lewis Hamilton certainly won't.

I'm not so sure about that... Listening to his interviews for the first time this weekend, I got the feeling that he is actually far more vulnerable than most people seem to think.

Ian McC
18th March 2007, 12:15
Brilliant, but not surprising, Lewis has looked the real deal for a while now, that move on the first lap was just perfect.

He has a great future ahead of him :D

aryan
18th March 2007, 13:00
For someone who watched most of GP2 in 2006, this was no big surprise, but even I, a big LH fan, didn't expect him to get on the podium on his debut and challenege a double WDC. Even JV's start wasn't this good.

This kid is the real deal, watch him closely. He is no Roseberg, he is no AW, This is LH and he has overnight become Britain's no.1 GP driver. It will only be a matter of time until his first WDC.

ATF
18th March 2007, 13:02
It's also worth remembering how impressive Rosberg was in his first race last year, and how dismal the rest of his season was.


But Lewis is in a team and a car that should remain at the top all season, Rosberg wasn't - but as long as he stays near the front, he should have a strong career. I admit we shouldn't get carried away, I can only imagine what's in the UK press this morning!

emporer_k
18th March 2007, 13:08
I must admit that I was a bit sceptical about how he would perform this season, but I have been very impressed by how he has performed and I hope that he can keep it up.

Donney
18th March 2007, 13:13
Wonderful race, and an impressive start!!!!

Congratulations! :up:

ArrowsFA1
18th March 2007, 14:54
I can only imagine what's in the UK press this morning!
The race was a bit late for the print editions but online:

The Times (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/formula_1/article1531874.ece) - Hamilton in dreamland as he makes his mark on history
The Independent (http://sport.independent.co.uk/motor_racing/article2369202.ece) - Ecstatic Hamilton enjoys dream F1 debut
The Sun (http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,3-2007120767,00.html) - Hamilton takes to the podium
Daily Mail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/motorsport.html?in_article_id=442964&in_page_id=1954) - Raikkonen victorious but Hamilton delights

trumperZ06
18th March 2007, 15:04
;) Lewis is everything Ron expected him to be !!! Remember... he's been groomed for Formula 1 for over a decade !!!

:D Now you Brits have a driver to cheer for... that's likely to be a World Champion. Button/Honda seem to have a steep climb ahead of them before challeging the leaders.

:s mokin: Trumper

tinchote
18th March 2007, 15:07
The race was a bit late for the print editions but online:

The Times (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/formula_1/article1531874.ece) - Hamilton in dreamland as he makes his mark on history
The Independent (http://sport.independent.co.uk/motor_racing/article2369202.ece) - Ecstatic Hamilton enjoys dream F1 debut
The Sun (http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,3-2007120767,00.html) - Hamilton takes to the podium
Daily Mail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/motorsport.html?in_article_id=442964&in_page_id=1954) - Raikkonen victorious but Hamilton delights

Hey Arrows, I agree that the kid made a wonderful debut. But having the Brit press glorifying a Brit driver when he looks good is no big news ;) :p :

VkmSpouge
18th March 2007, 16:08
I try not to get too excited. Hamilton drove superbly, his move at the first corner was excellent. He matched Alonso all weekend and it was only Alonso's experience that split the two in the end. All this on a track he has never raced at before. Well done, Lewis. Lets see how you go at Sepang.

race aficionado
18th March 2007, 18:20
It is so cool to see Hamilton do as great as he did this weekend.

Very refreshing to see this young man come in into the F1 circus that desperatly needs new talented plaayers.

I wish him the best and am rooting for him.

Go Hamilton! :)

:s mokin:

Garry Walker
18th March 2007, 18:20
The finest F1 debut I've seen

Did you miss the Spa Grand Prix in 1991?

Daika
18th March 2007, 18:45
Very impressive by Hamilton. I didn't thought much of them because i have never seen him drive and the British media is one not to be trusted when it comes to sport journalism (let's admit it, every talent will become world champions in their eyes!!). Looking forward seeing Alonso getting kicked!

