Lewis Hamilton wins his first race, extends Championship lead!!

[Robinho]

i know we have probably multiple Lewis threads, but i think he deserves one for earning his first race win, against very trying circumstances, and although he was never troubled for pace the safety car situations and a circuit that made a lot of others look amateur were coped with fantastically by Lewis.

6 races, 6 podiums, one win, championship lead, seemingly the fastest car at the moment, i don't care what everyone (inclduing myself) has said before about waiting and maturing, the guy is here, he's quick, he's winning and he can win the chamionship.

in the words of Team America, "F**k Yeah!" :D

keep it up Lewis, the only down side i can see is having to listen to James Allen's incessant drooling over the new king!

[rohanweb]

Yes.. bang on Lewis!
he is doing great.. & who knows given the circumstances he can probably beat MS's record and become the greatest, just as right from the debut he has amazed many of the fellow drivers with his spot on drives!!!

[Daika]

Yes.. bang on Lewis!
he is doing great.. & who knows given the circumstances he can probably beat MS's record and become the greatest, just as right from the debut he has amazed many of the fellow drivers with his spot on drives!!!

I think Alonso can do the same thing. But let's not get carried away. Schumacher was 15 years on the top of the game. That level of consistency we can only judge in time and not 6 races.

Having put that all in context. I think he have a shot at those records, but then again who can look into the future?

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Alonso versus Hamilton in the years ahead looks like being an incredible rivalry. Maybe they will share the spoils so much that one of them can't beat MS records.

[Robinho]

Alonso versus Hamilton in the years ahead looks like being an incredible rivalry. Maybe they will share the spoils so much that one of them can't beat MS records.

i think they'll be a few others in the mix as well, for a while i thought we'd lost Kubica from that list, but thankfully i can see him in there for a while, also Rosberg or the current young guns.

Lewis is going to be tough to beat in the future if the team stays at the top as he's got the jump on a few guys getting a top seat and learning what its like at the front.

[Somebody]

What do you mean "extends lead"? Going into this race, he was second in the WDC. Not even joint-first, which would still prohibit that turn of phrase, second as Alonso had won two races and he hadn't.

[Robinho]

nit picking a bit i think ;) , he was on equal points. sure if it was the end of the championship he would have been second by virtue of winning more races, but the fact is they were in equal points, and had lead outright earlier.

anyway, do you have anything to say about Lewis, his victory, his talent or lack of it, his luck, his skill, his determination, his chances, his arrogance or just here to pick on turns of phrase?

[Trqster]

Hamilton has been the most successful rookie in F1 so far... He's making history every race and the momentum is there.
Alonso yesterday at qualif and today looked like the rookie and Hamilton the 2 time WDC...nuff said.

[VkmSpouge]

Hamilton kept his head today as his main rivals lost theirs. It was a master class by him and a faultless drive. Eight points clear in the Drivers' World Championship he can now also claim to be very experienced at safety car re-starts now :D

[race aficionado]

The Lewis Hamilton adventure continues . . . . .

I'm glad I'm around to see it.



:s mokin:

[donKey jote]

Perfect drive from Lewis today :up:

[fizzicist]

I'm just glad I've been lucky enough to see it from earlier on than most ;) <smug>

Not that I've been banging on about him for a while or anything... :p :

[dont_be_jack]

Alonso who? Hamilton is just spectacular. I think he could drive anything and still win.

[wedge]

A good win but by no means a great win. Expect more to come, can't wait for Spa!

[trumperZ06]

:D The lad has done wonderfully so far....

;) With LH's success... we are looking at an exciting season at McLaren !!!

[fizzicist]

Silverstone was where I had him earmarked for something special - his GP2 victory there last year was mind blowing. He got the biggest cheer of the whole weekend for his second GP2 win that weekend.

Given the reception he got at Canada this weekend, I can't wait for Silverstone - the atmosphere is going to be electric!

[Bezza]

Saw Hamilton in his Formula Renault days, knew he was quick, but not THIS quick!!

[race aficionado]

. . . . . I can't wait for Silverstone - the atmosphere is going to be electric!


It was a double British National anthem day today, right?

Doing that in Silverstone would be a banger!


:s mokin:

[Big Ben]

At the beginning I said the third place would be great for LH but this is really great... We might see the second driver to win the WDC in his first season.

[fizzicist]

Saw Hamilton in his Formula Renault days, knew he was quick, but not THIS quick!!

There was a defining moment when I knew he was the business. Donington Park, many moons ago, Lewis was doing a european Formula Renault Championship race.

