The most hated man in Formula 1
Lewis Hamilton: Formula 1’s most successful rookie, 2007 championship runner-up, five times Grand Prix winner. And the most hated man in Formula 1.
From the banners at the Spanish Grand Prix, to the streams of abuse on internet forums, the crop of hate websites that have sprung up and even the series of anti-Hamilton Youtube videos, the British driver has taken over Michael Schumacher’s mantle as the man who is liked and loathed in roughly equal measure.
Why is that?
Popular is uncool
Hamilton may be hated, but he is also very popular. Taking Britain as an example, F1 fans today can be broadly divided between those who have followed the sport for years, like myself, and those who’ve been drawn to it recently by the popularity of Hamilton.
According to ITV, their F1 broadcasts were watched by 40% more people last year because of Hamilton, so we’re talking about a significant number of newcomers to the sport.
Now I like F1 a lot (you may have noticed) and I’ve got nothing against Hamilton, but even I find the saturation coverage of Hamilton a lot to take.
And I think a lot of other people react negatively against the fawning, sycophantic tripe written about Hamilton, and don’t like him as a result.
‘Twas ever thus, of course. Before Hamilton the British media’s darling was Jenson Button, and it was pretty clear from the debate we had about Button earlier this week how his over-exposure earlier in his career had coloured people’s opinions of him.
With Hamilton, there were some insinuations last year that his value to the sport made the governing body reluctant to punish him, which no doubt deepened the growing dislike.
Insincerity
There is a perception that Hamilton has a false media persona. A typical example of which was be that painful interview with Heikki Kovalainen ITV broadcast before the start of the Australian Grand Prix, with all that unconvincing chummyness. It brought back memories of the photo calls with Fernando Alonso last year when the two plainly weren’t getting on.
Hamming it up is one thing, but Hamilton’s not shy to use the media for his own ends either. His frustration at the team’s strategy in the Monaco Grand Prix last year, which he felt cost him the chance of beating Alonso, bubbled to the surface in his now notorious words: “it says number two on my car and I’m the number two driver.”
This, his critics say, is the real Hamilton: sweetness and light until something goes wrong - and then he bares his teeth.
The Fernando Alonso factor
It should have been a perfect match. Experienced, confident, double champion meets paired with the rookie to whom everything is new. Alonso does the winning, Hamilton does the learning.
But it became clear things were not going to work that way as early as the first qualifying session of the season, when Alonso reacted to Hamilton’s speed in Q2 by choosing to do an extra lap to guarantee himself first choice on strategy.
As we all know all hell broke loose between the pair in 2007. There are essentially two competing explanations for why that happened:
(a) Hamilton was so quick it rattled Alonso, leading him to demand preferential treatment from McLaren and, when he didn’t get it, blasted the team in his home press. He leapt at the opportunity to blackmail Ron Dennis when the spy scandal blew up. Alonso’s fans sympathised with their hero’s plight, believe everything he said, and hate Hamilton as a result.
(b) McLaren misled Alonso over whether he’d be the number one driver in 2008, and then undermined his efforts to win the world championship. Ron Dennis lied and claimed Alonso threatened to blackmail him over the spygate affair after Alonso had been double-crossed by Hamilton in qualifying at Hungary.
What do I think? As with most things I think the truth lies somewhere between the two extremes - although not halfway between.
Hamilton is no angel. What he did at Hungary last year was clearly an attempt to provoke Alonso. But the idea that McLaren would bring a double world champion into the team specifically to compromise his ability to win the championship defies logic, common sense and history. Even Pat Symonds of Alonso’s beloved Renault team acknowledged Alonso could not stand being beaten by a team mate even if Giancarlo Fisichella only managed it once or twice.
I don’t think there’s any doubt Hamilton’s catastrophic relationship with Alonso is the largest cause of the widespread hatred of Hamilton - whichever explanation for it you agree with.
Incomprehension
Fernando Alonso brought legions of new fans to the sport in Spain. You only have to look how packed the Circuit de Cataluya has been in recent years compared to the late 1990s to see that.
Inevitably, many of those fans may have little or no knowledge of F1 prior to about 2005. As far as they are concerned, Alonso is number one - this is the man that beat Michael Schumacher, after all.
Many have reasoned that it is simply not possible Alonso could have been beaten by a rookie, and as Hamilton is a British driver in a British team they suspected a conspiracy.
Racism?
No. I honestly don’t think racism has anything to do with it.
I know many of you disagreed with me when I said I supported the FIA’s anti-racism campaign. I still think it’s the right thing to do.
But I do think the racism that was displayed at the Circuit de Catalunya in testing in February (and may have been seen at the Chinese Grand Prix last year) was intended as an expression of hatred towards Lewis Hamilton the person and not his race. That does not excuse it, of course.
Over to you
Do you agree Lewis Hamilton is the most hated driver in Formula 1? What has he done to provoke it? Is it deserved or undeserved?
If you’d like to dip into the stack of articles that touched on this subject last year - which provoked pages of debate - here are a few places to start:
- Alonso is not the victim of a McLaren conspiracy
- Some drivers are more equal than others
- Alonso and Hamilton want split
- The stewards’ full verdict on McLaren & Alonso
- British tabloids blame Alonso
- When did the Hamilton backlash start?
I may knock ITV for their poor coverage (oh and I do!), and I can see that this must reflect on Lewis, but I like to think I’m smart enough to not pin that factor onto Lewis himself.
At the end of the day, each and every driver has had to be hard nosed and selfish to get into the highest level of motorsport so it’s no surprise that by the time they get there, they’re not all the most friendly people in the world. It’s cut throat out there and that famous line of ‘nice guys don’t finish first’ that has plagued a number of top British drivers over the last 20 years. You can’t blame Lewis if he plays the part to show harmony in a team, regardless of whether it exists.
I loved to hate Schumacher because of his on-track antics but the nearest that Lewis has come to that is a handful of minor start-line-chopping accusations and not letting Alonso lead in qualifying for the Hungarian GP last year.
I imagine it’s a case of a few people with their noses out of joint because Lewis has come into a top team immediately and become a sensation. Reading his (not all that great) book, he’s had this all his life when competitors pinned his success on the McLaren Mercedes contract he had in his back pocket.