EuroTroll
18th March 2007, 18:56
Did you miss the Spa Grand Prix in 1991?

Er... do you mean the race where a certain young driver retired after 200 m with a clutch problem? :erm:

Of course, he was brilliant until then. :p :

I would ask Arrows if he missed Bahrain in 2006 where a certain rookie got the fastest lap of the race and was undoubtedly the fastest guy on the day. ;)

Dzeidzei
18th March 2007, 19:02
Very impressive by Hamilton. I didn't thought much of them because i have never seen him drive and the British media is one not to be trusted when it comes to sport journalism (let's admit it, every talent will become world champions in their eyes!!). Looking forward seeing Alonso getting kicked!

Very impressive by Lewis. What a shame that he isnt allowed to beat FA, cause it was obviously team orders at play today. Also I hope he will be able to cope with British media hype, thatll be a lot more difficult than driving the Mac.

Congrats to RD also, good lineup and a much improved car.

But what the hell was wrong with Kimi? He didnt brake his car, and actually he seemed to control the race and take car of his car. IŽd hate to think that his pace only needed a fast and reliable car to make this kind of impressive show.

Robinho
18th March 2007, 21:02
I reckon Lewis has exposed Alonso.

you can't just compliment someone can you, you have to stick the knife in to someone else to devalue them.

Lewis did everything he could today, he made a couple of minor mistakes, but nothing more than cost him a couple of seconds, very mature drive, great first lap and seemed to be the equal of Alonso, although Alonso drove a very patient race to score second, which was probably the best he could have hoped for given Kimi's performance.

i hope this is the start of great things for Hamilton and that he is able to keep his feet on the ground, everything i've seen so far seems to suggest he will

jso1985
18th March 2007, 21:14
amazing performance by Lewis.
Being a McLaren fan I coulnd't be happier :)
Now let's just hope he keeps this level during the entire season

wedge
18th March 2007, 22:09
He's the real deal. No doubt about it.

I've followed his career with keen interest ever since seeing his huge smile on the back pages of Autosport, seeing him on 'Champions of the Future' on Saturday afternoon telly, a signed Avon cap from Brit FRenault at Snetterton.

I can understand how Ron Dennis feels, its like finding the winning lottery, backed the right horse, found the seed that has grown the biggest tomato ever....

Sleeper
18th March 2007, 22:25
Very impressive, I wasnt expecting him to turn out this kind of performance on his debut. Lets wait and see how he does at a more normal track in Sepang.

EVOBOY
18th March 2007, 22:39
I reckon he is a future F1 Champion in the making! The guy just has natural talent & knows how to race, I have been following Lewis since his karting days & you could see he was a bit special even then.........well done! :s mokin:
I know Button has got a difficault handling car but he just aint in the same league as Lewis....

slinkster
18th March 2007, 22:44
I'm late to this because I was too shattered to get up and watch the actual race, so I only saw the re-run :D I was impressed with Hamilton today... felt really pleased for him to do so well in his first race. I hope it continues, and people don't lose all hope and faith in him if he has a slight slump in the near future.

stevie_gerrard
18th March 2007, 23:37
Congrats to Lewis, an entirely convincing weekend, showed the talent of a champion to be, give him a couple of years, and im sure he would acheive it! :up:

raikk
18th March 2007, 23:55
The question is now.. Can he do what Tiger Woods did to golf but to F1? I think he has the potential to do it as he is very gifted .. but lets not get too ahead of ourselves ;)

Sirius
19th March 2007, 03:15
Even JV's start wasn't this good.

Are you kidding me? As good as Lewis' performance was this weekend, it was not as good as Jacques' debut in 1996.

