Comments on: British press on Hamilton’s troubles

By: Gman

Gman — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:37:42 +0000

Clare,

Good to see another prospective sports journalist on here- I do some local sports writing, nothing big and I don’t envision it as a career, but it’s a lot of fun if done right.

I have never been in the UK, so I can’t speak firsthand, but over here the type of coverage depends a bit on the style of publication. In New York, the tabloids are much quicker to break down the failings of local teams than the established daily publications. In terms of Lewis, he arrived on the scene with a bang, so I agree that people do expect sensational news- Lewis has set the bar very high for himself, much like my previous mention of Derek Jeter. Every move he makes is looked at with a microscope, and of course it will always be like that.

Here’s hoping for a scandle/problem-free year for Lewis, and best wishes in the sports journalism world

By: Gman

Gman — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:24:31 +0000

Amazing how quick the vultures in the press circle at the smallest sign of trouble for Lewis and McLaren…..

Being a fan of several sports teams in New York, I have always compared Lewis to Derek Jeter of the Yankees, if any of you follow MLB. Both broke into their respective sports at young ages, with prestigious teams that have big backing in sports where money helps determine success. Both also performed at incredibly high levles as soon as they arrived. Both are also adored by the ladies and linked to a-list chicks on a regular basis.

Jeter is known for his all-out hustle and zero complaints, even when things go poorly for the Yankees. Lewis is in a very difficult spot, and he’s going to take some sniping in a rough season even if he dose drive to the best of his abilities. If the McLaren really dose turn out to be non-competitive, I believe the reasonable and prudent F1 fans will see what he can do. I don’t think the MP4-24 will be bad the whole year, but if it is, I look for Lewis to display the same skills Alonso did last year with the Renault early in the campaign.

By: Gman

Gman — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:11:17 +0000

Very nice- do you think everyone will be digging out the old black and red Honda gear if Brawn GP really turns out on top in the first few races?

By: Gman

Gman — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:08:52 +0000

Brazil 2008- one of the only races I bothered to tape record last season I’m also quite excited for the new season. Luckily for you Pink, I believe you are in a far better position in terms of time zones to watch the first three rounds without depriving yourself of a good chunk of sleep

By: Clare msj

Clare msj — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 11:59:03 +0000

I read the papers a fair amount, and when it comes to F1 news – I read it, laugh at some of the stuff written, scoff at how on earth they can write such things and then completely ignore it and make up my own mind. I long gave up on completely trusting what the papers say about F1 once I realised how they skirted over anything that didnt involve a British driver, no matter how key to the sport it was.

And here’s me wanting to find my way into sports journalism eventually!

By: Clare msj

Clare msj — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 11:53:00 +0000

Its all about sensationalism. A dramatic headline and big impact story sells papers. A negative big impact story – well thats even better. Would we all be debating this if the story had been ‘well Hamilton is going just like usual, and the Mclaren as expected is somewhere near the top of the time sheets’? So the papers have achieved what they aimed to do and caught everyone’s attention.

Admittedly, Mclaren’s form is a little unusual, but then again Mclaren have had a habit over recent years of having a slightly off car every so often – just ask Kimi! Its how we see Hamilton deal with a slightly off car that will be the most interesting point, and we can see that for ourselves without the press telling us.

‘I have no experience of any other country’s press but the British press are well known for the build them up and knock them down mentality. If Hamilton has a bad season, no matter what the reason, I expect plenty of criticism, however if the Brawn is as quick as it promises and so Button has a successful season the press may just switch their coverage to Button and ignore Hamilton if he is not getting the results’ – PGA

That is completely the case – and it happened with Button when he had a bad patch. Doesnt mean that he is no good (I happen to think that Button is a pretty darn good driver), and it wont mean that Hamilton is no good (clearly he is good, not one of the all time greats yet, but he is obviously one of the top guys in the sport at the minute)

By: PJA

PJA — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 11:18:37 +0000

I have no experience of any other country’s press but the British press are well known for the build them up and knock them down mentality. If Hamilton has a bad season, no matter what the reason, I expect plenty of criticism, however if the Brawn is as quick as it promises and so Button has a successful season the press may just switch their coverage to Button and ignore Hamilton if he is not getting the results.

Having read various forums I feel that no matter what Hamilton does, some people will always find something to criticise him for, and try to diminish his achievements by saying that any driver could do the same given circumstances.

By: teamorders

teamorders — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:14:35 +0000

If anything, the years that cemented Senna’s reputation were not his championship years, but instead it was his years in drives in less competitive cars like the Tolman & the Lotus in the mid 80′s, or later in the fred-flinstone powered Maclaren of 92 & 93. Any victory against Mansell in ’92 or Prost in ’93 required extraordinary skill.

For instance in ’92 (& ’93) the Williams was peerless. Mansell was beaten only 3 times when he actually finished a race, twice by Senna and once by his own team mate.

So although I’m no Lewis fan, if anything his reputation as a driver could potentially be improved if he spent a year in a less competitive car and got wins/podiums against better cars.

By: JohnBt

JohnBt — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 02:37:19 +0000

This is the time for Lewis to proof to the world how great a driver he is with the MP4-24 that has way underperformed in the 2009 test season. Senna and Alonso did wonders on many occasions and brought exciting racing with lesser cars. Lewis should learn humbly how to set up a car, forget all the glitz, material gains, and up his passion as a driver. There’s a key word in globalisation “UPGRADE”.
As far as I remember I haven’t read much on Senna’s and Alonso’s so called galmourous public lifestyle. I’m sure this will be a very tough year for Lewis, but if he does well he will certainly be respected more than winning the 2008 WDC.

By: Jay Menon

Jay Menon — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 01:49:37 +0000

This debate will go on forever. When will come to a point to agree that both Alonso and Hamilton are good drivers in their own right, just like Prost and Senna.

The jury is still out on Lewis because he needs to prove himself in every possible situation. He’s come through the test of having a great car, proving he can beat everyone, now he has to prove himself with a **** car. Then he would need to build the car’s performance. Alonso has proved himself in all three of these test, so for now, the Spaniard in ahead.

If Lewis wants to cement his credentials, he has to come through the aforementioned tests. All the great champions of recent times have done this.

Can we agree on this? Because this debate it becoming pointless