congratulations Hamilton !

[Nick Goodall]

You can't expect anything less from the British media or press to be honest, we've not had a world champion condender since Damon Hill and considering most of the F1 teams are based in the UK, and it's so big over here you can understand all the hype around Hamilton, and why they're so excited to talk about him at every opportunity. I think it's going to be the same wherever he goes now racing wise as all the other nations are taking notice and he's going to get a lot of support this year all over.

I'm just pleased to finally see a young British driver giving them all something to worry about, Jenson had the potential but has never had a car good enough for him to really challenge for a whole season.

[telboy]

thats typical uk tv though isn't it. they'll hype it up and then when it goes wrong they'll slate him.

it was good to see how much support he got from the spectators in canada though, so its not just us brits that like him.

wow, sprained ankle, even luckier then.

[Kopite]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/moto...ne/6744297.stm

[terry.sc]

I just find the British media just annoying, after all the UK has a World Champion in motorsport. Andy Priaulx has been WTCC champion the past 2 years and currently leading this years championship, yet the UK media have never heard of him.

Dario Franchitti won the Indy 500 (without the performance advantage Hamilton has) but I don't recall hearing about it on the news.

I've got nothing against Hamilton, he's a brilliant driver as demonstrated in his performances in F3 and GP2 but the UK media were too busy fawning over Jenson Button at the time, they just don't bother with Jenson any more now they have a new favorite.

For all the media hype Lewis is certainly a future world champ. He seems to be a nice bloke as well, although I don't think he'll win the championship this year. What do I know, I tipped Massa for the title but Ferrari seem to have swapped their cars for the Super Aguris

[Nick Goodall]

F1 will always outshine any of the others though, WTCC and Indy don't get the interest over here let alone the coverage. I went to Rockingham when the "Cart" championship as it was came over, and although it was pretty cool, after about an hour everyone was pretty bored and uninterested so i'm not surprised people don't really follow it here, let alone the time of day it's usually on due to the time difference....

I like their street style races, but the ovals are so incredibly dull.......

Button makes me laugh, not really been a good move to stick with Honda so far has it? He is such a sore loser though, he's got better but usually he completely slates the car and I hate hearing that.

At the end of the day Lewis will continue to get the same coverage as we all know the way the Media/Public work - i hear Silverstone had a massive surge of GP ticket orders when Lewis crossed the line, what does that say for you?

It's no different to when we won the Rugby world cup in 2003, suddenly everyone's a rugby fan, and with Football the amount of Chelsea shirts you see around this area now is comical.

[Southwell]

The funny thing is Button was one of the guys to help develop the car so it's partly his fault the cars so crap!

[Southwell]

The latest WTCC race in Pau was fab, heres a massive crash in qually, and he walked away!

http://www.touringcartimes.com/news.php?id=1233

[albertobdq]

Today Hamilton has lost all my respect. Pretty dirty and unfair maneuver in the straight to avoid Alonso overtaking him.

[matdodd]

.....

[matdodd]

O sorry just spoted you Spanish!

[telboy]

Today Hamilton has lost all my respect. Pretty dirty and unfair maneuver in the straight to avoid Alonso overtaking him.

..but isn't that racing?

Spanish or not, you've got to admit he defended his position FAULTLESSLY! There was nothing dirty about it at all.


As far as I saw there was nothing wrong with the way in which he defended his position. He moved once to defend and RACED Alonso to the corner. Yes it was VERY close and wheel to wheel stuff, but THAT IS RACING! If they couldn't do that then why the hell are they there?

It reminded me of Senna and Mansell at portugal (i think), wheel to wheel for virtually the whole length of the straight back in 90/91? to which Senna called Mansell F*****g crazy.

I bet if it was Alonso defending his position in the same way then it would be ok?

Sorry but what I saw was some EXCELENT racing from both of them, despite the 'ramblings' they gave each other plenty of respect on the track.

...they are RACING drivers after all......yes?

[telboy]

The passion that put Senna in our hearts will run eternally by our veins

....and for someone with so much respect for Senna, I would hope that you would appreciate someone that can actually race and not be affraid to go wheel to wheel.

[DCM]

Originally Posted by albertobdq

Today Hamilton has lost all my respect. Pretty dirty and unfair maneuver in the straight to avoid Alonso overtaking him.

So another driver should let the attacking driver just drive past. He was well within the rules and Alonso got beaten fairly and squarley.

[albertobdq]

Hi misters,

It's not a matter of being spanish, britsh or whatever. I'm not fan of Alonso at all. I believed that Hamilton was an amazing driver since today, he's the best rookie ever.

From my point of view Hamilton did an unfair maneuver changing his direction twice in the straight, once to the right before the finish line and then to the left when Alonso was beside him. That goes aganist F1 rules and it's very dangerous. If Alonso didn't move out both would have crash at 300+ km/h

That's why I think Hamilton was unfair. I didn't like Schumacher bacause maneuvers like this one. Every body can defend his position, that's motor racing, but you'll have to do it being fair and following rules. You cannot throw your car somewhere and asume that someone else would move to avoid crashing with you.

Telboy, the scene between Mansell and Senna was in Barcelona, Spain at "frenada Gran Corazón" (Big Heart braking) in 1992. Better than that one, Prost and Senna at Monza, Prost going straight at the 2nd chicanne because Senna braked so late that there wasn't room for other car. THAT'S motor racing!

Those were the golden years, different cars, different rules, different drivers. Nowadays we have "boring" F1 and overtaking is very rare. Today at Indianapolis we've seen very interesting overtakings from Fisi taking the outer line in the S curves to get the interior on the next one, even touching wheels with Wurz? I believe that's racing, not risking somebody else life performing outlaw maneuvers.

Offcourse I do not expect anyone to let the attacking driver just past drive, that would be pretty sad.

[DCM]

he moved over to the pitwall to defend his line, then only moved out a little to put his car near the racing line, he didn't swerve or weave.

[albertobdq]

As you just say, he moved the car to get a better line, the line other car had.

Well, I do not like this to turn in a children discussion someone saying "yes he does" and another one saying "no he doesn't"

For me, from my personal point of view, it was not fair. If I was driving Alonso's car I wouldn't move, if the other car was out of the racing line it's not my fault.

Let's forget about it.

I'd like to see a simillar scene at Monza.

[Lee Martin]

mate,

he won fair and square......

if someone tries to pass me im goin to block the line....

if you want to be the best it the world u got to do what it takes....

he started tp pull away from alonso anyway.....

dnt understand where you coming frm as lewis just ensured he wasnt over taken...

u could say alonso was being the idiot if your goin to say it about lewis...alonso pressured him frm the off intensely trying to force an error....but thats racing. its what you do......and look at the canadian gp.......alonso went off road....why.....cause he was trying to push to hard to beat lewis..

[philly]

At the end of the day, if what he did was an illegal move he would have been flagged or at least investigated by F1. Also at the end of the day...it gets dark.

[Lee Martin]

and you go to bed....

[telboy]

changing his direction twice in the straight, once to the right before the finish line and then to the left when Alonso was beside him

It is illegal to 'block' twice in the same manouvre. Hamilton did not do this. He moved to defend his line, then as you say when alonso was along side him he moved to take the line into the corner. This was not 'blocking' as alonso was along side him. drivers can not weave to stop a car 'getting past'. Alonso was already past (along side) so the move to the right as not 'blocking'.

Blocking is when a car is behind and is being stopped from getting along side.

This is what it reminded me of. Sorry it was spain not portugal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHf-Ru9JwRI