Villeneuve took pole and left Damon scrambling for words. If you have any video of that weekend you could clearly see that Damon knew right from the beginning that Jacques was going to be a serious threat to the title. Jacques made not one, but two excellent starts to lead the field. It was quite clear that Damon had his hands full trying to pass Jacques and he only just came out ahead of him after their first stops. Villeneuve came out onto the track tucked right up behind Hill and passed him with an audacious move that put him back in front. Cruel fate robbed Villeneuve of victory.

A great debut from Lewis, but clearly not as good as Jacques' though. I would also say that had Alonso got a better start and not ended up behind Heidfeld, he would have most certainly, in my opinion, stayed ahead of Hamilton. In the end, that wasn't what happened and full credit to Hamilton for quickly reacting to the situation around him and moving to the outside and executing that move around Alonso. A great move!

I hope that these two will be allowed to fight to the bitter end, no matter who wins.

Sirius

Hawkmoon
19th March 2007, 04:05
Has Hamilton done anything that JPM didn't do on his debut? We all know how JPM's career panned out.

For all those who say that we are watching a future world champion, I have a few words of caution. We have no idea how Hamilton's career will go. Did anybody really think that Damon Hill was going to be a world champion after his debut in '92? How about Mika Hakkinen's less than spectacular career at Lotus and years in uncompetitive McLarens. Hell, even Ron Dennis thought Michael Andretti was a better option than Hakkinen in '93.

Look at Raikkonen. Only 10 wins in 6.1 seasons! How on earth did that happen to a guy as fast as Raikkonen? My point is that we have absolutely no idea where the next world champion is going to come from. Of all the guys in the last 15 years to have spectactular 1st races, only Schumi and JV went on to win the world championship. For every Schumi there are dozens of Alesis, Wurzs, JPMs, Rosbergs.........

Mark
19th March 2007, 09:34
Well of course you have to remember that JV at the time was the reigning IndyCar champion, and was in a team which was absolutely dominant at the time.

But of course, Hamilton is the GP2 champion. :)

I just hope that he doesn't expect to be on the podium every single race, he's got to be able to take the knocks too, the F1 season is long, and tough. But I can see a bright future for the lad, he can be world champion, but for that you also need luck!

J1
19th March 2007, 11:47
Rosberg had a good start last year as well and everyone knows what then happend - so I prefer to wait some more races before I hail him as new king.....

Priorat
19th March 2007, 12:32
I hope Hamilton can keep and improve this kind of performance. Being British in a British team, I hope this will stop Alonso's big mouth of saying stupid things.

Garry Walker
19th March 2007, 15:03
Are you kidding me? As good as Lewis' performance was this weekend, it was not as good as Jacques' debut in 1996.
You are making a joke, yes?



Villeneuve took pole and left Damon scrambling for words. If you have any video of that weekend you could clearly see that Damon knew right from the beginning that Jacques was going to be a serious threat to the title. Jacques made not one, but two excellent starts to lead the field.
Yes, he took the pole, but in racepace Hill was clearly faster and harassed JV into a mistake, which ultimately cost him the win. JV was clearly slower in the race.



It was quite clear that Damon had his hands full trying to pass Jacques and he only just came out ahead of him after their first stops. Villeneuve came out onto the track tucked right up behind Hill and passed him with an audacious move that put him back in front. Cruel fate robbed Villeneuve of victory.
Cruel fate - he went off the track and damaged the car. His own fault, no one elses. What the hell was he doing being actually SLOWER than a driver of Hills quality and letting him pressure him into a mistake?



A great debut from Lewis, but clearly not as good as Jacques' though.
Hamiltons debute was far more impressive than Villeneuves, because LH had the 2nd best car, a by far stronger teammate than JV did and was at his pace, whereas Villeneuve was in the best car by far and got beaten by a nobody like Hill.