There’s a lot of pretty hostile anti-Coulthard stuff out there, but it’s of a different nature as it doesn’t have the backlash against media hype aspect to it. I don’t think anyone else on the grid comes close to those two, though.
I don’t like Hamilton any more because of the media overexposure and his unnecesary attempt to cash in by books etc. Before he een completed his first season in F1 abook with his pretty face in the cover was out.
All the repetitve media BS talk about how he has been preparing for F1 all his life about how focused he is and then crashes his car in the pit entry, about how perfect things are inhis life etc makes him boring to a degree that makes even Kimi’s press conferences interesting.
Just think of the hoopla there will be with the first female F1 driver!
If Hamilton weren’t black, would the FIA still be having an anti-racism campaign? No.
I can’t like a person who is dishonest: Moving to Switzerland for privacy rather than taxes lie, etc.
Part of the reason Lewis is unpopular is because of his self-confidence, which is standard issue with all racing drivers.
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Where other British drivers have been older and wiser enough to play it cool, like Damon Hill or - to a certain extent - DC; Lewis hasn’t been shy about telling us how good he thinks he is. I think that gets a lot of people’s backs up.
I feel that its very easy to confuse resentment of our (the UK’s) grotesquely Hamilton slanted F1 coverage with hatred of Hamilton himself.
Speaking as someone who feels a great deal of the former, I find it frustrating when people who have sipped the Hamilton kool-aid dismiss entirely valid criticism of media coverage as mere Hamilton bashing.
Of course, I would never claim to be completely immune from said confusion myself. As ITV move into their second hour of Hamilton Basking on a Sunday afternoon it becomes entirely too easy to take pot shots at him, despite the fact that my frustration is in fact not at Hamilton himself, but his portrayal.
I DISLIKE him….hate is too strong a word
Main reasons……
1 -ITV protray LH as some kind of niave angel who has brought new life to the sport….was OK the first time they said it, and the rookie did good…niave no
2 - ITV’s insistence on having his father talk on his behalf…ok maybe a manager or whatever, but please he has a voice and an ability to talk for himself….not his fault I know but it is a Motorsport show, and it gets right up my nose, a lower profiled driver interview would be better
3 - The Lies - By this I mean the reasons given for leaving England….(press) LOL, How silly did he think his fans where..THE MAIN REASON, shows complete disregard for English fans
4 - The Alonso/Hamilton relationship, I am a fan of neither, but a truly great spporting personality is someone who can work with anyone, and this goes for the 2 of them. Spoilt Brats should have made more effort to make it work
5 -He spoke out about Mr Mosely saying he should be setting a good example for young people, the same weekend as he was fined for speeding in France
I dont like to judge any driver on a personal level, but Keith you are right, the media coverage has put me right off LH, but I do not hate him…Just feel to urge to switch channels when ITV rant on about him…..what about other ‘Home nation’ drivers
RACE DOESNT COME INTO IT!
I don’t like him because he says the word "cool" and he’s 23 years old.
I started disliking Hamilton when he said "I tricked Massa into out-braking himself" in Malaysia ‘07.
I suspect he believed the hype he’d heard on ITV.
Well as a Canadian, I dislike Hamilton mostly because I’m stuck with ITV’s constant worshiping of the ground he walks on. To take the recent China event in particular, rather than talking about the events on track we were treated to Martin Brundle spending a couple of laps muttering about how he’d like to string Alonso up for engineering a collision with our hero.
Is Hamilton good? Unquestionably.
Is he entertaining? Yes.
Is he the next Nigel Mansell, or is he merely another Couthard/Button/fill-in-blank-here? Well, that remains to be seen, but please let him get a few more seasons under his belt before we canonize him.
This article sheds the light on a very important issue,namely the weapons of mass distraction.Media are forming opinions and do not leave it up to the audience/spectator/fan to form his/her own opinion.
For Lewis Hamilton,I only disliked his driving style behind the safety car last year at the GP of Japan.And i liked the episode with Jeremy on Top Gear.Other than that…no complain!
I dislike him because he seems to feel the need to continuously remind us about how humble he is. He’s always telling us how he "couldn’t have done it without the team" etc. If you ask me, if someone needs to keep pointing this out then they are the opposite of humble, but refuse to admit it. Personally, I think that’s worse than just being arrogant.
I don’t like Hamilton either, mainly due to him starting to believe the hype like a certain Jenson Button also did. He is of course much better than Button, whether he is a real all-time great remains to be seen.
I think his character is quite two-faced and he is very calculating in his statements, which seem fake as a consequence.
This is not something that many other drivers display, Schumacher hardly did this, mainly by avoiding to pretend that he is a great mate of everyone in the team. Kimi is just a very straight guy who doesn’t care about what people think and says what he thinks, the best example being his comment about having recently been to the loo before the race a few years back.
Alonso is of course as bad as Hamilton when it comes to sincerity, but I still feel he is less calculating than Hamilton and his entourage.
As Keith already mentioned, his real personality comes out when he has something to complain about.
I think he lost it magnificently at the end of last season and simply folded under the pressure. This can of course be down to his youth, so let’s see what happens next time when he is in grasping distance of a F1-Championship. I’m sure this time will come, probably not this season, but let’s see…
Dare I be different here and say I don’t dislike him? Well I don’t. ITV, Alonso, the books, Switzerland etc… so what. Fernando Alonso whines far more than Lewis and he is adored.
Every high profile athlete that has made the grade quickly gets ground to the ground with criticism from the media as well as drooled over. Take a new song a band has produced and you hear it everywhere for months. That’s the nature of things, but do we have to jump on the bandwagon and dislike a driver because maybe someone else dislikes him or he gets a lot of attention? Not me.
I don’t understand how he can be disliked because ITV talked about him too much, or he has a few books at a young age. How can he be disliked for beating Alonso and competing hard against him?
Maybe I’m under a rock or something, but I just don’t get it.
He’s cool to hate because F1 wasnt that popular in the UK until Lewis came around. Now everyone knows about F1, even if they watch it to see how Hamilton does who cares!? Before all the conversations were about football, now all my mates want to talk about Grand Prix and its great!
