F1

Lewis Hamilton to prove himself this year?

  • This topic has 22 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated 11 years ago by Mike.
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  • #132721
    Giggsy11
    Participant

    After Jerez testing this year BBC’s Gary Anderson stated that if Mercedes want to get Lewis on the front row scoring points they’re going to have to work very hard (Basically suggesting that they are not near front running pace). If the Mercedes starts the opening weekend with quite possibly the 5th or 6th fastest car then is it to be expected that Lewis is to try and replicate what Alonso did last year? There is a lot of conversation based upon who is currently the best driver and with Lewis and Alonso in contention, does anyone believe that this could be an important time to analyse Lewis, as he would be in a similar situation as Alonso last year?

    #225511
    Kingshark
    Participant

    What does Lewis really have left to prove after 2012? It’s already commonly agreed that he is clearly one of the very best, if not the best driver currently in F1.

    #225512
    Michael
    Participant

    @Kingshark +1

    @Giggsy11 For the sake of Mercedes, I really hope they have a competitive car. With Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, Renault all being very competitive in terms of pace in 2012, this will be tough. Plus the driver caliber at the top is very high which will make it even harder.

    It’s going to be hard for Hamilton – he faces a lot of opposition on track simply because a move against Hamilton is bound to be remembered for life for the other driver and this year he will have to fight inch by inch. Last year Raikonnen showed that he is the master of inching within another F1 car and that he’s also wise to know when to fold and can keep his cool while 10 cars pass him. Hamilton will have to do the same this year – he’ll need to bank points for the season.

    I assure you Nico will be banking every point he can get this year….

    #225513
    Prisoner Monkeys
    Participant

    What does Lewis really have left to prove after 2012?

    What does he have to prove after 2008?

    It’s a pretty sad state of affairs when people demand that a World Champion “prove himself” despite the way he has already reached the rareified heights.

    #225514
    Kingshark
    Participant

    IMO Rosberg is underrated. In 2010, he beat Kubica in an equal car, who according to many forum members, was the second coming of Jesus Christ. Likewise, Michael Schumacher, even in his early 40’s, is still a very capable driver. He was beaten by Rosberg three years in succession.

    China 2012 — this particular race, in my eyes Mclaren were as quick as Mercedes. He beat both Hamilton and Button, fair and square. He’s only had two races where he truly had race winning machinery. China and Monaco 2012. Once he won, the other time he finished 2nd. Not a bad record, should I say?

    I’d say he’s better than Button over a single lap, over a race distance Button is probably just as good. Hamilton will face genuine competition year.

    Of course, throughout the entire season I still expect Lewis to come out on top.

    #225515
    Giggsy11
    Participant

    Don’t get me wrong Hamilton has proven himself as a race driver, but i think you’re missing the question I am asking, is he the best? Just because he has Won a World Championship doesn’t automatically give him the crown of best driver currently (Jacques Villeneuve won the 1997 title but isn’t considered anywhere near as a ‘Great’). Hamilton hasn’t been in any real contention for the title since 2008 so moving to a new team with a fresh start is something that can be compared to Alonso and his Ferrari switch. Alonso’s 2012 campaign can also be compared to this year for Lewis as Alonso began with a poor car and narrowly missed out on the title and claimed many plaudits along the way. My question is basically can he match and even better the race wins and the title attack this year that Alonso did last year and prove that he is equal if not better than Alonso (Widely viewed as the best current driver).

    #225516
    matt90
    Participant

    “China 2012 — this particular race, in my eyes Mclaren were as quick as Mercedes. He beat both Hamilton and Button, fair and square.”

    It’s worth acknowledging that McLaren shot both drivers in the foot though- Hamilton with a grid penalty (having qualified 2nd) and Button with a bad pitstop. Hamilton’s penalty was also fairly disastrous in that every pitstop put him back in traffic, making catching up quite difficult.

    I do agree though that Rosberg is something of an unknown entity.

