Lewis Hamilton F1 Champion 2019

[zagatoes30]

It takes more than that to be a legendary racing driver . Carisma , recklessness , grit , ruthlesness, compasion ,an exrta ordinary skill for driving , a low regard for your own personal safelty and bollox the size of coconuts . He has non of these .

Bloody **** I agree with you all bar the last four words - how you can possibly think he doesn't have extra-ordinary skill for driving is plain madness - his qualifying lap in Singapore last year goes down as one of the best laps ever by any driver. Mercedes have a computer that predicts the best possible lap, and breaks it down into mini sectors, occasionally drivers can hit one or two of these mini sectors in a session never mind a lap.

The perfect lap should not be possible, but in Singapore 2018 Hamilton hit every single one, Mercedes rechecked the computer calculation because they thought it was wrong, it wasn't Hamilton had done the perfect lap in that car in those conditions.

In the future time will forget the fluff round the edges, the silly whining and the strange off track antics and he will be remembered as one of the best ever, the evidence is there his results, his records, his skill and those awesome laps that verge on perfection - Hamilton will be one of the greats and no one will entertain your opinion

 

[Andyk]

He has won alot of races and thats it .

Now I may be wrong but I think that is may be why he is a 6 time world champion. Think that's how it works.

 

[midlifecrisis]

I'm no fan of Marc Marquez, but he's 5 times MotoGP for a very good reason. If the front wheel folds he just picks it up with his knee...someting no one else seems to do. The car equivalent would be to have drastic understeer then giving it more gas to get the car to oversteer but somehow stay on the track. Now this is pure skill of a World Champion.

 

[Rwc13]

He has won alot of races and thats it . Mostly due to teams orders and the car . It takes more than that to be a legendary racing driver . Carisma , recklessness , grit , ruthlesness, compasion ,an exrta ordinary skill for driving , a low regard for your own personal safelty and bollox the size of coconuts . He has non of these .
You cant just be great . You have to earn it and be idolised by the public and your fellow racing drivers . Most people think he is a tw4t .
He is an A-sexual Millenium Vegan Plank who loves himself and has nothing interesting to say and would bore the sh1t out of you if you had the misfortune to be in his presence . He is also a winner amongst the blandest and safest F1 era in history . Hamilton? ..yawn .

Oh dear, looks like your prejudices might be influencing your opinion......

 

[Andyk]

With a Lewis it isn’t just about F1 that makes him a great driver. You need to look at the start of his career in carting and all the other formulas up to F1. He has shown he is one of the best drivers right through his career. Yes McLaren took him under their wing at an early age but that’s because they saw something very special in a young boy. And they weren’t wrong. You can’t really argue with that no matter what you think of him as a person. He will be one of the greatest drivers this country has ever had.

 

[philw696]

What's lacking for me today are the James Hunt characters.

 

[Andyk]

What's lacking for me today are the James Hunt characters.

That's well gone Phil....Alcohol before a race is frowned on these days buddy.... I think what you really miss is the 70's full stop buddy....When men were men and women were glad if it.....Good times no doubt. The last one like James was probably Eddie Irvine. He liked a party.

 

[philw696]

Totally agree Andy.
I had a Great Time back then and struggle sometimes of today's World.
I always remember the documentary of a Year in The Life of Eddie Irvine and going to bed depressed.

 

[zagatoes30]

Now I may be wrong but I think that is may be why he is a 6 time world champion. Think that's how it works.

Exactly

 

[zagatoes30]

That's well gone Phil....Alcohol before a race is frowned on these days buddy.... I think what you really miss is the 70's full stop buddy....When men were men and women were glad if it.....Good times no doubt. The last one like James was probably Eddie Irvine. He liked a party.

I am friends with a guy called Martyn Marshall who is the late Gerry Marshalls brother.

For those who weren't around in the 70s Gerry was a larger than life character and raced modified Vauxhalls in super production races. His best known car was Baby Bertha which was a Firenza running a 5.0 litre Repco V8 delivering around 500BHP (see link below for more info). Gerry was loud on the track and loud in the bar, his biography was called "Only Here for the Beer" sums up his attitude. Drivers like Gerry and James have long gone, the new kids are not only taught driving skills but also media relations, corporate sponsorship, physical fitness all things which would have drivers of the past turning in their graves

http://www.speedhunters.com/2015/11/baby-bertha-is-coming-to-get-you/

 

[Phil H]

I am friends with a guy called Martyn Marshall who is the late Gerry Marshalls brother.