I think deep down it is racism. We are not used to the corporate selling of black people as anything other than as performer or as macho-mandingo. Black men have to be funny or ultimately macho to fit the stereotype, LH is neither. That being said McLaren are hopeless at presenting drivers as anything other than as personality free machines - that doesn’t help, Alonso came with a personality Hamilton has not been allowed to show his since he was a kid.
Steve, whilst I am pretty uncomfortable with the stereotypes you evoke, I have to wonder at the point you make with them. Are you seriously suggesting that driving a 200mph racing machine is anything less than the ultimate in macho?
That’s a very good point George. I really meant, but didn’t express it very well, that he doesn’t do the male black man sexual beast posturing - instead, (and this is what some people have said they hate about him!) he is humble and thanks those around him, in a kind of feminine, new man way.
Well, there’s a can of worms opened… worms all over the floor…
it has to be faced up to, sadly.
"I don’t like him because he says the word "cool" and he’s 23 years old."
I resent that! I am also 23……
My dislike for Hamilton has cooled a little now that he is getting a taste of reality. I think one of the major reasons i dislike him is the "spoiled" factor. Kimi, Fernando, Micheal, and Hiedfeld (to name a few recent examples) all came from lesser teams, they had to work their way to the top, where as Hamilton was given a great car from the start… He didn’t even need to pay his dues by testing for a year.
My other problem with him is his disregard for the other drivers on the course, and refusing to join the Drivers Association. I am all for someone who will do anything to win, but to avoid meetings on safety concerns is absurd.
That being said, Mosley is "the most hated man in F1", Lewis is the "most hated driver in F1".
22 comments already!
Let me ask a question on that point Dan: why should he have to "pay his dues" in a lesser car?
Hamilton’s route to Formula 1 was obviously quite unusual: McLaren began supporting him very early in his career. This may now become more common - Honda have signed a 16 year-old karter in recent weeks.
He’d won championships in consecutive seasons in 2005 and 2006 and was clearly ready to move up to F1. What would McLaren have gained by making him a test driver for a year? Renault did that with Heikki Kovalainen and Nelson Piquet Jnr in the last few years and both looked race-rusty on their debuts. Would Hamilton really have done better had they kept him on the sidelines for a year?
So I don’t understand that whole area of the discussion, in terms of what McLaren are supposed to have done wrong and why it’s a reason not to like Hamilton.
for the people who are moanin about him moving to switzerland how can you complain about that, he did say it wasnt just for the privacy and dont pretend youv never complained about the amount of tax that gets taken off your pay cheque i dont blame him for moving.All great sportsmen, especially in sports where the individual gets alot of the praise you need to be ruthless, hamilton is, like it or not thats just they way you have to be to get far in such a competitve world. It would of been very easy for hamilton to start last year let alonso dominate and just learn from him, but then hed be regarded as a number 2 like rubens.
Look at how senna behaved when he was paried up with prost at maclaren, similar circumstances (i know senna wasnt a rookie) but prost was a double champion.
at the end of the day hamilton look s to be the best british driver since mansell, lets see how the next few years go but he out raced alonso last year whatever way you look at ti he did get over it hes a very good racing driver. the public image sadly is part of the world today everything is about image so he has to follow the company line.
if you watch f1 for the sport where hamilton lives an why wouldnt come into it!
On the whole subject of the McLaren support it’s worth adding to Keith’s excellent points above that their support was never a given, but based upon performance. Lewis simply had to deliver at each stage of his career or that support would not have continued. You could argue that, whilst on one level it removed a pressure, on another it created it’s own quite different ones.
I watch F1 in:
ITV And find laughable that the commentators go on saying things like (in spanish GP) "Hamilton has the edge and drove an incredible race" (or something like that, about winning by the edge), and "Massa was trashed by Kimi, couldn’t do a thing about it". Well, Massa beat Lewis.
Tele 5 a spanish channel, and they’re as mental as the british ones, all for Alonso and the blame is in everybody else. I really love to see their faces everytime Alonso DNF.
Fox Sports LA and the commentators there are three argentinean guys, who are very knowledgeable and have the great advantage of not having any countrymen driving right now, so I find them to be the least biased and more accurate.
Televisa and some backwater channel with some moron commentators that couldn’t tell MS apart from RB when they were both with Ferrari. I can see and scream things happening minutes before they even notice.
So, I think that the more knowledge you have paired with the least mental you are (i.e. not having a favourite driver) is the way to go in F1 to NOT go mental.
Maybe Bernie and Max the Perv love some controversy
"Maybe Bernie and Max the Perv love some controversy"
You may be closer to the truth than you think, Ndinyo. Do remember that some of the more watched F1 races this decade came after controversy (2002 and 2006 Monaco GPs prove my point). Controversy, as long as it doesn’t get too poisonous, tends to make for good audience numbers. And we know what Bernie likes, right? ‘Nuff said.
What does that have to do with Lewis Hamilton?
I was not suggesting what Mclaren did was wrong, in fact its worked out better than even Ron would likely admit. I was simply stating that it was a reason to not like him.
To me, seeing a young driver get a great ride and immediately be classified as the next Shu is nauseating. Its kinda like when you first start driving in your ****box car, while your peers get a brand new car. They may well have payed for that car themselves but out of spite, I still don’t like them.
I don’t dislike him because he received the car he did, its the attitude hes developed from starting at the top. He seemed overwhelmed at Canada after winning (like any rookie should be), but toward the end of the year he struck me as arrogant and deserving. I think if he started at the bottom he wouldn’t have that cocky demeanor. Plus I always root for the underdog so after Canada I started rooting against him.
Sorry for the poor sentence structure…. I’m American!
Oh come on Keith - all this Lewis hate campaigns and Alonso fanatism dont look a little bit engineered to u? Even the two occupying the same real estate on the track is treated like a Mohamed Ali fight … come on, that can’t be news worthy, not for this long. Remember how many sensational stuff was ‘leaked’ as true in 2007 when it didnt even exist? I remember at least two journalists apologising for reporting pure hot air as fact.
So, Dan, you’d dislike any rookie who joined McLaren or, presumably, Ferrari or BMW?
NDINYO, I have no idea what you’re suggesting. Are you saying that Mosley and Ecclestone played some role in putting Alonso and Hamilton together at McLaren and making them hate each other?
