Hamilton "faultless" [Archive]

ArrowsFA1

16th March 2008, 11:58

McLaren team boss Ron Dennis said Hamilton had driven a perfect race under difficult circumstances. "It was faultless," Dennis told reporters. "It's his discipline that makes him so good."
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/65832

With everything else that was going on during the race Hamilton's win was almost expected, inevitable even. There's a danger that these kind of performances from this driver are going to be taken for granted at this rate and they shouldn't be.

Another great performance, and the perfect way to start the year for Hamilton.

ShiftingGears

16th March 2008, 12:19

Certainly. Kimi will find it difficult retaining his title with Hamilton driving like that so consistantly. Especially when Kimi makes unflattering performances like today.

F1boat

16th March 2008, 12:19

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/65832

There's a danger that these kind of performances from this driver are going to be taken for granted at this rate and they shouldn't be.

It happened to Shumacher, I think...
But, back on topic - congratulations for Lewis.

Daniel

16th March 2008, 12:25

Should read like this

With everything else that was going on during the race Autosport's sweet sweet love for Hamilton was very much expected, inevitable even. There's a danger that these kind of glowing writeups from Autosport are going to be taken for granted at this rate and they shouldn't be.

Fair enough he drove a good race but it seems the British media are counting their world champions before the season is over. As usual I might add :)

Edit: Woke up cranky :p

Valve Bounce

16th March 2008, 13:39

Let's not forget that Kimi started on the 6th row after a fuel pressure mishap. Had he qualified alongside Hamilton, ...............................

VkmSpouge

16th March 2008, 16:05

Hamilton drove well all weekend but never really had anyone challenging him. Still a very good way to start the season.

Robinho

16th March 2008, 16:35

reminded me of Kimi last year, no one came close to him, but the rest of the season will be long and tough. however if Lewis keeps up the intesity he has started the season with he will be a very difficult man to beat regularly

harsha

16th March 2008, 16:36

too early to say really....but he's definetly one of the contenders...

Koz

16th March 2008, 17:47

Let's not forget that Kimi started on the 6th row after a fuel pressure mishap. Had he qualified alongside Hamilton, ...............................

Also dont forget, Kimi was third, and if not for that off while overtaking Kovalainen, (and the inivitable engine failure,) he would have overtaken Hamilton too. His one stop strategy would have helped in that matter too.

Lewis was just very lucky in this race, (or unlucky because of the SCs).

But then again, Kimi only had his chances today because of SC, but he has proved over the years that he can rise from the last rows and go on to get podiums and wins. Can Lewis do that? That will decide that championship.

Messa, Kimi and the BMW boys will undoubtly be ahead of the McLarens on the grid, and when that happens... What is Lewis going to do?
You cant always get pole.

ioan

16th March 2008, 17:58

I see that the love fest already started!
Congrats to him! Looking forward to see him eat dirt in the next races! :D

ioan

16th March 2008, 17:59

Let's not forget that Kimi started on the 6th row after a fuel pressure mishap. Had he qualified alongside Hamilton, ...............................

I thought it was the 8th row!

Jag_Warrior

16th March 2008, 18:15

Messa, Kimi and the BMW boys will undoubtly be ahead of the McLarens on the grid, and when that happens... What is Lewis going to do?

Pass them when they run off the track, while trying to figure out how to downshift and brake.

Daniel

16th March 2008, 18:21

Pass them when they run off the track, while trying to figure out how to downshift and brake.
If Massa, Kimi and the BMW boys are reading this thread the gears can be changed with the buttons or paddles behind the wheel and the brake is the left pedal. JW do you believe like Brundle and Allen that Lewis has some special "finesse" with the brake pedal or something as they said in Monza? :laugh:

Jag_Warrior

16th March 2008, 18:42

If Massa, Kimi and the BMW boys are reading this thread the gears can be changed with the buttons or paddles behind the wheel and the brake is the left pedal. JW do you believe like Brundle and Allen that Lewis has some special "finesse" with the brake pedal or something as they said in Monza? :laugh:

I don't know. I just know that he didn't throw it off the track or go off roading last night. There will probably be races where he does. But in Australia, he was "on" - that's all I know. Anyway, that wasn't the point of my comment. I don't believe that any driver is "faultless". But I also don't believe that when certain other drivers get their act together that Hamilton will just fall apart and be unable to respond.