Has Hamilton done anything that JPM didn't do on his debut? We all know how JPM's career panned out.
Hamiltons debute was 100X better than Montoyas, they arent comparable at all. Montoya got beaten really badly by his teammate in the first few races pacewise, and he was by far more experienced than LH. He also had a weaker teammate in Ralf, than LH did.

wedge
19th March 2007, 15:14
I think the next question we have to ask ourselves in the coming years is not if or when LH will become WDC but how many titles and whether he'll be revered in the same light as Jim Clark, Senna, et al.

EuroTroll
19th March 2007, 17:56
I think the next question we have to ask ourselves in the coming years is not if or when LH will become WDC but how many titles and whether he'll be revered in the same light as Jim Clark, Senna, et al.

Yes, I think it'll be 8 championships in the next 9 years.. :rolleyes:

Let the man win a race before talking about a championship! It ain't gonna be as smooth a ride to the top as some of you seem to think!

jens
19th March 2007, 18:53
Although I agree that it's early to say, what is gonna happen in future, but I have to admit that I have belief in Lewis and can imagine him as future champion or at least a strong contender (if the car is competitive enough). I have more belief in him than for example in Rosberg.

But the debut season as a whole definetely won't be as easy as the first race seemed. At Melbourne on a couple of occasions he slightly went off the track. Probably there will be a couple of races, where he won't be so lucky and will retire due to an accident or at least loses significant valuable time. And we also still have to see, what he can do in wet.

Sirius
20th March 2007, 01:23
You are making a joke, yes?

NO


Yes, he took the pole, but in racepace Hill was clearly faster and harassed JV into a mistake, which ultimately cost him the win. JV was clearly slower in the race.

Hmm...if he was clearly slower than Damon, then why didn't Damon just sail by at any other moment during the race? Also, if Jacques was so slow, why did he pass Damon after their first stops?


Cruel fate - he went off the track and damaged the car. His own fault, no one elses. What the hell was he doing being actually SLOWER than a driver of Hills quality and letting him pressure him into a mistake?

Yes he did go off the track, and might I say, spectacularly kept control while sliding across the grass. Once he returned to the track Hill was all over his back and still couldn't get passed him. That was a golden opportunity for Hill.


Hamiltons debute was far more impressive than Villeneuves, because LH had the 2nd best car, a by far stronger teammate than JV did and was at his pace, whereas Villeneuve was in the best car by far and got beaten by a nobody like Hill.

Hamilton finished where he should've finished for a driver with the second best car. Massa wasn't a factor in the other Ferrari and Fernando drove a mature and patient race to finish second. Did you actually think that Lewis was going to finish ahead of Fernando? If you did, then go and give your head a good shake. Fernando did to Lewis what Michael has done a million times during his career, and that is pass another during pit stops.


Sirius

namarow
20th March 2007, 01:29
Great race!!

Ian McC
20th March 2007, 02:07
I don't think it is unreasonable to say that Lewis is a potential WDC, but as Kimi has shown, if you don't have the right car you don't stand a chance.

Timber
20th March 2007, 03:19
This has been done by 17 drivers before him .....

donKey jote
20th March 2007, 21:55
I hope Hamilton can keep and improve this kind of performance.
I hope he can keep and improve this kind of performance too, as it will certainly make for interesting racing :up:


Being British in a British team, I hope this will stop Alonso's big mouth of saying stupid things.
Oh the irony :laugh: ...talk about saying stupid things :rolleyes:

jjanicke
20th March 2007, 22:30
Did you miss the Spa Grand Prix in 1991?

What the one who didn't even complete a race lap, that one?

Gannex
21st March 2007, 01:19
Some have suggested that Alonso managed to overtake Hamilton at the second stop because of his greater experience, because Alonso is the better tactician. But Alonso himself admitted at the post-race press conference that he had no say whatsoever in the amount of fuel that was put into his car at the first stop. That was all up to the team. So Alonso didn't outthink Hamilton; his engineer did.

jjanicke
21st March 2007, 05:52
Gannex Mclaren even admitted as much. They said Fred had the beneficial strategy in Australia.

wedge
21st March 2007, 12:57
According to the ITV guys Alonso had first say on fuel strategy because he qualified higher than LH.

http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=Ted_Kravitz&PO_ID=38749


Having said that, Lewis did have the less optimum strategy, due to McLaren’s policy of letting whichever driver qualifies higher have first choice of when to pit.