I also question weather these other young drivers will get the same opportunity as Hamilton. F1 is very much a copy cat sport, but if Hamilton starts to falter this year, other teams may prefer to ease the young drivers into the sport (testing) . It only took Kovi a half the season to orient himself and he had a dreadfully awful car in the 07 Renault.
I think the only reason that the Hamilton experiment was attempted is because they had a 2 time world champion joining the team who has a history of being number 1. There was no risk in putting Hamilton into the car (in hindsight it was an amazing decision).
Of course if Hamilton bounces back this year, everyone will copy Mclaren’s approach.
So, Dan, you’d dislike any rookie who joined McLaren or, presumably, Ferrari or BMW?
I very much like Kubica, but thats because of his humble attitude.
Ack! no more, please.If its not ITV apparently ‘going on’ about Hamilton then its people complaining about ITV ‘going on’ about Hamilton.All this apparent hatred seems entirely unjustified to me. If you dont like ITV mentioning Hamilton so much then complain about ITV but remember they were just as bad if not worse about Schumacher, James Allens sycophantic toadying to to Schuey was just plain disturbing compared with the totally expected focus on Hamiltion.ITV is British, Hamilton is British, McLaren is British, Hamilton is a good driver, a WDC contender - ergo he might get more of a mention in the British press than the rest. Its hardly brain surgery.Get over it and move on. Jesus.
The events in 2007 that have involved the British media and McLaren have made me like Alonso more because he got quite bad rep in Britain.
That said, I’m sure the Spanish media do the same to Hamilton, but I’m British so I don’t know what Formula 1 media is like in Spain.
This is why I’m a Raikkonen fan.
The guy is 23 and being bombarded more media exposure, criticism and pressure to perform than most people face their entire lives. He’s going to make mistakes, say things he will regret later, screw up some relationships, lie sometimes, etc.Give the guy a break.
"Are you saying that Mosley and Ecclestone played some role in putting Alonso and Hamilton together at McLaren and making them hate each other?"
Ndinyo is pushing it a bit too much, I think. BUT… I’m sure Bernie and Max don’t mind all the Lewis-Fernando kerfuffle. In other words, while they’re not actively pushing it, they’re not doing anything to stop it, either… they’re just letting it play out and letting us fans react to it, discuss it… and word of mouth about f1 spreads, so more people watch it. ergo, profit.
At first I did not like Lewis much - he came across as brash and full of himself. But I’ve come to like, even admire, him; getting beaten on a regular basis has made him less cocky. Sure, he’s still self-confident, but why not? He has enormous talent. BTW, this whole thing about hating a driver is ridiculous. Dislike, disrespect, maybe, but hating someone you don’t even know, weird.
It truly is worrying to see some of those youtube videos and the remarks that people leave. I was particularly amused to see one entitled ‘Lewis Hamilton, biggest loser 2007′. I don’t quite know what measurement of ‘loser’ the author was using, but possibly he was a little confused there I think.
So what causes this ‘confusion’?
Most importantly, I think I have come to reluctantly conclude that there is a really worrying undercurrent of tacit racism amongst us. I think it is possible that even those responsible are unaware of it. A really good example is the frequently heard/read innocent remark about Lewis when he appeared on the scene that ‘he is very articulate, isn’t he?’. Clearly this is not an insult in itself, but the fact remains that it is an odd thing to say, it almost implies surprise that he should be articulate.
In addition to this think that the most likely scenario is simply that we have never before seen anything even approaching this level of talent and success in a rookie, and many people just don’t like it, and don’t want to accept it. It is well known that many here in the UK are somewhat resentful of success. I am British but work for 10 months of the year in the USA, and I must say that this is not a trait I have found with the Americans.
"At first I did not like Lewis much - he came across as brash and full of himself. But I’ve come to like, even admire, him; getting beaten on a regular basis has made him less cocky. Sure, he’s still self-confident, but why not? He has enormous talent. BTW, this whole thing about hating a driver is ridiculous. Dislike, disrespect, maybe, but hating someone you don’t even know, weird."
Couldn’t have said it any better, Green Flag. I agree with you on this one.
Anyone under 30 who publishes an autobiography is an arrogrant ****. Hamilton is probably the biggest **** that F1 has seen in a long time.
I have 2 words for anyone who claims that Lewis is disliked just because he was succesful - Jacques Villeneuve. He was a rookie when he came to F1 and was immediately succesful (and none of this rubbish about him being better prepared than Lewis - Indycar is less similar to F1 than GP2 is, and JV had less testing than Lewis before the season started).
As for why I dislike Lewis - it has to be his attitude. I find him smug and arrogant in the extreme, with no care for how he is perceived by other people. Furthermore, he has shown himself to be a sore loser, and while that may be a desirable quality to some extent, I feel that Lewis is "too sore" of a loser.
Forgot to say that JV was not disliked by the majority of people in his first few years, despite his success.
I think Hamilton is simultaneously the most hated and most loved driver in Formula 1…
When a genius arrives (Hamilton might be the next one, but still needs to prove a couple of things) he makes himself noticed, even without a winning car…
The last examples:
Senna with Toleman, in 1984, scored his maiden podium in Monaco, under heavy rain, and could have won if they didn’t interrupt the race… the next year he was hired by Lotus, scored his maiden win, the last six victories for the legendary team, and paved his way to McLaren…
Schumacher qualified seventh for Jordan in 1991 on his debut race, and was immediatly hired by Benneton, team with which he won his first GP in 1992, and his first titles, 1994 and 1995…
Hamilton had the luck of starting with a winner car, and made the most of it, but we should remember that quite a few drivers have had the same luck, but very few had the same fate (most notably David Coulthard, who was a replacement for Senna in 1994)…
I think that he is hated for the over-exposure, for the envy that many many people feel for seeing him shine so brightly, yet so early, and, to some extent, for the "good boy" image he desperately tried to build…
Even though I feared that racism could be a problem for him, I don’t think it is the main cause for the hatred… Instead, its the "lucky rookie" image, "doesn’t matter if he is black or white", that annoys his detractors…
41 Michael Dunn 2 May 2008 at 5:55 pm ‘Anyone under 30 who publishes an autobiography is an arrogrant ****. Hamilton is probably the biggest **** that F1 has seen in a long time.’