His car rolled a little on the grid and he was penalised for a jump start. During a safety car on about lap 5 or 6, the message came out that he would have a 10 second time penalty added to his finishing time.

He had about 12 laps left and the field was under safety car.

He won the race by 14 seconds!

[stevewf1]

Its just unbelievable!! His first win and 8 points ahead in the championship! It's absurd, but brilliant!!!!!! Well done Lewis, what a drive, to keep his head in such a chaotic race on such a tricky circuit is testament to just how good he is!!

[Viktory]

Congratulations Lewis. Very good drive and well deserved win. Will be interesting to see if he can keep it up, I don't see any reason why he shouldn't.

[jens]

What more and more time goes by, that more and more probable his title looks. Now I'd say that he is the title favourite and the man to beat. :up: Can the rivals respond?

[CharlieJ]

The difference between Aloso and hamilton said it all.

Lewis kept his head and didn't put a wheel wrong.

Fernando was desperate and made lots of mistakes.

This boy is REALLY special.

[Somebody]

It was a double British National anthem day today, right?
If driver and constructor have the same nationality, they only play the relevant anthem once.

[race aficionado]

I'de like to thank somebody.

:)

[Shak]

I, personally, didn't think Hamilton's victory was anything spectacular, just lucky. I'm still reluctant to believe all his hype. After all, we have yet to see how he reacts when things don't go his way. I definitely can't see him winning the WDC this year at least.
Had Alonso not gotten that penalty, he could have just as easily won.

[jso1985]

brilliant drive! :up:

here's for his future WDC :beer:

[cos]

I, personally, didn't think Hamilton's victory was anything spectacular, just lucky. I'm still reluctant to believe all his hype. After all, we have yet to see how he reacts when things don't go his way. I definitely can't see him winning the WDC this year at least.
Had Alonso not gotten that penalty, he could have just as easily won.

Eh? The safety car periods effectively deleted Lewis' lead four times - hardly everything going his way! He was around 20s ahead of Nick before his first stop and when the safety car periods began - given that pace he would have come close to lapping the field in a clean race.

[truefan72]

I, personally, didn't think Hamilton's victory was anything spectacular, just lucky. I'm still reluctant to believe all his hype. After all, we have yet to see how he reacts when things don't go his way. I definitely can't see him winning the WDC this year at least.
Had Alonso not gotten that penalty, he could have just as easily won.

yawn...a tired argument

[F1MAN2007]

Congratulations to the boy!!!!

[N. Jones]

He didn't put a wheel wrong throughout the entire race. He was the second fastest man at the end of the day. Plus after every safety car he pulled away from Heidfeld or whomever was in second. He was calm, cool, and confident through the whole race.

How is that not special?

[portlandCARTfan]

If it was possible I would buy stock in Lewis. Not just for his results so far but how he handles pressure. Look at every race this year and see how he handled the first lap. He always held position or improved position. Today he had a decent start and watched his teammate throw it away, and almost take him out, and it didnt seem to rattle Lewis a bit.

This kid is the real deal and has yet to put a wheel wrong. And yet he has not developed the F1 ego. We need more of his type and get rid of over paid namesakes.

[f1rocks]

I thought with MS retired F1 would be over for me. But now with Lewis (a rookie) kicking Alonso's butt, there is a lot to look forward to. This guy has talent. He had never driven at Montreal before and he still managed to outqualify and beat Alonso. The Spaniard is rattled and there is no Renault team to help him now... Also lapdog Fisi is no longer there to protect him...

Lewis has shown everything in the first 6 races. The only thing remaining is to see him come from behind and his overtaking ability. I am sure he will be exceptional at that also. He should have been another 4 points ahead because in Australia and Monaco, the team changed strategy to help Alonso.

Lewis Hamilton is the new star that F1 badly needs.....If he wins the WDC then it will be one of the greatest achievements in F1 history...

[raikk]

I, personally, didn't think Hamilton's victory was anything spectacular, just lucky. I'm still reluctant to believe all his hype. After all, we have yet to see how he reacts when things don't go his way. I definitely can't see him winning the WDC this year at least.
Had Alonso not gotten that penalty, he could have just as easily won.

are you just looking for attention?

anywasy that was a brilliant win!! Hamilton is now ahead of Alonso in the drivers standings and charging his way to Indianapolis.. way to go son , he is the fresh breath of air F1 needs!