And in every high speed driving course I've taken, the art of braking seemed a bit more complex than just knowing which bits did what. If it was that easy, Danica Patrick could be in F1 this season... and she has trouble negotiating pit road while using the brakes.

Daniel

16th March 2008, 18:51

I don't know. I just know that he didn't throw it off the track or go off roading last night. There will probably be races where he does. But in Australia, he was "on" - that's all I know. Anyway, that wasn't the point of my comment. I don't believe that any driver is "faultless". But I also don't believe that when certain other drivers get their act together that Hamilton will just fall apart and be unable to respond.

And in every high speed driving course I've taken, the art of braking seemed a bit more complex than just knowing which bits did what. If it was that easy, Danica Patrick could be in F1 this season... and she has trouble negotiating pit road while using the brakes.
Hamilton went off into the kitty litter before the pit entry. But you can't base your complete opinion of him on that one moment. Kimi made some errors. Such is life. Ferrari gave Lewis a good car last year :) That is all :)

stevie_gerrard

16th March 2008, 18:55

Very easy for Hamilton today, it won't be that easy for him when Ferrari's are back on form. But early advantage is always good :)

Kevincal

16th March 2008, 19:15

Hamilton was very impressive. If McLaren can have a reliable car like this all year, he will win the championship easily I think... Hopefully this was just a fluke race for Ferrari...

Jag_Warrior

16th March 2008, 19:18

Hamilton went off into the kitty litter before the pit entry. But you can't base your complete opinion of him on that one moment. Kimi made some errors. Such is life. Ferrari gave Lewis a good car last year :) That is all :)

That moment did affect my opinion of McLaren's ability to assess tire wear. It didn't affect my opinion of Lewis at all. His error in Brazil is what showed his weakness last year, IMO. A cool head would have given him the WDC. With age and experience, he should learn to choose his battles better.

And yep, Lewis did very well in the FerrariClaren last season. If Fernando and Pedro had shared more of the Ferrari setups, he may have done even better. Hopefully Fernando is happy in his McRenault though.

Ruben Barrios

16th March 2008, 19:28

I see that the love fest already started!
Congrats to him! Looking forward to see him eat dirt in the next races! :D

That's the nature of the beast, the winner is always satanized!!

This guy is very good!!

Bezza

16th March 2008, 19:37

Hamilton drove well today whilst the majority of the others threw it at the scenery. Some of you are comical with your jealousy!

I'm not his biggest fan but appreciate that he drove very well today - and it seems a trend for when he is leading from the front. When he is in traffic, I think he is still ragged, but he was hardly troubled today.

ioan

16th March 2008, 19:51

If it was that easy, Danica Patrick could be in F1 this season... and she has trouble negotiating pit road while using the brakes.

That reminds me a certain Lewis Hamilton! :p :

Jag_Warrior

16th March 2008, 20:01

She stomps her feet, whines and blames other people for her screwups like Fernando though. :)

janneppi

16th March 2008, 20:13

Hamilton didn't put a foot in the wrong place and didn't suffer from SC periods as much as some did, it was visible how important for him to get a good resulty after the bad ending last year. Hope he stays on that form, well get a good season.

BDunnell

16th March 2008, 20:39

It was a splendid drive to win a splendidly entertaining race. Yes, there were a lot of mistakes through the field, but I'd much rather watch something like that rather than boring perfection from everybody.

f1rocks

16th March 2008, 21:08

It was terrific. Too bad he is in a Mcmower and not a Ferrari..This drive is reminding me of MS when he used to dominate and stay out of trouble while leading from the front..

I am not sure who will challenge him this year. Heiki is too slow for him and Massa and Kimi seem like school boys without traction control...

This might be a repeat of 2004....

truefan72

16th March 2008, 21:21

A good strat to his 2008 campaign.

Let's not start tearing him down for driving well and keeping out of trouble and pulling away in the first few laps at an alarmining rate from others and seemingly coming to grips withno TC better than others, and not making anty mistakes and showing patience when needed.

Becuase Ferrari had a bad days doesn't mean that Hamilton and McLaren didn't have a good day.

BDunnell

16th March 2008, 21:25

I am not sure who will challenge him this year. Heiki is too slow for him and Massa and Kimi seem like school boys without traction control...

Bit early to say that, in my view.

ioan

16th March 2008, 21:38

It was terrific. Too bad he is in a Mcmower and not a Ferrari..This drive is reminding me of MS when he used to dominate and stay out of trouble while leading from the front..