This is precisely the type of comment that has me so concerned about current attitudes. Okay, Michael, so you think that 23 is a little young to be putting out an autobiography. Well, I agree with you. but ‘arrogant ****’…….? the dictionary definition being: 1. a highly offensive term for a woman’s vagina or genital area (taboo) 2. U.K. a highly offensive term for somebody regarded as unintelligent, worthless, or detestable (taboo insult) Is this REALLY necessary?
Yeah can we drop the swearing please guys? Cheers.
I agree with Paul. My feelings toward Hamilton may be strong but I would never use that terminology toward anyone.
I "dislike" Hamilton, but I "hate" ignorant remarks like that.
does anyone else see the irony of people moaning that they don’t like him because he has too much exposure…. on an article about him and making it successful in terms of comments?
I can remember the Australian Gp last year, at the end, when the three drivers were preparing to go to the podium. The lineup was predictable, atleast as far as the first two drivers were concerned.
Raikkonen had led from pole to a comfortable victory, Alonso had slotted in second starting his second season as defending champion, and then there was this new kid.
The smile on Hamilton’s face was one of pure joy and satisfaction, the grimaces on Raikkonen’s and Alonso’s faces were the ones of two men who had had their party gatecrashed by a teenybopper.
Everybody had assumed that these two men would reign supreme, unchallenged, in the face of Michael Schumacher retiring. It would be a straight fight, Alonso vs Raikkonen, the two fastest drivers, one in a Merc, the other in Michael’s old car.
That day, these two men realised that 2007 would not be quite
as the pundits had predicted. When Michael was in F1, he dominated, now he was gone, the biggest threat to Alonso’s defence of his title, and Raikkonen getting his first crown, was finished. Surely now there would not be a problem? Wrong!
I was caught by surprise too, by this new talent, his speed, confidence, and they way he conducted himself. As if he had been doing this since the cradle.
In the races that followed, his stock rose, and his profile went through the roof. Nobody was talking about anybody else except the ‘rookie’, the underdog, Alonso’s teammate.
It was an unbelievable situation, a rookie ‘could’ be champion, could beat the best of the best. The hatred that has followed is
understandable, natural, and completely normal.
Personally I always believed Raikkonen would win, he had always had bad luck in the past, he deserved to be champion.
I knew Alonso would push him super close, to the limit and beyond, you could see how much Fernando wanted that third crown, to emulate his idle Aryton Senna.
Hamilton came within a whisker of denying them both, and made alot of enemies whilst doing it, but he has helped the sport. He has broken the comfort zone for drivers and fans alike, we have now four or five drivers now that are champion material. Two proven talents, and three others.
Lewis Hamilton is part of that, whether people like it or not.
the limit, you sound like James Allen.
sorry about the swearing Keith, I promise not to insult anyone else like that again.
At least anyone HATE or DISLIKE Lewis because he deals with his opposition doing a series of dirty tricks. Some guys hates him or dislike him just because he is a little spoiled or because he has a big hype around him… Not bad! So let’s imagine the FEELING that this people will feel when Lewis became a champion…
Reading some of these comments I feel like someone is switching the words "Lewis Hamilton" for "peodophile" after it gets submitted. This level of bile just doesn’t make sense to me. For years we’ve been waiting for another world class British F1 driver. I won’t get into the argument about how long (It’s probably more than 3 decades) but lets just say it’s been a while. In order to be the genuine article in F1 you have to be confident, arrogant even, superbly skillful, ruthless and have the support of one of the best teams. These are essential requirements in the modern sport. Along comes Hamilton, espouses all of these characteristics and what do we have? Backlash.
Lets get a few things straight: James Allen is an idiot, he always was he always will be. We saw it with Schumacher and we see it with Hamilton. Don’t blame Hamilton for that. He can’t help who likes him.
Secondly you may *think* that Hamilton has a false persona with the media. Unless you have met him personally and had dealings with him you cannot *know* that this is evidence of him being two-faced. You simply can’t, it’s not possible, you don’t have a second reference point.
Finally, 23 is very very young to have an autobiography so I suggest you do what I did and don’t buy it. It certainly is not evidence of anything sinister or warranting such vitriol. If someone wanted to pay me millions for my biography aged 23 days they could have had it. Let’s not pretend any of us would do anything different given the chance.
In conclusion: I always wondered what the British fans (I am one btw) would do if they had their own Schumacher. We can now see, we have our own Schumacher, perhaps even a better one (who can beat any teammate, rather than hand picked also-rans) and it just doesn’t sit very well, does it?
Interesting how much heat the guy generates in posters….
He’s very very good but has had more advantages than any other driver I can think of …. which may be because he is so good but may also have an element of right place, right face, right time….
Do I hate him?… no of course not….
Do I revere him?…. no it’s far too early….. and he’s yet to either drag a rubbish car up the grid or win from other than pole which, for me, are two sensible measures of exceptional talent…. but I do expect him to do that sometime….
Do I find the ITV and British media coverage off putting?…. certainly….
I would like him to prove himself in a less than top car but he’ll probably never drive for a less than top team…. lucky boy….
Do my views have even a small amount to do with Alonso?…. absolutely not… I even mentioned on another forum in his Renault days that he’d probably end up throwing his toys out of the pram at Macca and recommended Ron employ Super Nanny…..
Lewis did right to cash in last year though, as he may never get another chance… that could have been his only one… I think that’s unlikely but you never know… these opportunities come rarely…. just ask DC and Jenson….
I repeat that although I don’t warm to him he is a good driver….
Just don’t ask me to change my allegiance from the Kimster… because that is not likely to happen…
Sush, I have to admit, reading my own post, I do sound like James Allen. That was unintended, trust me!!
One thing I do not miss about living in England was Mr Allen’s
commentary, believe me.
My point being, I believe the more ‘competitive’ drivers we have in F1 the better. I want people to get angry on the track, abit of excitement, wheel to wheel stuff.
I remember very well James Allen and his opinion on Jenson Button, the hyping and everything, I can just imagine how he
is on Lewis Hamilton. I admit it though, my post could come out of ITV couldn’t it. LOL. Sorry mate!!
