Quote Originally Posted by Bagwan View Post
Maybe you're right , Jag , that it doesn't matter at the end of the day whether the Stetson you end up wearing is black or white , but rather if if it says #1 on it .

What I don't particularly like like here is that Lewis , like a few others , is pushing it too far here .

I guess it's a clever gambit , however , because he's figured out that he's got a free pass to do it because he team mate can never make formal protest .
All he has to do is take his scolding behind closed doors , with a little wink when he leaves .


It's the catch 22 for Nico , that he can't protest .
And , it's that fact that has been the Achilles heel for him , I think .
It would sure yank my chain if I were in his shoes , because I've seen lots of guys , including Lewis , allowing room for the others and not pushing people off .

You can race both hard and cleanly .


One last point that bugs me is that Lewis doesn't have to do stuff like this .
He could still win with a white hat .
Not that I'd claim to understand Hamilton's psyche, but who is his idol? Senna. The same guy who b!tch slapped Eddie Irvine and put a finger in a young Michael Schumacher's face to establish an alpha male dominance. And who brought Lewis over to Mercedes and has been his mentor while there? King Rat, Niki Lauda - another dominant alpha male type. How has Hamilton always treated teammates who were (perceived) threats to him, even in junior formulas? Not kindly - even if they were a double world champion. Everything about him says "black hat". He even tends to sport the black Mercedes cap after the races. I think that's just who he is. But I don't think of Lewis as a true alpha male, dominant type. He seems more passive aggressive. Unlike Lauda and Senna, he's not an "in your face" kinda guy... more a sucker punch kinda guy - more like Vettel, IMO. But he's only out to win and takes no prisoners. I don't see much difference between Hamilton and Vettel, personality wise (on track).

Thinking back about the world champions over the past 25-30 years or so, I can think of only three who seemed to fit the mold of "nice guys": Damon Hill, Mika Hakkinen and Jenson Button. To varying degrees, all of the rest of them had some degree of a-hole about them. Piquet, Prost, Senna, Mansell, Schumacher, Villeneuve, Alonso, Raikkonen, Hamilton, Vettel... For better or worse, the days of the gentleman driver in F1 seem to be behind us. I think Lewis' disrespectful attitude toward Rosberg is simply a reflection of that, plus who he has idolized and what gets him what he wants. He doesn't see Nico as an equal by any means. And now, I don't think Nico sees Nico as an equal - which is what Hamilton wants. That's just like how Vettel wanted it with Webber.

The only current driver that I can think of who could probably put up with Hamilton and not be sucked into his psychological games... and even win a psychological war against him: Daniel Ricciardo. He's a real life version of Bugs Bunny. If Lewis had tossed that cap to him, he'd have probably put it on backwards, leapt up, done the cabbage patch dance and kissed Lewis on the cheek... while telling him that he better savor #3, cause he would be wearing the crown next year. But Nico? No, by his reaction, it's clear that Lewis has now taken up residence inside his head. And Lewis is not a good tenant to have living inside one's head - just like his idol and mentor weren't.