    #225517
    mclaren
    Participant

    No, Hamilton has nothing to prove nor the other 4 champions on the grid, he has already proven himself way back in 07 against the supposed “best” when he suprised Alonso. But one thing i will say is that Hamilton unfortunately lacks one weapon, consistency, you combine his raw pace and alonso’s consistency and you get Mr Unbeatable!, The frustrating thing for him is that his lack of consistency was 99% caused by his beloved Mclaren team, last year for example, every one of his 4 victories was followed by a DNF, that is a shocking lack of consistency. I for one hope Mercs provide him with a reliable car more than anything else!

    Overall, Lewis has nothing to prove to himself and anyone who’s seen the sport from 07, he in my eyes anyway is the best driver on the grid, as much as you may say that status is Alonso’s, i for one can’t rank someone who as the defending double world champion got beaeten by his rookied team mate as being the “best” on the grid, dont get me wrong, Fernando is a very close 2nd on my rankings ;but one thing he will do for sure is to show everyone he is more than capable of replicating Alonso’s 2012 season this year given a half decent car.

    #225518
    Giggsy11
    Participant

    @mclaren

    you combine his raw pace and alonso’s consistency and you get Mr Unbeatable!

    Don’t Forget to add a Newey designed Redbull into that equation ;)

    #225519
    GeeMac
    Participant

    I find it strange that a driver who has won 1 world championship, 21 races, who has started from pole 26 times, who has performed admirably against two world champion team mates and who received universal praise at the end of the 2012 season after a disastrous 2011 campaign (in which he still managed to win 3 races, the same as Button) would still be required to prove something in the eyes of some people.

    #225520
    Giggsy11
    Participant

    @geemac Sorry but I don’t think ‘1 world championship, 21 races, who has started from pole 26 times’ proves hes a ‘great’ just yet. Hes a brilliant driver and I have no doubt that he can be great but when people look back at that who ever watched him race wont believe he’d even be in the running for one of the 10 best to ever race. Alonso with 2 titles and Vettel with 3 titles have been put in many of the F1 community’s top 10 drivers but Hamilton has been left behind in most cases, so yes, he does need to prove himself to live up to his potential and be a ‘great’.

    #225521
    GeeMac
    Participant

    @gigsy11

    I didn’t realise this turned into an all time great debate, I assumed from your original post that the question was whether he had anything to prove to be regarded as one of the best in the current generation, which he clearly is.

    #225522
    Giggsy11
    Participant

    @geemac Well i asked:

    If the Mercedes starts the opening weekend with quite possibly the 5th or 6th fastest car then is it to be expected that Lewis is to try and replicate what Alonso did last year?

    There is a lot of conversation based upon who is currently the best driver and with Lewis and Alonso in contention, does anyone believe that this could be an important time to analyse Lewis, as he would be in a similar situation as Alonso last year?

    Most people have paid attention to the title which was written like that to draw attention, not on what the more detailed thread comment I supplied.
    From the current crop of drivers you would be called a ‘great’ to be the best of this current generation. As Alonso is regarded as the best driver currently, analysing Lewis who is now in a similar situation to Alonso last year when he gained much more respect in a dog of a car would help us view whether he is the current best or not.

    #225523
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Well, I for one feel he has nothing to prove… The whole F1 community agrees that Lewis is one of the best drivers at the moment… I know that when Fernando retires, lewis is the one I´ll be rooting for… and it´s ironic since I despised him for 2007… but, he has shown me he is an excellent driver and I give credit where credit is due!
    Back on subject, everybody knows Merc is not where they want to be and to be honest, If they get some wins this season it wil be courtesy of Hamilton. They won´t be title contenders this year that´s for certain but in answering your question if he starts 5th or 6th, could he do an Alonso-esque performance… well… absolutely. Fernando has said it himself, Lewis is one of the few drivers he has seen that can outperform a bad car…
    Lewis is already a WDC, that being said… he has not much more to prove, now all he has to do is win at least 1 more… and it´s just a matter of time till he does.

    #225524
    Michael
    Participant

    I for one cannot wait for the damn season to start:-) I really miss the howls of the engines searing through my living room on Saturdays and Sundays.

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