Blimey, all this hate out there…… Well I like him, in fact i like all F1 drivers, they’re lovely……. And I like ITV, I even like Max… Bernie’s got some nice points too, well, at least his wife has ;) I’m also quite happy that West Brom got promoted……(but thats probably lost on most of you here). Come on folks, they’re just people, making a living. Could any of you make a better job of it? I very much doubt it , most of you sound like a right bunch of moaners who wouldn’t last 5 minutes in the F1 corporate image circus. Goodnight, god bless & have a merry christmas. (And, up the Wolves too!)
Dear Keith, I have to say that you are an instigator, man. Were you bored or needed some piece of action? Are you trying to beat some kind of record about number of posts per hour? Cool.
Imagine if Schumacher remained at Mercedes (he had a contract), and thus in Mclaren, in those Adrian Newey top times?
They would win everything. And the universal hate.
About the Hamilton/Alonso relationship: a friend of mine was in the Spanish GP, and told me that in the previous parade, both pilots were talking friendly.
I think spanish and british media built a story where there is nothing
Well said Phil B
the limit, does that mean that you have a crap opinion or that you are bang on the money?
Sush, it depends on what your opinion is doesn’t it? Its just that I can remember the lean years in F1, 2002 springs to mind, when the competition just wasn’t there.
You knew who was going to be on pole and you knew he would win, it has to be the worst F1 season in recent memory for sure. I havn’t forgotten those times ‘unlike’ alot of others who, I have a sneaky suspicion, starting watching F1 after Hungary 2007 and know little, or nothing about the sport.
I can remember watching Senna in 1984 come so close to winning, I can remember his first win in 1985, his first championship. My opinion may not be as ‘glorious’ as yours but atleast I have one, and atleast my memories are from first hand and not from a book or a newspaper.
My heart bleeds for F1 and for my former nation, when I come across foul mouthed persons such as yourself, who just delights in insulting people but has no opinions himself.
well I came to this one late on and I dont hate/dislike lh - the media hype yes - itv most certainly yes - but as we the fans? of F1 are really probably frustrated that we have never had the opportunity to drive never mind race an F1 car - could we really be just a bit envious of a young guy going out and doing what we would love to do??
As for the racism side I would say it has no place in life period whether through colour or religion and should be stamped out wherever it occurs.
Judging by the responses, this is a hot topic. The funny thing is the kid hasn’t even won a championship and it doesn’t look too promising this year either. If he doesn’t win in the next two years, he will turn into a sentimental favorite to win. We see this all of the time in America. We want our athletes to pay their dues and come back from adversity.
I thought that the most hated driver in Formula 1
was Fernando Alonso, at least in the anglo-saxon world, which is prevalent in Formula 1. For sure, Hamilton is hated in Spain, and may be in Latin America but that’s not too much.
Some long time F1 fans don’t like him very much because he is overhyped, but the average fan probably thinks he is lovely.
Samuel, I don’t think so, but if Alonso gets the kind of abuse at Silverstone that Hamilton got at Catalunya I guess we’ll know.
Is always strange to talk about likes or dislikes when you never actualy meet the guy BUT from his public image I dislike the guy. The reasons for that are 1) Arrogant, ok he is good, but act like the best driver of all times when you have win nothing is a litle bit too much. 2) Cynic, in 2007 he asked for equal treatment, in 2008 he ran to clame his first driver status. 3) Ferrari has somehow a political weight and I don’t like them for that, LH has his entourage and I realy don’t like that. Re the ALO-gate, there was no angel in the history but in my opinion the first fire came from LH after Monaco.
The author claims racism has nothing to do with it but I find that really difficult to believe. While I don’t believe its the sole factor I do believe it is a factor.Other factors include the silly way the British press gets over a British/English F1 driver. Its quite comical because they behave as if this person is some combination of Christ and Churchill.Additionally, with popularity comes dislike.
I think the small details grew up my dislike about Lewis.
A few days before the Brazilian GP, he said that ater winning the championship he would go to visit the Senna’s tomb.
I have been seeing sports for several years, and all i can remember before a final, is sportman cooling down journalists and saying: "first we have to win this match".
Lewis was acting like a champion several weeks before the end of the season. I’m not talking about the ridiculous situation of lose the champion like he did. I’m talking about not having humility enough to wait a month to start the celebrations.
I can’t remember a single big issue about Hamilton which dislike me a lot. But every race was two or three small thigs which pissed me off.
People pick their own truths. I for one would simply like to pick a few factors that make things more clear cut for me. Number one: Lewis is there not simply because he was pushed by McL. No! he is the real deal - he has talent and lots of it and understands how to utilize the tools set before him to his best. afterall he beat Alonso no matter which way people want to look at it he beat him and not just that he rattled Alonso’s nerves real good. Number two: Race car drivers are selfish bastard and rightfully so, but first and foremost they are human and by fact not perfect. Number three: Jealousy! just listen to some of Mark Webber’s remarks on Lewis Hamilton 2007. Number four: The media SUCKS big time. They - I always wonder who "they" are - will not hold back given the chance to pervert a single GOOD in man’s life. It’s a business so numbers matter to them, but we as viewers attach emotions to Lewis and the other drivers so the media business and our feelings don’t go hand in hand on that point but rather on the cashing in through the antagonism created. All in All I rather liked Alonso because he was always able to say the right things at the right time during his Renault years and that on any topic. Hamilton is a kid and a thoroughbred racer in one. I seriously believe he will win the championship this year.
That is all that matters to me. Hamilton is there because he worked hard for the chance to get there. Anybody out there saying anything different is in fact saying more about themselves than the issue.
haha the Limit, I was agreeing with you, I just come across as a bit of a git!
sorry if you got offended by me, it was not my intention, I meant it as you were bang on the money.
I did giggle reading your comment though!
Going into every race I’m hoping Hamilton retires early, but that’s not because I hate the driver it’s so that James Allen and his ITV goons can shut their traps for the remaining race and talk equally and fairly about the other drivers in the race. Seriously going by ITV’s coverage you’d think Hamilton drives on his own out there!!
I agree Rabi, last year I was excited watching the F1 in spain, because it wouldn’t be ITV.
Unfortunatly they did put it on ITV, for the Brits in the bar. grrrrr
Just one thing to add, really, and that to The Limit: Ayrton Senna may have been an idol but he was never idle.