PS. James Allen & Ted Kravitz - good journalist & researcher/reporter but crap telly presenters/TV persona.

Valentino Rossi Boy
21st March 2007, 12:59
I think that Hamilton have a chance of winning a race and the championship

EuroTroll
21st March 2007, 16:49
I agree we shouldn't get carried away, but Lewis Hamilton certainly won't.

Hamilton (http://planet-f1.com/story/0,18954,3213_2007246,00.html): "My dream is to win and become a world champion. Three years is a good time to put on my goal to win a world title."

It might be wise for Hamilton Sr. to give the lad a smack right about now...

ArrowsFA1
21st March 2007, 17:24
Anthony Hamilton has already said (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/57478):
"He's still a feet-on-the-ground kid and he will remain that way, as long as I've got something to do with it."
There's nothing wrong in Lewis setting himself a goal. Maybe three years is ambitious, but what should he say...5 years...10 years? On the basis of his F1 debut, and his achievements in every other series he's competed in, maybe a title within three years is not so far fetched.

The press will, of course, jump on everything this new "wonderboy" says or does, but there seems to be a belief that Lewis Hamilton is the real deal.

Pat Symonds: "I know that the results sheets showed that he finished third but I think a lot of people in the pit lane who can read a race believe that he could have beaten Fernando."

Stirling Moss: "He's the best thing I've seen in Formula One since I came into it in the 1950s."

Martin Whitmarsh: "He will be a world champion, it is just a question of time now."

Jackie Stewart: "I think he's actually the best prepared first year Formula One driver that I've ever seen."

EuroTroll
21st March 2007, 17:44
That's the problem IMO! The last thing he needs now is people telling him that he's going to be the best thing ever. After one race, for Christ's sake!

Do people really have such a short memory? Don't they remember how Rosberg was thought to be the next Schumacher after his debut race, just last year?

And you Brits - don't you remember the early phases of Button's career? How you ****ed him up with premature praise? Do you really need to do it all over again? :rolleyes:

I'm not saying that Lewis isn't going to be champion. But I'm sure that all this champion-talk now, after just one race is not good for the lad. And now that it seems that he's started believing it himself, I'm willing to bet for a very hard landing very soon.

ArrowsFA1
21st March 2007, 17:56
I'm sure that all this champion-talk now, after just one race is not good for the lad. And now that it seems that he's started believing it himself, I'm willing to bet for a very hard landing very soon.
Time will tell.

Ian McC
21st March 2007, 20:38
And you Brits - don't you remember the early phases of Button's career? How you ****ed him up with premature praise? Do you really need to do it all over again? :rolleyes:

:laugh:
So now it's the British publics fault! What rubbish!

fizzicist
21st March 2007, 20:39
It rocked!

Lewis was absolutely staggering. In pracise on Friday it was the first time he'd seen the track, the first time he'd driven the car on extreme wets and...bang! 5th Fastest.

What was interesting was that throughout the weekend he was running les TC than Alonso. Fernando looked a little better under braking into turn 9, but was running WAY more TC than Lewis.

I've been saying it for bloody ages, but he's the real deal. And his statement about 3 year plan for titles? Well a) it's amazing how many things you only ever see on planet F1 and b) I think that's quite feasable. Schumacher did it in 3 years and JV did it in 2...

Ian McC
21st March 2007, 20:40
Hamilton (http://planet-f1.com/story/0,18954,3213_2007246,00.html): "My dream is to win and become a world champion. Three years is a good time to put on my goal to win a world title."

It might be wise for Hamilton Sr. to give the lad a smack right about now...


