Lewis Hamilton: the driver debates
Lewis Hamilton is hyped to the hilt but just how good is he?
Lewis Hamilton is the new Michael Schumacher.
I don’t necessarily mean he’s as complete an F1 driver – but he’s already as controversial. No other active F1 driver excites such polar opposites of emotions and opinions.
A glance at some of the biggest debates we’ve had on this site makes that clear (have a look under the ‘all time’ top posts tab at the top right of the page).
Having already written about why so many people don’t like Hamilton earlier this year, I’d now like to tackle the question of how good he is at driving a Formula 1 car.
Inevitably that’s going to lead of cries from some quarters that he only did so well last year because McLaren gave him preferential treatment over Fernando Alonso. I’m not convinced by this point of view, and in the absence of any proof to support it I’m going to stick to judging Hamilton on the facts.
Preamble over. So, how good is Hamilton?
One of the most startling things about his rookie season was his astonishing consistency in the first half of the year. McLaren gave him a car that was usually capable of being in the top four, and Hamilton was never out of the top three in the first nine races. No other driver in the same period managed that.
At the Nurburgring he had a messy weekend – the likes of which we’ve seen more of this year. It started with a wheel failure in qualifying that caused a big crash, but a wrong call on tyres during the race made matters worse.
His mistakes in the final two races – failing to pit early enough for tyres at Shanghai, and running wide trying to pass Alonso at Interlagos – looked like unforced errors borne of championship pressure. But Alonso and Raikkonen made mistakes that were every bit as bad during the season and, even putting his rookie status to one side, I thought Hamilton drove the better championship campaign.
This year did not begin smoothly for Hamilton: at Sepang he picked up a needless grid penalty and at Bahrain he made a series of mistakes.
Canada should have marked a turn-around as he took pole position by a substantial margin and pulled away at the start. But then came the notorious pit lane crash with Kimi Raikkonen and subsequent penalty for the next round – where Hamilton ruined his race before the first lap was over.
But there’s been inspiration as well as desperation. Hamilton has scored the best wins we’ve this year. At a wet Silverstone, even taking Kimi Raikkonen’s strategic error into account, his pace on the soaked circuit was stunning. He dominated in Germany and even a tactical blunder by McLaren couldn’t knock him off course.
If, early in the season, it seemed Hamilton’s approach had become ‘win or bust’, he now seems to be tempering his approach as the championship end game approaches. As he admitted recently:
Clearly, I want to win all the time, but I’ve learned that sometimes it’s more advantageous to score as many points as possible and live to fight another day.
My aim is still to win the world championship and you don’t do that by ending up in the barriers after making an opportunistic move.
The lessons of 2007 – and, perhaps, Bahrain and Magny-Cours this year – have been heeded.
Hamilton has shown himself to be an excellent overtaker – at least, in the brief windows of opportunity modern F1 offers for drivers to show their race craft. And his Silverstone win, along with the triumphs at Monaco and Fuji in the last 12 months, mark him out as one of F1’s best wet weather drivers at the moment – perhaps the best outright.
At the start of the season many voiced concerns about how McLaren could develop their car quickly enough – the feeling being that Alonso had led the team on set-up last year. But Hamilton (and, of course, Heikki Kovalainen) have handled those challenges well.
So just how good is Lewis Hamilton? Ron Dennis reckons that, given Hamilton has only been in F1 a year and a half, he’s the best driver in F1 today:
It amuses me to see these evaluations of drivers because for me you have to take into consideration how long a driver has been in Formula One when you evaluate his performance. For no other reason that puts him top of the heap, he is the best in Formula One at the moment. Take into account how little experience he has had, that’s the bit that gives him the edge.
But putting his lack of experience compared to Raikkonen and Alonso to one side, how well is Hamilton doing?
There is clearly room for improvement in some areas. He has struggled under the kind of pressure drivers like Alonso seem to thrive on and he’s been caught out by the rules at least once too often this year.
But what I think is most telling about Hamilton is this: there are very rarely, if ever, days when he just doesn’t figure. Yes, he’s had crashes and penalties and the like, but we rarely see him qualifying below the top two rows and then toiling around to fourth or fifth – the kind of rut Raikkonen is in at the moment, for example.
In the final reckoning, Hamilton matched a world champion on points last year and edged him on results overall. This year he’s usually been well ahead of Kovalainen. I can understand people not liking him, but I think you have to give him his due: he’s a very good F1 driver. And he’s getting better.
Lewis Hamilton is leading the F1 championship with four wins this year
antonyob said on 2nd September 2008, 15:07
good or bad trait in an f1 driver alastair.
and please lets get off moseley, those ladies have ()*()
Scott Joslin said on 2nd September 2008, 15:35
I would say less so at the moment Antonyob, Schumi was prepared to crash with his main title contenders in attempts to win.
Ruthlessness is not always an endearing trait, hence why people were polarized on their feelings towards Senna and Schmacher. Just speak to fans of Alain Prost and Damon Hill.
Polak said on 2nd September 2008, 15:46
All the F1 heroes were ruthless. I think it takes a special mind set to be a legend Like Michael and Ayrton. Do we see that in Lewis? Seems to me like Lewis is a skillful driver that has been molded into a fast pilot, but I think he is missing that personality that would allow him to become great.