[wmcot]

It's about time RD took the leash off LH! I wonder how many races he would have won already if he hadn't been fueled heavier at the starts than FA? No doubt that he's fast and smooth and totally under control of his driving this year...still, I'd like to see how he does in a less than top-rate car. If he can handle that he will definitely be one of the greatest drivers.

[kalasend]

I, personally, didn't think Hamilton's victory was anything spectacular, just lucky. I'm still reluctant to believe all his hype. After all, we have yet to see how he reacts when things don't go his way. I definitely can't see him winning the WDC this year at least.
Had Alonso not gotten that penalty, he could have just as easily won.

I can easily understand (and agree to some degree) about LH not done with showing all a champion need to show.

But he is hell of far from lucky today. Just to imagine the pressure of having 4 SC periods in which his leads were lost. Being able to cope with that and made no mistake shows huge amount of maturity.

On the other hand, Alonso's mistakes and being past by Sato(although it could be related to his mistakes damaging the car) had nothing to do with his bad luck.

So, is Hamilton done with his trials? No.
Has he scored well so far? Hell yes!

[wmcot]

I can easily understand (and agree to some degree) about LH not done with showing all a champion need to show.

But he is hell of far from lucky today. Just to imagine the pressure of having 4 SC periods in which his leads were lost. Being able to cope with that and made no mistake shows huge amount of maturity.

On the other hand, Alonso's mistakes and being past by Sato(although it could be related to his mistakes damaging the car) had nothing to do with his bad luck.

So, is Hamilton done with his trials? No.
Has he scored well so far? Hell yes!

LH looks like he was born in an F1 car! Watching the races this year makes me wonder how much of McLaren's reliability problems in the past were down to the drivers??? I wonder how LH would be doing in an F2007???

[Mark]

What more can I say? Everyone was just waiting for Lewis to make his first F1 mistake or have an off day, just something to show that he may be imperfect after all, but no, absolutely flawless. Well done Lewis :D

I think the contrast with Alonso's race was striking.

[aryan]

At the start of the season, the betting rate for Lewis winning the championship was 300:1.

Lucky are the ones who put money on that one. I know a certain Spyker director who put his money on Lewis, based on Sutil's recommendations!!


I don't want to get carried away, this is a long championship and it's too early to even hint that Hamilton can get away with it.

But you have to say, after today's performance, nothing seems improbable.

I knew he will be a future champ after watching Istanbul GP2 last year. Too bad I didn't put my money were my mouth was!

[Shak]

Hamilton was faultless but was never really under pressure. The SC's came out at just the right times for him and the rest of the field never had the pace to challenge the Mac this weekend anyways, while Alonso just ran out of luck.

[ioan]

He's fast, precise and very mature in the way he drives. A fast car was all he needed to succeed and McLaren delivered.

:up: for Lewis!

[Big Ben]

It's about time RD took the leash off LH! I wonder how many races he would have won already if he hadn't been fueled heavier at the starts than FA? No doubt that he's fast and smooth and totally under control of his driving this year...still, I'd like to see how he does in a less than top-rate car. If he can handle that he will definitely be one of the greatest drivers.

he would have won all the races so far but RD had different plans... he wanted to finish some race behind Ferrari

[Valve Bounce]

Hamilton was faultless but was never really under pressure. The SC's came out at just the right times for him and the rest of the field never had the pace to challenge the Mac this weekend anyways, while Alonso just ran out of luck.

I have my reservations about this. Lewis built a sizeable gap to the second car, and each time the Safety car eroded this margin. Lewis kept his cool, and rebuilt the lead each time. Alonso stuffed up on the first corner and damaged the underneath of his car - that was his demise.

[Shak]

The SC eroded the margin but never took first place from him. IMO, Kimi and Alonso's rives impressed me most yesterday as they both had to fight with damaged cars. OK, Alonso's was damaged by his mistake but at least he brightened up the afternoon with some great overtaking - how many cars did Hamilton have to overtake?

[F1woman]

Well done Lewis you are just great.

[stevie_gerrard]

He did a very good job indeed, thoroughly deserved to win, and be leading the championship, if he keeps it going, he'll soon be champion. :)

i agree though, they do go on about Hamilton too much, this is worse than when Button used to be so good :p :

I still pledge my allegiance to Button even if he is doing so badly, but Hamilton is very impressive.

[fizzicist]

The SC eroded the margin but never took first place from him. IMO, Kimi and Alonso's rives impressed me most yesterday as they both had to fight with damaged cars. OK, Alonso's was damaged by his mistake but at least he brightened up the afternoon with some great overtaking - how many cars did Hamilton have to overtake?