Oh I am sure when he said he wanted to be an F1 driver to RD in his carting days Ron should of just given him a slap then?

EuroTroll
21st March 2007, 20:56
Oh I am sure when he said he wanted to be an F1 driver to RD in his carting days Ron should of just given him a slap then?

I think you rather missed the point. ;)

Garry Walker
21st March 2007, 23:43
NOI assumed so from your post.




Hmm...if he was clearly slower than Damon, then why didn't Damon just sail by at any other moment during the race? Also, if Jacques was so slow, why did he pass Damon after their first stops?
Because overtaking is very hard at melbourne, silly. They had equal cars, its almsot impossible pass in a case like that and its not like DH had an advantage of 1,5 seconds (which is usually needed to pass someone)
DH went to pits 1 lap before, and JV had the advantage of doing a lap on empty tank, but Hill still passed him, but JV being the risktaker he is got into his slipstream and overtook him. Hill was never enough of a racer and made it too easy for jv, but pacewise he completely owneed Villy.




Yes he did go off the track, and might I say, spectacularly kept control while sliding across the grass. Once he returned to the track Hill was all over his back and still couldn't get passed him. That was a golden opportunity for Hill.Its far more impressive to not go off the track at all, especially under pressure from your TEAMMATE, like JV did. Hill didnt pass him because he was a pussy and didnt want to risk a collision, whereas JV didnt seem to care much. But dont you agree that the fact JV was having to take so many risks to stay in front of DH speaks volumes for the fact that Hill was easily the quicker man.




Hamilton finished where he should've finished for a driver with the second best car. Massa wasn't a factor in the other Ferrari and Fernando drove a mature and patient race to finish second. Did you actually think that Lewis was going to finish ahead of Fernando? If you did, then go and give your head a good shake. Fernando did to Lewis what Michael has done a million times during his career, and that is pass another during pit stops.
Yes, and LH was up against a stronger teammate than JV and performed very well against him. JV though performed far less well

Ian McC
21st March 2007, 23:48
I think you rather missed the point. ;)

No, I didn't :p :

ArrowsFA1
22nd March 2007, 11:28
I've been saying it for bloody ages...
IIRC, as far back as his FRenault days :s mokin:

ioan
22nd March 2007, 13:51
Pat Symonds believes that Hamilton could have beaten Alonso:

<< "I think he drove an absolutely fabulous race," he said. "I know that the results sheets showed that he finished third but I think a lot of people in the pit lane who can read a race [in detail] believe that he could have beaten Fernando." >>

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/motorsport/story/0,,2038052,00.html

Robinho
22nd March 2007, 13:58
Fernando got to pick the strategy as he was highest on the grid, there was one lap difference in the pit stops and Lewis lost his time on his in lap behind Sato.

i don't think for a miniute the result was contrived by McLaren, just that Lewis was unlucky not to have stayed in front of Alonso, and equally, that Alonso was probably able to stay with Lewis on the track when he needed to.

nowhere in the article doe sit mention anything about possible team orders, so your title is a bit inflammatroy in the least, something you yourself are very critical of in others.

as for the quote from Symonds, i think he is quite right, Lewis could well have beaten Alonso and probably drove well enough to. where the team orders idea stems from is beyond me

Storm
22nd March 2007, 13:58
It's possible...but why would Ron actually care who came in 2nd as long as both came home on the podium ?

It's obvious that after a certain point in the race they were told not to fight (probably once Alonso got past Lewis in the pits) since you want both your cars to finish. Neither were they ever gonna catch Kimi so..

Robinho
22nd March 2007, 14:00
Mclaren in the past have told drivers to race each other until the final pit stop and after that stay in position. i don't know if that happened, but it is a sensible strategy.

BeansBeansBeans
22nd March 2007, 14:05
It is clear that Alonso had the beneficial strategy, which enabled him to overcome Hamilton. However, I don't think this is down to team orders.