For those who weren't around in the 70s Gerry was a larger than life character and raced modified Vauxhalls in super production races. His best known car was Baby Bertha which was a Firenza running a 5.0 litre Repco V8 delivering around 500BHP (see link below for more info). Gerry was loud on the track and loud in the bar, his biography was called "Only Here for the Beer" sums up his attitude. Drivers like Gerry and James have long gone, the new kids are not only taught driving skills but also media relations, corporate sponsorship, physical fitness all things which would have drivers of the past turning in their graves

http://www.speedhunters.com/2015/11/baby-bertha-is-coming-to-get-you/

View attachment 61788

Ah the good old days. I was a BARC member and frequent spectator at Thruxton in the early 70's and well remember Gerry's antics in the club bar and on track. I saw Big Bertha and Baby Bertha at Thruxton, but it was only last year that I came across this



I saw Gerry at Goodwood sometime around 2001 at which point he looked a bit frail, but he was still happy to chat. There is some good footage on YouTube of Gerry in his Dolomite, and also some amusing paddock stuff with Tony Lanfranchi and Andy Rouse.

Happy days...…..

PH

 

[zagatoes30]

I did a bit of pit crewing for the Willhire 24hr, in 83 I was part of the refuelling crew for Tony Lanfranchi's Opel Monza, Gerry was driving a Capri I think the banter between the pair of them when they weren't racing would make your ears burn and the after race drink in the bar got a bit messy.

Like Phil I saw both Big and Baby Bertha in the day but I too only recently heard about Mega Bertha

 

[philw696]

I did a bit of pit crewing for the Willhire 24hr, in 83 I was part of the refuelling crew for Tony Lanfranchi's Opel Monza, Gerry was driving a Capri I think the banter between the pair of them when they weren't racing would make your ears burn and the after race drink in the bar got a bit messy.

Like Phil I saw both Big and Baby Bertha in the day but I too only recently heard about Mega Bertha

A Great memory there Andy.

 

[Phil H]

What an end to the season for Lewis Hamilton with pole, win, and fastest lap. Due credit to his team mate, Valtteri Bottas though, from the back of the grid to 4th was superb. Toto Wolff must be a very happy man today!

PH

 

[Felonious Crud]

I'm no fan of Marc Marquez, but he's 5 times MotoGP for a very good reason. If the front wheel folds he just picks it up with his knee...someting no one else seems to do. The car equivalent would be to have drastic understeer then giving it more gas to get the car to oversteer but somehow stay on the track. Now this is pure skill of a World Champion.

Impossible to disagree. For sheer balls-out racing bravery look at two wheel racing. MotoGP, Isle of Man TT and so on. It's a whole new level of nuts. Plus, the pay is often shite in road racing - many are privateers on their own bikes and sleeping in a van.

 

[Lozzer]

Impossible to disagree. For sheer balls-out racing bravery look at two wheel racing. MotoGP, Isle of Man TT and so on. It's a whole new level of nuts. Plus, the pay is often shite in road racing - many are privateers on their own bikes and sleeping in a van.

Not to mention the sidecar racing

 

[DavidL]

It might not be the type of car he is familiar with but I would lay money after a few laps, the odd spin here and there he would have got the hang of it and be on the pace. The basic inputs are the same and the feel doesn't change, once they get the feel for waht the car is doing then they can exploit the potential. They all do it, even the also rans in the current races, and they are all very good it's just the likes of Hamilton & Senna in his day just do it a bit better than the others

I always wondered what the result would be if for the last race of the year they kept the cars in the order of the drivers championship but reversed the drivers. So The 2 williams chaps would be in the mercs and vice versa, the ferraris and RB in Haas and Alfas etc. I think the result would be the same for the cars pretty much regardless of the rider with maybe the odd exception.
I can't see the drivers would make that much difference.
Any of the grid would have been second to Lewis in the championship in the other merc and one or two might even have had a better chance of being first.

 

[Wanderer]

Lewis Hamilton fills me with inertia, to paraphrase Drimble Wedge and the Vegetations.....

 

[Andyk]

Well, funniest moment was when Lando Norris had a call at the end of the race from his pit manager. Lando is a breath of fresh air and really hope he gets a car that will give a pop at the championship as he has it in him.

Lewis is a very deserved winner. Hope he goes on to beat more records. To have the most successful F1 racer of all time from the UK has to be a good thing no matter what you think of him.

 

[midlifecrisis]

Well, funniest moment was when Lando Norris had a call at the end of the race from his pit manager. Lando is a breath of fresh air and really hope he gets a car that will give a pop at the championship as he has it in him.

Lewis is a very deserved winner. Hope he goes on to beat more records. To have the most successful F1 racer of all time from the UK has to be a good thing no matter what you think of him.

He's savage but that laugh is annoying. Expectations are big at McLaren for next year. The team is now set after all the moves, big BAT sponsorship next year with Vype. Hopefully they can break up the Merc, Ferrari, Red Bull automatic top 6 places. Racing Point should be a good bet too next year.