Keith- “…mark him out as one of F1’s best wet weather drivers at the moment – perhaps the best outright…” You would rate him above Senna? The faintest amount of rain made Senna’s under performing car a race winning car.
antonyob said on 2nd September 2008, 17:18
i agree polak, butlets not forget Lewis’s age. i dont think i was the rounded rumbunctious bon viveur when i was but a lad. perhaps. he is a bit eager to please but he flashes those shark teeth once too many times for anyone to be in any doubt that he bites.
id also say there is a line, that is achieveable, between ruthlessness and going soft. Kimi manages it fairly well and Webber is a bloke youd have a beer with but on the whole the days of Hawthorn, Behra and Hill snr standing round a piano for a sing song then dicing at ten tenths on a sunday have long since past. alas.
Rui said on 2nd September 2008, 17:20
I for one do like Hamilton as a driver and his performances this year have been great (well at least some of them). Then again considering his car and the fact that i don’t believe he will win the championship this year i don’t place him in the same league as Schumacher, Senna or Prost at least for the time being. He does seem to have the potential though.Time will tell i guess
S Hughes said on 2nd September 2008, 19:20
Keith, good article until you got to the bit where you said “I can understand people not liking him”. I may be a huge fan, but other than racism I cannot see why anyone would dislike him. He seems such a pleasant happy-go-lucky fellow, he gives refreshing interviews to the ITV team (boy, how I’ll miss them and I bet you all will too next year) and he is great with his fans (I’ve met him twice at his book signing and Brooklands and he took extra time on both occasions to sign as many autographs as he could).
As for being a “good driver” – what an understatement. It seems commentators can bubble over with enthusiasm and hyperbole about Kubica and Vettel but almost feel they daren’t with Hamilton because of the vicious backlash. I think the nastiness towards him is actually ruining a period in F1 that all true F1 fans should be enjoying – the emergence of a stunning, charismatic talent on the scene. Instead I get the feeling that if he won 10 titles, there would still be the haters who whinge about preferential treatment, arrogance, having a good car and “bet he wouldn’t be any good in a Honda/Renault/blah blah blah”.
Have a look at this clip from 1998 – this is Lewis: raw, unbridled brilliance at driving. I wish and beg of everyone to just enjoy it while it’s happening and don’t let the racists and haters destroy the enjoyment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qt_PJqM-sRc
Shashi said on 2nd September 2008, 20:03
“I think the nastiness towards him is actually ruining a period in F1 that all true F1 fans should be enjoying – the emergence of a stunning, charismatic talent on the scene.”
Incredibly well put, S Hughes. Although I am tired of the irrational hatred towards Lewis, based on the comments here, I am sure people will come around. The debate in people’s minds is clearly (and rightly) not about whether or not he’s good, but whether or not he’s the best.
As for being lucky to have a good car, consider that he’s been with McLaren since he was 13. That he drives for McLaren today can hardly be attributed to luck! Even Schumi hasn’t been with Ferrari that long.
KB said on 2nd September 2008, 20:07
WRONG – LH is not the new Michael Schumacher, they couldnt be more different! I read the 1st line, and wish to read no more.
Bad comparison
Gman said on 2nd September 2008, 20:07
As soon as the driver debates started, I knew this would be a good one!
In a sport like F1, with no spec car, we all know that a driver’s performance will obviously depend on the car he is driving. If Hamilton was driving a Force India at the moment, he’d probably be doing no better than Sutil is now. So without a doubt Lewis was fortunate to be with McLaren from day 1, but if he diden’t have at least the raw skills needed, he’d be fumbling around out there and not winning races during his first two years.
I don’t want to take any of the other top drivers- Kimi, Massa, Kubica- and say that Lewis is better than any of them, but I think he is at least equal to any of them on any given race weekend. With that said, he’s in great shape for the title, but Massa appears to be getting stronger every weekend, and Kimi isn’t out of it yet, so the true test for both Lewis and the McLaren boys will be down the stretch with the title on the line.
Aside form his driving, Lewis is a dream for Bernie and the entire F1 public relations machine. Before his arrival, Schumi was the obvious face of F1 the world over, and despite his brilliant driving and relentless dedication, he was not the most outgoing driver. Lewis, however, is made to order- his win at Indianapolis last season set off a firestorm here in America- not just in F1 media outlets, but in the mainstream American sports media- that’s what F1 needs to develop in new markets!
Becken said on 2nd September 2008, 20:39
When a read this thing about Lewis driving a top a car I remember his background. Lets compare, for example, with Sutil:
2002 Swiss Formula Ford 1800 – 1st on Championship
2003 German Formula BMW – 6th
2004 Formula 3 Euroseries – 17th
2005 Formula 3 Euroseries – 2nd
2006 All-Japan Formula 3 – 1st
2006 Super GT – 26th
Meanwhile, LEWIS:
2002 Formula Renault UK – 3rd
2003 Formula Renault UK – 1st
2004 Formula 3 Euroseries – 5th
2005 Formula 3 Euroseries – 1st (he beaten Sutil on the same car what makes me guess that he would be doing better than Sutil with a Force India!)