Pedalpusher
22nd March 2007, 14:14
I don't think it was team orders either, but it didn't help Lewis when he got stuck behind Sato just before he was due to come in for his 2nd stop.

ioan
22nd March 2007, 15:47
Fernando got to pick the strategy as he was highest on the grid, there was one lap difference in the pit stops and Lewis lost his time on his in lap behind Sato.

i don't think for a miniute the result was contrived by McLaren, just that Lewis was unlucky not to have stayed in front of Alonso, and equally, that Alonso was probably able to stay with Lewis on the track when he needed to.

nowhere in the article doe sit mention anything about possible team orders, so your title is a bit inflammatroy in the least, something you yourself are very critical of in others.

as for the quote from Symonds, i think he is quite right, Lewis could well have beaten Alonso and probably drove well enough to. where the team orders idea stems from is beyond me

FA did his last pitstop after LH.
LH was in front of FA before his pitstop, about a few tenths but still in front.
LH spent 1.9 seconds more in the pits compared to FA who stopped 2 laps later.
FA emerged from the pits some 1.5 -2 seconds in font of LH.

I doubt that fuel worth of 2 laps takes 1.9 seconds to be filled into a F1 car's tank (given that it comes at some 12 liters/second).

So yes I say it was team orders.

ioan
22nd March 2007, 15:50
It's possible...but why would Ron actually care who came in 2nd as long as both came home on the podium ?


Maybe he wanted to make sure that FA will not miss those 2 points at the end of the season?
After all we all know that teams do go for both titles. Yes they might be content with only one but both is better, and we are talking about RD who once said that 2nd is the first of the losers.

ArrowsFA1
22nd March 2007, 16:32
FA did his last pitstop after LH.
LH was in front of FA before his pitstop, about a few tenths but still in front.
LH spent 1.9 seconds more in the pits compared to FA who stopped 2 laps later.
FA emerged from the pits some 1.5 -2 seconds in font of LH.
Brilliant though Hamilton's performance was, Alonso had a small but crucial (in terms of the race result) edge in that he made more of his in-laps and out-laps. Given that this was LH's first GP that is perhaps not surprising, but he will learn. The fact that they both set their fastest race lap on lap 20 shows how closely matched they were (Alonso's lap was just 0.037s faster).

As for team orders (that old chestnut :rolleyes: ) - McLaren drivers are free to fight (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/57492)

Isn't it extraordinary that we're talking in terms of rookie challenging the 2xWDC in the same car. Great stuff :s mokin:

ioan
22nd March 2007, 17:31
Brilliant though Hamilton's performance was, Alonso had a small but crucial (in terms of the race result) edge in that he made more of his in-laps and out-laps. Given that this was LH's first GP that is perhaps not surprising, but he will learn. The fact that they both set their fastest race lap on lap 20 shows how closely matched they were (Alonso's lap was just 0.037s faster).

That's all nice and wonderful, fact is that FA gained over LH exactly the amount of time he was made to wait over the needed pitstop duration by the team. And there were no problems with the tires or the refueling machines, nothing.
Generally people easily ignore those little numbers at the bottom of the screen counting the seconds spent for a pitstop, but Symonds, and other technicians, did take note of that. After all 2 seconds = 24 liters of fuel = around 8-9 laps, not 2.


As for team orders (that old chestnut :rolleyes: ) - McLaren drivers are free to fight (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/57492)

Yeah, like in Australia 98 and Canada 05, and these are only the obvious ones!


Isn't it extraordinary that we're talking in terms of rookie challenging the 2xWDC in the same car. Great stuff :s mokin:

Yes it is, but how much more extraordinary it would have been if they would have let him keep his position and beat the 2xWDC in his very first race? But no, they are thinking about the end of the season already, like back in 98. And it's normal given their form compared to Ferrari, they want to give FA as many points as possible in the eventuality of catching up later in the season.

jjanicke
22nd March 2007, 17:37
That's all nice and wonderful, fact is that FA gained over LH exactly the amount of time he was made to wait over the needed pitstop duration by the team. And there were no problems with the tires or the refueling machines, nothing.
Generally people easily ignore those little numbers at the bottom of the screen counting the seconds spent for a pitstop, but Symonds, and other technicians, did take note of that. After all 2 seconds = 24 liters of fuel = around 8-9 laps, not 2.