One race doesn't make a championship, not to mention 7!

I am not sure who will challenge him this year. Heiki is too slow for him

Heiki was up there until they left him with his eyes in the sun during the SC period instead of bringing him in.

and Massa and Kimi seem like school boys without traction control...

A bit early to judge. I'm disappointed with the end result of the Ferrari drivers, but given their places after the 1st corner I was pretty happy to see how good the car was and how well was Felipe doing on the overtaking side (at least until he met "Sponge Bob").

This might be a repeat of 2004....

It didn't look like that to me.

jso1985

16th March 2008, 21:42

ioan

16th March 2008, 21:49

Reminds me of Kimi's race at the same grand prix last year...
He drove almost perfectly, no doubt about it, but too early to say if he's gonna win the WDC that easily. Raikkonen won the WDC last year but noone can calim he did without oposition!

And Kimi won the race last year by 30+ seconds, just to find himself nowhere near the top for the next few races.
The conclusion is that you can't judge the Championship by it's first race.

f1rocks

16th March 2008, 21:51

One race doesn't make a championship, not to mention 7!

Heiki was up there until they left him with his eyes in the sun during the SC period instead of bringing him in.

A bit early to judge. I'm disappointed with the end result of the Ferrari drivers, but given their places after the 1st corner I was pretty happy to see how good the car was and how well was Felipe doing on the overtaking side (at least until he met "Sponge Bob").

It didn't look like that to me.

Ioan. Maybe you are right but I just dont see Heiki challenging Hamilton. He just did not have the speed. He only had the chance because of Safety Car or else Lewis would have won by atleast 20-30 seconds in a normal race. We can argue that he was heavier but even on low fuel his lap times were not as consistent as Lewis.

As for Ferrari guys, I am really upset. Massa is struggling a lot without TC. He could not even hold the car in the first corner without spinning. Then the stupid move with DC..

As for Kimi, he drove with over confidence and paid the price...He spun atleast 2 times which has to be TC related... Maybe it was a one off and we will find out more in Malaysia for sure..

Lastly lets not forget the horrible reliability of the Ferrari engine. Even Bourdais paid the price for it...

f1rocks

16th March 2008, 21:52

I really hope they Ferrari dump Massa and ask MS to drive for a few races this year.. :-) That would be fun to see if he can challenge Lewis..

SGWilko

16th March 2008, 21:54

And Kimi won the race last year by 30+ seconds, just to find himself nowhere near the top for the next few races.
The conclusion is that you can't judge the Championship by it's first race.

Assuming the cars stay as they are.....

After Oz '07, the Ferrari car had to change a bit if I recall. And that was the catalyst for skulduggery beyond belief........

Daniel

16th March 2008, 22:00

Ioan. Maybe you are right but I just dont see Heiki challenging Hamilton. He just did not have the speed. He only had the chance because of Safety Car or else Lewis would have won by atleast 20-30 seconds in a normal race. We can argue that he was heavier but even on low fuel his lap times were not as consistent as Lewis.

As for Ferrari guys, I am really upset. Massa is struggling a lot without TC. He could not even hold the car in the first corner without spinning. Then the stupid move with DC..

As for Kimi, he drove with over confidence and paid the price...He spun atleast 2 times which has to be TC related... Maybe it was a one off and we will find out more in Malaysia for sure..

Lastly lets not forget the horrible reliability of the Ferrari engine. Even Bourdais paid the price for it...

You're basing all your assumptions on one race. Yes Ferrari had 2 engines go this race but engines go. This is racing..... If this happens a few more times then Ferrari need to be worried but these may be isolated incidents and could even be down to a batch of faulty parts from a supplier.

Kimi also only spun ONCE. The first time he went off he was waaaay too fast for the corner and TC wouldn't have got him around. He was heading off the track.

Welcome to watching F1 though :) Lets hope the 2nd race you get to see in your lifetime is a good one too :wave:

P.S I hope it doesn't seem rude but I geniunely think this is your first time watching a race judging by that post.

ioan

16th March 2008, 22:12

Massa is struggling a lot without TC. He could not even hold the car in the first corner without spinning.

FGS he was trying to get by Heiki on the outside. The spin could have happened even with TC in this case.

Then the stupid move with DC..