Lewis and his fans didn’t have a hard time at Catalunya… a few cat calls when Lewis or Ron were on the screen but nothing too awful… and I didn’t spot any horrid banner either from the pit lane….
Being at the end of the pits meant that Macca didn’t have a grandstand opposite them…. just a big empty space with no fan access…
The worst point was when Lewis walked back to the grid before the start of the race with a minder walking alongside him with an umbrella blocking the crowds view of the guy, ie it was held to the side rather than above him and looked very silly…. that created a bit of an unfavourable stir…
However at a number of times I saw a crowd of Alonso fans surrounding a lone Lewis fan, either in the grandstands or leaving the circuit and there was no obvious animosity at all… it all was fairly good humoured ….
So we shouldn’t make too much of the idiots that turned up at testing a few months ago….
I did get sucked in by the hype that the British media had created with Hamilton, and as a result I disliked him very much last year. But now that he’s having a slightly off-colour start to the season this time round - getting a good taste of what it feels like to lose - I don’t dislike him as much anymore…Mosley is the most hated person in F1 at the moment.
Most people who "hate" Hamilton are probably are not describing their emotions very well and are misplacing them.
Wow 70+ comments already! Rabi, what if ITV talked about your favorite driver/team all of the time? You’d be hoping them to retire early too? If you dislike LH, just admit it!
Hamilton is not my favorite driver/I do not like him, but I think all this hatred toward him is unjustified. Hamilton is a F1 racer, as long as he don’t cheat on the track like Schumacher did, for me he can do almost anything, I even mean he can use the word "cool" till he’s 80, or whatever… it won’t disturb me a bit.
Of course he has his faults, that why I can not like him, that does not help, but I believe the real reason why he’s most hated, is simply because he’s doing so well that he becomes a threat to Kimi and Alonso, or Ferrari, sure that’s can’t not be a reason normal fans to dislike Hamilton, but I see there are too many fan boys of those out there.
I’ve been watching F1 for 14 years now, and I personally like Lewis Hamilton a lot. I’m a big fan of any driver who is fast and exciting to watch on the track.
My solution to the problem of Hamilton Saturation is simply not to bother watching the pre-race build up and not to read any tabloids or biographies.
The only part of F1 I’m interested in is racing.
Lots of comments, lots of very weak reasons given for disliking Hamilton (and of course some sane comments in there too :-D).
People can think what they want, they are entitled to do so. But what I really think it comes down to is that people are displacing their hatred for ITV’s smarmy, Hamilton-centric 2007 coverage (2008 is better - not perfect, but better) onto Hamilton himself. Either that, or they are jealous that a rookie came in and nearly won the WDC in his first season when even the other modern greats like Schumacher and Alonso served some apprenticeship in tail-end/midfield teams. I don’t mean jealous of Hamilton, but jealous on behalf of the other more experience drivers who were there first but had to watch some kid stealing "their" good results.
I bet if Hamilton had come in, had a good season in a mediocre team and then did what he did at Mclaren last year in his 2nd season we’d have heard a lot less "hatred" for him.
Rabi: Going into every race I’m hoping Hamilton retires early, ..[rant].. Seriously going by ITV’s coverage you’d think Hamilton drives on his own out there!!You seriously believe that? ITV’s coverage isnt great (asides from Brundle) but really? really? I wonder if Im actually watching the same programme as some of you from some of the comments. Get a grip and a little perspective please.
I don’t like Hamilton. I think he is two-faced and calculating with a smooth, PR-trained facade. He is like the smoothie son of a Mafia don. And I blame Ron Dennis.
When Ron started last season with the World Champion and a rookie, I think he anticipated the Alonso/Hamilton pair would be like Schumacher/Barrichello, and would prove to be just as successful.
Then Hamilton turned out to be unexpectedly, blindingly, fast. So Ron Dennis got a new dream. His protege would become the first rookie in the history of F1 to be champion. And Ron Dennis whispered his dream in Hamilton’s ear and led him to believe he would be the anointed one.
And Hamilton bought the ********, and became puffed up and proud and grasping and arrogant, all behind that smooth PR facade, of course.
Meanwhile Alonso, who was sold the old Alonso/Hamilton dream, saw his boss turn away from him and his teammate become his rival, and realised he would have to fight a bitter fight to get what he believed to be rightfully his. And it all fell apart.
What Ron should have done was what he has done now. Firmly declare a No 1 driver, Alonso, and explain to Hamilton that, fast as he was, he was getting a lot of input from Alonso and the team and he should be a good team player in his first season, learn the ropes, make friends, build up a personal following, and the future would belong to him.
Lewis Hamilton should not change his personality to court fan support. When things are going right, I don’t see anything wrong with smiling and waxing lyrical? On the contrary, when things go wrong, why not bare his teeth as indeed he did in Monaco and tell it as it is? Methinks that’s absolutely a normal thing to do. People like Kimi don’t smile or talk to the press alot and they are not less liked because of that. Every F1 driver has his unique personality and people should just accept it. The most important thing is if they get out there and do the job and entertain us.
I live and work in Spain and I can tell you there’s no way I can see the majority of Spanish F1 fans never hating Lewis for what they saw as their star’s missing out on the championship trophy. In case you didn’t know, F1 here is called "Alonso". That should tell you where their loyalty lies.
If you find the "fawning, sycophantic tripe written about Hamilton", hard to take, you should be thankful you don’t live in Spain. I know this may be a bit of an exegeration but there’s always a risk that if Alonso crashes or goes out of a race for a particular reason, they might switch off the whole thing altogether.
Finally, please do not undermine the effect of racist acts if you have never been at the receiving end of such. It is all very easy to say "it is not racist", "they are not racist" etc but until you fill the victim’s shoes, you will probably never know how it feels.
De:
Wow 70+ comments already! Rabi, what if ITV talked about your favorite driver/team all of the time? You’d be hoping them to retire early too? If you dislike LH, just admit it!