2006 GP2 Series – 1st
2007 Formula One – 2nd
Sebastian Vettel, the next “Schumacher” for example:
2003 German Formula BMW – 2nd
2004 German Formula BMW – 1st
2005 Spanish Formula 3 – 15th
2005 Formula 3 Euroseries – 5th
2006 Formula 3 Euroseries – 2nd (He was beaten by his team mate Paul Di Resta)
2006 World Series by Renault – 15th
2007 World Series by Renault – 5th
What the hell Sebastian Vettel has made of extraordinary on his early years to be the next Schumacher?
What makes me wonder: who has the most impressive results to deserve be in a top car on this moment? The fact is: few drivers on the grid have the same curriculum as Lewis in the Junior Formulae. Few of them had showed his true potential when driven a top car:
Barrichello
Button
Coulthard
Massa (I´m still waiting…)
Gman said on 2nd September 2008, 20:43
Way to do your homework Becken!
Indeed, Lewis may be doing better than Sutil Fisi, or anyone else in a Force India, but he still probably would not be in the title chanse in that type of machine. Still, his record in the junior series is most impressive.
Becken said on 2nd September 2008, 20:46
Thanks Gman!:)
amy said on 2nd September 2008, 21:22
I really don’t get the hype over the guy! He has not won a championship, not broke any records, I can’t see what is so special about him (oh wait I forgot, he is British!). Any driver would do well in a mclaren, it is a fast car, and I don’t see any reason to say he is any better a driver than Sutil, Rosberg, Kubica, etc. The guy is just a hype, remember the fuss over Jenson when he first came on the scene, where is he now?
He is talented for sure, but so are all the drivers, or they would not be in F1, I just wish the media would cool down on him!
amy said on 2nd September 2008, 21:59
But who has heard his infamous quote, “I am #2 to no one, not even Michael Schumacher”. Does this mean that he considers himself better than the great man Schumi, if he does that is some overwhelming arrogance considering where he is in his career (2nd season). I think that if he gets himself a PR, stops this verbal diahorea (sorry, dont know how to spell it), and let his driving do the talking, a lot more people may respect and like him.
Steven Roy said on 2nd September 2008, 22:40
I struggle to follow the logic of some people. I keep reading that Lewis is lucky that he is in a McLaren as if Ron Dennis put the names of all the drivers in a hat and chose him. I started preparing an aarticle for another site on the rookies of the past couple of years and as Becken has shown his record is better than anyone’s before F1 and by some margin. At some point I will finish it and publish it but all the basic info is in the public domain.
I also read that he had it easy because McLaren funded. Ron Dennis did not tell him that he would fund his entire career. Every year he was set targets and told that he would lose his funding if he failed to meet them. I can’t speak for anyone else but I remember being 14 and the thought of losing McLaren sponsorship if I made a few mistakes would have been way too much for me. He is not the only driver to have been funded like this. Red Bull and Renault between them have put silver spoons in a lot of young drivers mouths. Few of them have achieved anything. Messrs Rosberg, Piquet etc have had their fathers funding their careers. So the fact that Lewis had well connected sponsorship is hardly unique.
Regardless of age, experience and championships Lewis Hamilton is by far the best driver in F1. His technique is superior to any other driver. People point out that he is hard on tyres but that is simply due to the single tyre supplier rule. At any other time McLaren’s tyre supplier would be building tyres to suit him.
On a similar point anyone who thinks Kimi Raikkonen’s performance is due to him and not his car doesn’t understand what is going on. If Ferrari can give him a car that suits his driving style he will blow Massa away. Those who think Massa has improved a lot this year equally don’t understand anything about car handling or driving technique. Before the knee jerkers respond to this Stefano Domenicali agrees.
Before last season started the specialist press was full of stories that Alonso was the new Schumacher and Ron was an idiot for putting Lewis in the same team and he would be destroyed. In the end Lewis blew him straight out of the door.
What has his girlfriend to do with how hard he works and how serious he is about F1? I don’t get that. Would he be more serious if his girlfriend worked in Tesco’s? From the announcement of him getting the McLaren drive until the season started he worked on the shop floor of the MTC so he knows what is involved in designing and building an F1 car. Anyone who believes that Alonso was responsible for the performance of last year’s McLaren is wrong. But if he was then Lewis must be responsible for the performance of this year’s.
It is always hard to compare drivers who didn’t race at the same time but in some ways he is already better than Schumacher. Schumacher was never particularly good at wheel to wheel racing or overtaking. His strength was consistenly delivering fast laps. Had his career started some years earlier he would not have had the results he did but his abilities were perfectly matched to the rules at the time.
Keke Rosberg compared Lewis to Gilles Villeneuve at the time he was announced as a McLaren driver. Given Keke’s respect for Gilles that is a huge compliment and Villeneuve was a better driver than Schumacher and Villeneuve never won a championship.
Whether or not Lewis beats Michael’s records probably depends on much on who succeeds Max -if he goes in 2009 – as anything else. Hopefully it will be someone more neutral.