Yeah, pretty stupid, he should have known by now that getting close to Sponge Bob's car is dangerous when he's napping, as he might be stressed when he wakes up. :p :

BDunnell

16th March 2008, 22:13

Kimi also only spun ONCE. The first time he went off he was waaaay too fast for the corner and TC wouldn't have got him around. He was heading off the track.

Indeed. :up:

BDunnell

16th March 2008, 22:14

Edit.

SGWilko

16th March 2008, 22:16

Sponge Bob's

Now, as my daughter sometimes has this on (she's four) I am aware of Mr Square Pants, but the relevance to F1 is.......?

ioan

16th March 2008, 22:32

Now, as my daughter sometimes has this on (she's four) I am aware of Mr Square Pants, but the relevance to F1 is.......?

Each with his own, I see him more like Mr. Square Head!

Shalafi

17th March 2008, 07:49

I just dont see Heiki challenging Hamilton. He just did not have the speed. He only had the chance because of Safety Car or else Lewis would have won by atleast 20-30 seconds in a normal race. We can argue that he was heavier but even on low fuel his lap times were not as consistent as Lewis.

Yes, Heikki is in a new team, drove his first race there. He was much heavier than Hamilton in qualifying and drove the fastest lap in a race.

From there we can easily draw the conclusion that Heikki doesnt have any chance against Hamilton, even when he gets used to car and team better when season gets farther. ;)

ArrowsFA1

17th March 2008, 09:35

And Kimi won the race last year by 30+ seconds, just to find himself nowhere near the top for the next few races.
The conclusion is that you can't judge the Championship by it's first race.
Absolutely :up: Things can turn around very quickly, and Ferrari are unlikely to drop the ball as many times as they did this weekend again.

However, regardless of hype, the British media the ITV 'love in', Hamilton drove an excellent race this weekend and showed again how good he really is. Now on to Malaysia :D

Daniel

17th March 2008, 09:40

Now on to Malaysia :D

Where something different will happen and people will go "OMFG McLaren had an engine failure! There must be something MAJOR wrong with the McLaren's! The sky's about to fall down and Lewis has NO chance of getting the title this year!!!!!!!!!!!" all based on what happens during one piddley race :crazy:

ArrowsFA1

17th March 2008, 09:44

Very probably, although most of us know that the championship is won over the course of the whole season, not just one race. Just as a drivers' reputation is built over a whole career.

Daniel

17th March 2008, 09:57

Very probably, although most of us know that the championship is won over the course of the whole season, not just one race. Just as a drivers' reputation is built over a whole career.

No no no! You've got it all wrong! All conclusions about a driver and the way he's going to do this season should be drawn from the last race you've seen :p Did you not know this? :p

ArrowsFA1

17th March 2008, 09:58

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...Now I see :laugh:

ioan

17th March 2008, 10:39

No no no! You've got it all wrong! All conclusions about a driver and the way he's going to do this season should be drawn from the last race you've seen :p Did you not know this? :p

And for many it will be the only race they ever saw and will ever remember. and than they see the news and take everything for granted and than we get people with obscure views about F1 and we wonder why is that.

Daniel

17th March 2008, 10:47

And for many it will be the only race they ever saw and will ever remember. and than they see the news and take everything for granted and than we get people with obscure views about F1 and we wonder why is that.
Exactly :D

Now I'm off to the Indycar forum to pass judgement without ever having seen one of the races :D

WSRfan82

17th March 2008, 11:04

super drive from young lad...even if his other title buds never finished hes the man :D

SGWilko

17th March 2008, 11:44

Where something different will happen and people will go "OMFG McLaren had an engine failure!

I see your point, but it was not just one failure though. Three Ferrari powerplants failed in the race. That is a worrying trend.

Do you suppose they have changed something on the car, or is the new ECU not liking the Ferrari motors....?

BDunnell

17th March 2008, 12:28

I see your point, but it was not just one failure though. Three Ferrari powerplants failed in the race. That is a worrying trend.

Do you suppose they have changed something on the car, or is the new ECU not liking the Ferrari motors....?

I don't think three engines (one not even in a Ferrari, and one on a car that had already been damaged in an accident) going in one race constitutes a trend.

Daniel

17th March 2008, 12:44

I see your point, but it was not just one failure though. Three Ferrari powerplants failed in the race. That is a worrying trend.

Do you suppose they have changed something on the car, or is the new ECU not liking the Ferrari motors....?

and there was me thinking that you had to observe data over a period of time to see a trend. Oh well at least they don't have horrific gearbox reliability problems like McLaren did last year!