I said I don’t hate Hamilton, and yeah I always want my team to do well but even I get sick of it when the commentators start spewing crap about how great they are when they aren’t even 1/10th of what the commentators claim for them to be. I hate the hype and overpromoting of certain drivers/teams. Why? Because in it’s midst there are teams and drivers who deserve media attention that don’t get it just because someone is running a biased coverage. Fine for the average joe blog and sickening to the purist - it’s the same in ALL sports.
matthew: You are watching the same coverage as us, but perhaps you have the ITV sound off and Radio 5 Live on, in which case I envy you for that. It is plain as day that the ITV coverage is hugely biased - ok we’re in England and I can understand the promoting of British teams and drivers, but to harp on and on and on and on and on and on and on …… and on about a single driver ignoring the plights of Coulthard, Hamilton and Button is just pathetic. What I am sick of which I’ve stated enough times in here is the 24/7 broadcasting of how Hamilton is the saviour of motorracing. Yes F1 needs a saviour and I’ll tell you now it’s not Hamilton, it’s whatever uncorrupted prick that replaces Mad Max they are the only ones that could be the saviour of F1.
Martin B: I reckon that your theory of what could have happened last year at McLaren is pretty spot on and the two spoiled brats just threw their toys out of their own prams, and at Hungary they threw the toys out of one another’s prams meaning the situation had already spiralled out of Ron’s control. Keith did say there was a middle ground where the truth lies and I reckon your pretty close to it.
Well… to be honest i dont DISLIKE him but i certainly DO NOT LIKE the guy… yes… the guy can drive… awrite… but so can Robert Kubica… I say put this guy in a Ferrari or Mclaren and he wud out-perform Hamilton. Hamilton got the focus because of him being a “Good Rokkie” + because of him being in a “Top” car. Media has somewhat exaggerated the matter.
Rabi: OK. My point is that, because of some people’s personal dislike of Hamilton at first place, they must find ITV’s bias extra hard to take.
I admit I only see ITV coverage once or twice through live stream. But still, it’s hard for me to believe that a person who is objective towards Hamilton, will claim that he is not even 1/10th of what the commentators claim to be, it couldn’t be.
German TV has biased coverage towards german drivers, spainish TV has biased coverage towards spainish drivers/Alonso. How comes I hear no one want those drivers to retire early, but Hamilton? Because there are much more purists in the UK? Sorry I’m just not convinced. I believe that people who hate the biased coverage so much simply because they feel the show was stolen form their favorites. It’s not like ITV was showing nothing but Hamilton’s car, other teams and drivers deserve more media attention because their fans care much about it. (BTW I’m interested, who’s your favorite?)
Hamilton + Mclaren = cheaters
What is it about us humans that we have to trample on those who are successful? Most of the F1 drivers have acted unsporting at some point in their career yet we hardly hear about it. We only hear on and on about the behaviour of the very successful ones. Schumi is a perfect example, till today he is mentioned coz some still refuse to acknowledge him for the dominant driver he was and the same will go for Hamilton ( not that he is anywhere near Schumi’s greatness ). The guy is young and will make mistakes,let him be. At least he is more exciting than Kimi ( I switch off the tv when it comes to the interviews coz he has been winning and is soooooooooo boring ). I am just so grateful that we dont have to listen to the commentators droning on about Jenson Button. At least Hamilton has talent.
“Hamilton + Mclaren = cheaters”
It’s stuff like this that frustrates me so…
Robert McKay, there’s no need to get frustrated. Astur can’t hide the fact that he’s from Asturias, the birth place of Spain’s F1 favourite son, Fernando. I live in Spain and hear this every single day. As I mentioned earlier, F1 here in Spain is called Alonso. You hear people asking, “What time is Alonso?”, “Have you watched Alonso”. Most of them are not F1 fans but just fans for the one and only “piloto” in the whole race. Therefore, save your frustration for something more worthwhile, Robert.
Rabi, you don’t need to please anyone by telling us you don’t hate Hamilton. Your postings smack something totally different, my friend. I think they are a little strong on the language used to describe someone you don’t hate.
Kanyima, i guess for you there is classes into the F1 fans world. And of course you can share your space with beginners.
I’m spanish, i have been watching F1 for several years before Alonso start racing, and all i can say is, thanks God for the Alonso fans. Because before Alonso it was almost impossible watch a race. Sometimes you could only watch the last lap. There wasn’t internet, and no oportunity to download the GPs, and most of the papers didn’t say anything about F1. Only in Catalunya they were lucky enough to have a regional TV that broadcast F1.
Now, with all the Alonso fans, we have newspapers talking about F1, and 3 TV channels fighting for the F1 TV rights.
I don’t need to justify why Hamilton dislikes me, or why Bourdais likes me. But i like to discuss about F1, with arguments, and not offending people.
I would like you consider don’t talk about spanish people like a flock of wannabes.
Any dislike of Hamilton is the fault of one man and one man only: Ron Dennis. Even though LH is a home grown protege of the team, Ron should have managed LH and subordinated his expectations to that of the team. For someone who professes so much gratitude to the team he practices very little when it gets in the way of his personal glory. Rookies should be seen and not heard, regardless of how precocious they are are.
That would have probably yielded a McLaren 1-2 in the drivers’ championship………and an immediate disqualification from that S.O.B. Max Mosley!
In all honesty I was hoping for more from Lewis this year but I guess the car is not up to it, and Heikki is/was outperforming Lewis anyway. Perhaps the team is missing Fernando’s input more than they care to admit.
Bernie and Max The Perv may not have created the opportunity by putting Alonso together with Hamilton at McLaren but that does not mean they won’t exploit the opportunity now that it is there. Bernie is on record severally saying controversy, especially driver controversy is good for F1.
Nonetheless, to be truthful, i have no idea why Lewis is so hated even in Spain. I just wish that was not the case.
Kanyima if you feel that I hate Hamilton that’s ok because I’m telling you I don’t hate Hamilton as a person or a driver, what I hate is the Hamilton persona created by ITV and the constant worshipping of it by them.
And De if I had been in Germany or Spain and having to watch their coverages and worshipping of their respective drivers my comments wouldn’t have changed I’d be sick of that too. That’s not to say purists are only in the UK they are all over the world you ask any purist and they would say they despise HEAVILY biased coverage. As for the 1/10th comment I was exaggerating it to make my point.
Astur that comment was pure rubbish everybody knows that all the teams cheat none of them are angels.
I don’t remember the exact quote, but the one where LH compared himself favourably with Senna and Prost didn’t endear him to me.