Yeah, like in Australia 98 and Canada 05, and these are only the obvious ones!



Yes it is, but how much more extraordinary it would have been if they would have let him keep his position and beat the 2xWDC in his very first race? But no, they are thinking about the end of the season already, like back in 98. And it's normal given their form compared to Ferrari, they want to give FA as many points as possible in the eventuality of catching up later in the season.

You surely are one hell of a character. When the shoe fits, right! ;)

22nd March 2007, 17:39
I'm a Ferrari fan, so I reckon I can recognize a team-order when I see it......

....and I don't think I saw one from Mclaren. Nor did I see any pit-lane 'engineering' to replicate the effect of a team order.

Fernando stayed out for an extra two laps. That is more than enough to turn over a 1 second gap.

How do I know that's more than enough?

Well, there was a driver for the Scuderia who used to do just that on a regular basis.

Now, if only I could remember his name!

jjanicke
22nd March 2007, 18:02
I'm a Ferrari fan, so I reckon I can recognize a team-order when I see it......

....and I don't think I saw one from Mclaren. Nor did I see any pit-lane 'engineering' to replicate the effect of a team order.

Fernando stayed out for an extra two laps. That is more than enough to turn over a 1 second gap.

How do I know that's more than enough?

Well, there was a driver for the Scuderia who used to do just that on a regular basis.

Now, if only I could remember his name!

Exactly! Coincidentally LH wasn't able to run up a slight lead prior to his pit because he couldn't get past Sato. Add that together and it's quite easy to see how the pit pass happened without interference.

wedge
22nd March 2007, 18:30
FFS, do we have to argue about team orders again?

F1 historically has used team orders. You can't exactly pit the same drivers on the same strategy in F1 can you? One of the team's drivers will be handicapped one way or the other.

And then you have gentleman's agreements such as 'whoever leads/or is highest into the should win/take the most points at the end of the race'.

It's certain drivers/teams who have immorally exploited the system. Thanks to Schumi, team orders is now a dirty word in F1 circles.

IMO, McLaren have done nothing wrong, this time round.

Ian McC
22nd March 2007, 20:42
FA did his last pitstop after LH.
LH was in front of FA before his pitstop, about a few tenths but still in front.
LH spent 1.9 seconds more in the pits compared to FA who stopped 2 laps later.
FA emerged from the pits some 1.5 -2 seconds in font of LH.

I doubt that fuel worth of 2 laps takes 1.9 seconds to be filled into a F1 car's tank (given that it comes at some 12 liters/second).

So yes I say it was team orders.


Just out of interest is there anywhere that you can get pitstop timings from?

ioan
22nd March 2007, 22:19
Just out of interest is there anywhere that you can get pitstop timings from?

http://www.formula1.com/race/result/pitstops/770/8.html

Ian McC
23rd March 2007, 00:04
Thanks! :)

tintop
23rd March 2007, 00:42
Team Orders?

Just like Rubens slowing down for MS in a straight, I suppose.

ioan
23rd March 2007, 01:13
Thanks! :)

You're welcome! :)

ioan
23rd March 2007, 01:18
Just like Rubens slowing down for MS in a straight, I suppose.

Not quite.

tintop
23rd March 2007, 03:11
Not quite.

Man, are you pathetic.

ioan
23rd March 2007, 08:44
Man, are you pathetic.

Because you believe that the 2 cases are the same?!
Or just decided you need to enlarge your ego by attacking me in this way?

pino
23rd March 2007, 08:59
Thread "cleaned" back to Lewis now...