Erm, none, because he qualified on Pole and led from lights to flag with the exception of the first round of pit stops...

I think the true joy in this season, is in the fact that for the first time in nearly twenty years, we're seeing team mates battle for the championship - There's no lap dogs, no tail gunners and BMW are starting to come to the party. They could really begin to cock things up for McLaren and Ferrari late in the year. (Don't write RedBull off either if they work out Pit Strategy) I think we're in for a vintage season.

[Storm]

Well done Lewis Hamilton!

But he was not under great pressure ever what with Fernando making a mess at T1 and Heidfeld never close enough.....at the restart after the 1st SC period, Heidfeld was miles behind !
Still amazing for a rookie to win in race #6, he does have a fast and reliable car....but still....Button must be p**sed off :p :

[Dave B]

No way in hell was that a "lucky win".

Lewis led from the start, had his lead negated by the safety car not once but four times, and kept his head when many more experienced drivers were losing theirs and - to be frank - driving like clowns.

That was a thouroughly deserved win, and doubtless not the last of this season.

It's difficult not to get carried away; and one should never ever under-estimate the challenge from double WDC Alonso, nor from Ferrari or BMW, but Hamilton has proved what many of us have been saying for a while now: that he is capable of leading and winning Grands Prix on merit.

[Ranger]

A reassured drive. Not particularly spectacular but he didn't need to be, when all his needed to do was keep his head (and his team not to messup his strategy) throughout the restarts. Pretty much like Alonso at Melbourne 2006, which is phenomenal for someone in his 6th start.

[wmcot]

...at the restart after the 1st SC period, Heidfeld was miles behind !


What was the problem with Heidfeld at that point? I just re-watched part of the race and he was a very long distance behind LH at the restart. Why wasn't he on the gearbox pressuring LH? (Not to take anything away from LH, just wondering what Nick was thinking?)

On a side note, did anyone else notice the safety car leading the field after the Kubica accident was a white Honda, not the silver Merc? It was only there a lap or two, but I was just curious as to why it was there? (Perhaps they started the Merc on a light fuel load? :) )

[Robinho]

i saw that Honda, i assumed that maybe it was another doctors car or something?

[aryan]

Yes, the SC was a Civic for a lap or two. Interesting!

I think it is against their arrangements, and I am sure Merc didn't like it, but I think maybe the Mercs were at unsuitable positions at that point of the race (what with all 4 SC deployments).

[Flat.tyres]

for Lewis, it wasn't a spectacular drive at all. he qualified on pole and drove a fautless race that is at odds with the amount of time he has spent in F1.

Now, if it were alonso or schumacher, we would be saying that it proves the mastery of their driving and why they are the best. yet for Lewis, this performance is what we expect.

interesting, no?

Well done Lewis, great race under huge pressure and richly deserved.

[race aficionado]

Bottom line is that we are all fortunate to be living this F1 moment.

We may all be ardent fans of other established F1 drivers but the fact remains that this young man has been paying his dues for many years in other race series and he has made it deservingly so to what is considered by many the pinnacle of motor sports.

Six races and just look at what he has done so far . . . .

Yes, a great car, a great team . . . . and so what? that's the way it is and he is the one driving the car and shinning on every race.

pretty darn amazing for sure and a joy to watch.

Credit where credit is due and I for one am very happy to be enjoying this LH adventure.

very, very cool indeed.


:s mokin:

[ArrowsFA1]

Bottom line is that we are all fortunate to be living this F1 moment.
How very true race :s mokin: and not just because we're witnessing the talents of such a great rookie.

This is turning out to be a highly competitive season with battles between team-mates in the two leading teams, as well as the rise of BMW Sauber.

Sit back and enjoy :cool:

[race aficionado]

. . . . .
This is turning out to be a highly competitive season with battles between team-mates in the two leading teams, as well as the rise of BMW Sauber.

Sit back and enjoy :cool:

It's a treat to be witnessing how the 2 "superstars" are dealing with this.
Yes, we only hear what we read on the F1 new sites - and those are not to be necessarily trusted - but the bottom line is that they are being rattled by their team mates and we can fortunately just sit down and see how they perform under pressure.

and yes, BMW are there ready to pounce and try to go for a win.

:s mokin:

[trumperZ06]

:D Yes... indeed, this is a great season to be watching Formula 1.

Both the Ferrari and McLaren drivers are racing against one another, as well as the field... for position this season. Qualifying has never been more important, making Saturday extremely exciting.

Now.. BMW looks stronger as each race goes by... and Renault may get back into the hunt.