Comments on: Ecclestone on Hamilton and Raikkonen

By: MichaelK

MichaelK — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 16:43:24 +0000

With regards to mistakes under pressure vs. without pressure. There is a huge difference, especially as LH was so far in the lead at the time. But generically speaking, anyone who has felt real pressure knows that it is much more difficult to act at your best than without.
As mentioned above, so far LH has crumbled, Kimi gets to his best when the cards are down, let’s see how this season plays out.
LH might well have to first contain Heikki and is in real danger of getting beaten there…

By: Sri

Sri — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 05:56:13 +0000

LOLLLL…I fully agree with you Toncho. Thumbs up alright!

By: Toncho

Toncho — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 00:55:34 +0000

Funny Bernie is saying the same about RAI that he was saying about ALO. Sorry but this is not a popularity contest just motor racing. It seems he would be only satisfied with LH as champion. I guess is a good thing to have the big boss on your side.

Btw he didn’t make any mistake, he just parked smoothly in China (maybe to have the coffee he was talking about last week-end).

By: frecon

frecon — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 11:45:23 +0000

For me, the problem is about how important the driver is. Some drivers can obtain a 110% from his car, but that’s not enough to win a race or a championship. Nowadays car and strategy are more important than the driver factor.

The percentage of responsability of a driver is small (10%) but is crytical. Any failure in driving usually is catastrophic. I think that’s the reason because is better a pilot who finish races instead of a fast driver. And probably, that’s one of the reasons because Hamilton lose championship last year. It wasn’t neccesary made it huge and spectacular, when he only needed score some points in two races. He had the car, he had the strategy but he falied the 10% about "don’t screw it up".

And the big problem is that F1 is not fair. You need a car, a good team with good strategys, driving skills and of course, some luck. Undoubtely Lewis is in the top3 of drivers and he deserves a championship, but is not up to him, and his first championship could last several years.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 17:50:07 +0000

Keith and Twister: but if you make a mistake at the wrong time, that makes a great difference… waiting to long to make a pit stop, or entering too fast on a wet pit lane with worn tyres at the penultimate race, if it costs you the title, is much worse than doing exactly the same thing at the first race, with plenty of time to recover…

Hamilton is a great driver, a genius-in-the-making, but he and McLaren lost the title at the last races, making mistakes at the only time they couldn’t…

For example, Hamilton’s acquaplaining at Nurburgring wasn’t relevant at all for the championship, since he qualified only 10th, because of that dangerous mechanical failure…

By: Lady Snowcat

Lady Snowcat — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:42:12 +0000

Funnily a similar fate befell Heikki in Oz…

Lewis obviously made mistakes…like all the other drivers…he’ll also get better at managing his tyres…

Interesting that Heikki was quicker in Sepang qualy on heavier fuel with a car/team he’s only just getting used to…

We should have an interesting season even if the Kimster takes charge..the Macca boys are closely matched…I wonder what Bernie will say if Heikki gets the upper hand?…I don’t think he has a battle between two Finns on his wish list….

By: Keith Collantine

Keith Collantine — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:43:32 +0000

I don't buy the 'Hamilton hit a button' line on what happened at Interlagos - not after that journalist admitted making up a quote about it.

By: NDINYO

NDINYO — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:22:47 +0000

I don’t know whether the Lewis errors were really "Lewis Errors" or "McLaren Errors". In Shanghai it was definitely McLaren at fault. In Brazil – it would appear both errors were Lewis Errors i.e. hitting the button and the move on Alonso – but in my humble, i have always doubted the "hitting the button" theory – all that FIA Steward in the McLaren garage and all stinks of a conspiracy. I haven’t read what you guys discussed about that on this blog so i may be treading a well beaten path here.

By: Keith Collantine

Keith Collantine — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 14:04:33 +0000

I don't think it's better to make a mistake when there's no pressure than when there is - they all count in the end.I remember we had a big discussion around this when I picked my top three drivers of last year.

By: Dan M

Dan M — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:47:32 +0000

Kimi’s errors seemed more about him not concentrating enough at the beggining of the season. Hamilton’s mistakes seemed to be based on pressure, while Kimi was thriving on it.

By: Sri

Sri — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:49:02 +0000

Let us understand why Hamilton is a favourite of Ecclestone, i quote from the article above:
"[Raikkonen] won the World Champions and demonstrated what a good driver he is. However, he goes unnoticed because he is so discreet and never generates publicity around him. He is the complete opposite of Hamilton, who talks quite a lot. Hamilton’s attitude benefits us because he draws more attention and generates more publicity because he likes to talk."

So, it is not that he makes less mistakes(i know that we are all humans, sarcasm…). It is just the fact that he is driving fast(we’ll see what he can do in a car less 100%) and does more for publicity for the benefit of a certain Mr. Ecclestone.

By: Melanie

Melanie — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:23:20 +0000

Everyone makes mistakes.

They should rather ask Bernie on who will he bet his precious money on to win the championship. Because he usually blows hot and cold as the season or media coverage progresses.

By: rob ijbema

rob ijbema — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:15:57 +0000

never believe what Ecclestone says!
he only says things for the greater good…himself!

By: milos

milos — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:11:55 +0000

I am not saying other drivers do not make mistakes. I am simply reacting to the words of Mr Ecclestone. Hamilton makes mistakes, as did Schumacher as does Raikkonen or Alonso.

Although I agree that the season is 18 races long (17 last season) if Hamilton was not driving like a madman in Shanghai pushing his tyres beyond limits the title would have been his …

Yes, Raikkonen’s mistakes may be forgotten because they were early on in the season. But… also that early on Raikkonen did not have the luxury to control the title race as Hamilton had in China and to certain extent also in Brazil …

By: Architrion

Architrion — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 11:17:16 +0000

In fact:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7296652.stm

"If I’m leading the championship, I won’t be pushing way over the limit to win the race"

"I’ll be conservative and finish with the points. I’m chasing the same dream but in a slightly different way."

Hamilton’s remarks are a reference to last year’s Chinese and Brazilian Grands Prix.

It feels like he admits his approach to China and Brazil were an ERROR. IMO.

By: Architrion

Architrion — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 09:47:39 +0000

Looking at the reality without sun glasses is much better, IMHO…. "few unforced errors" was what Alonso did in 2005, with Kimi pursuing him like the Tasmanian Demon. He keep himself focused on what he had to do to win the championship, allowing Kimi to raise with a brief glory winning some races. Even Hamilton has said that he was looking for a different approach this year so he wouldn’t make the same "ERRORS" he did last year….. (marking his own words, as I’ve read)

By: Keith Collantine

Keith Collantine — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 09:42:54 +0000

I agree with you Twister – I think some people forget things like Raikkonen’s crash in qualifying at Monaco because they were earlier in the year. And it’s not as if Schumacher never made mistakes either.

By: Twister 27

Twister 27 — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 09:01:38 +0000

His mistakes in those last two races look big because people believe they cost him the title, they didn’t, a championship is decided over 18 races not just 2. Hamilton made few ‘unforced’ errors last year.

By: milos

milos — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 08:00:38 +0000

Hamilton does not make mistakes haha, a good one – so how Bernie calls those incidents that happened in China and Brazil last year and cost Hamilton title ?