Has Lewis broken Nico?
Discussion
emicen said:
ash73 said:
lbc said:
Hamilton is simply driving a level above everyone else this year.
Nico will need to pull something very special out of his bag to get past him.
Lewis is incredibly gifted but I think in some ways he's as much a passenger as we are, whereas Nico really has to work at it. I wish they'd fall out properly and stop sharing data, then we can see who sets the car up better. At the moment Nico's got no cards to play with; give them the same equipment and Lewis will win. He needs lady luck to swap allegiances, and soon.Nico will need to pull something very special out of his bag to get past him.
Point is that now Lewis has his confidence back, his swagger, and he just knows he can out-qualify Nico. Not much you can do against that. That can change, obviously, but for now Nico just has to live with it. If he can remain patient - and these purple patches don't last forever - then he can challenge again.
It was interesting seeing a post-race interview with Hamilton when he was asked about whether he would have been able to react to Kimi getting closer after his brakes were causing trouble.
He knew straight away what the problem was and how to manage it, whereas when Nico was interviewed at the same point he didn't have a clue what the issue was, just that his pedal went long.
Hamilton also said without hesitation that he had plenty of pace in the car and that he could basically do what he liked in it and it would react. There didn't appear to be any game playing, or statement making, just someone absolutely on top of their game who is brimming with confidence. It wasn't so much what he said, but the way he said it.
Had I been from another team or in the same team trying to beat him it would have been rather concerning!
He's always been talented of course, but he's often been spiky and his own worst enemy at times in terms of distractions and approach. Now he appears to be driving with the freedom of his first year in F1 but with experience and knowledge. Given that the car is obviously the class of the field, then the rest really are just driving for second at the moment.
The concern I have though is whether this confidence continues when he inevitably makes a mistake or something goes wrong this year, though Vettel getting a win has seemed to polarise him more, so maybe I'm doing him a disservice.
It's a pleasure to watch someone at the absolute top of their game perform. It doesn't happen that often, but like Bolt in the 100 or 200m even though you know the result appears inevitable beforehand, it doesn't stop you watching.
He knew straight away what the problem was and how to manage it, whereas when Nico was interviewed at the same point he didn't have a clue what the issue was, just that his pedal went long.
Hamilton also said without hesitation that he had plenty of pace in the car and that he could basically do what he liked in it and it would react. There didn't appear to be any game playing, or statement making, just someone absolutely on top of their game who is brimming with confidence. It wasn't so much what he said, but the way he said it.
Had I been from another team or in the same team trying to beat him it would have been rather concerning!
He's always been talented of course, but he's often been spiky and his own worst enemy at times in terms of distractions and approach. Now he appears to be driving with the freedom of his first year in F1 but with experience and knowledge. Given that the car is obviously the class of the field, then the rest really are just driving for second at the moment.
The concern I have though is whether this confidence continues when he inevitably makes a mistake or something goes wrong this year, though Vettel getting a win has seemed to polarise him more, so maybe I'm doing him a disservice.
It's a pleasure to watch someone at the absolute top of their game perform. It doesn't happen that often, but like Bolt in the 100 or 200m even though you know the result appears inevitable beforehand, it doesn't stop you watching.
Derek Smith said:
He was, as you say, up for it yesterday, but even after putting in his best race performance for some time, he was still unable to challenge Hamilton. Can't be fun in his household.
yes - I was expecting to see this reflected in his Nicos interview. He tried his best and was outperformed. The penny must be dropping that he is #2.As mentioned elsewhere, perhaps accepting that fact will allow him to regroup and come back stronger.
Derek Smith said:
I'm glad Raikk is doing well. It means we'll see more of his missus.
Agreed on both counts.DB9VolanteDriver said:
Chimune said:
I must admit, I wasnt expecting to see such a positive Nico during his BBC post race interview. I know they are trained to be 'upbeat', but he didn't look bothered at all !
I bet he is......
I saw it as a man resigned to the fact that he cannot beat Lewis and will be content with finishing #2 in the WDC. Once you accept your limitations, you can be content.I bet he is......
The Crack Fox said:
I'm not knocking your commitment Derek, but did you spend your life savings and remortgage your house?
I'd to clarify my post:I was really pointing out that it is not that unusual. Nor is it much of a sacrifice. Parents do it for their own reasons in the main. Because they want to.
We went to a tournament where there were perhaps 200 kids playing - Danny Cipriano was there - and there were about the same number or parents, taking the time to run their children from all over England. I remember going to a school near to the Quinns ground for a single match and meeting someone from just outside Rugby, down for the afternoon. Then there was a wet Thursday in February in the Gower for a match against a Welsh side. We left the place around 11.30pm for the journey back to Brighton. One kid got to play for about 10 minutes. His parents must have known he wasn't going to make it into the big time, but still took him around. They were lovely people.
It was great fun. But it was also very costly. My wife doesn't drive and there was no way I could get a job in the season. I was away too much.
I was in a unit where we used to train, in our own time, before starting work. One day a week we went to a swimming pool, getting there at a time we called early, and seeing the car park empty of parents taking their children away after their training sessions.
Lots of parents do the same thing as the Hamiltons and the Smiths without any hope or belief that their kids will make it to the big time and earn lots of money.
I'm not knocking, in any way whatsoever, what LH's parents did but it is hardly unique. There was a crowd of people, many with clapped out cars, standing on the sidelines, videoing their own child so as they could learn from their good and bad bits of play.
It's what parents do if they have the opportunity.
I look upon that time fondly, despite eating in KFCs at 2 am, pulling into service areas at a time when I really wanted nothing more than to fall asleep, and seeing two or three families I knew.
Whilst I would contend that the money levels spent mean nothing, just work out how much it did cost me to run my lad around from the age of 14 to 21. To pay for his tours, his away matches, the long weekends away. I had a second mortgage already and probably would have been able to pay it off had I not been doing so. And it was cheap at the price, despite there being little likelihood of him earning anything like enough to 'pay us back', at least financially.
Then put a price on seeing your lad lead his team out onto the pitch while you are shouting 'Come on, England'.
He now captains the team he plays for, and there's a picture of him in the final match programme of the season, headed: Leader - Legend. That's my lad and we helped him. One of the committee last season said that in his many years at the club, my lad was the best captain the club had had.
He scored a try in a cup match at Twickenham:
What's that worth to a rugby loving parent?
Just to clarify: I am not knocking what the Hamiltons did for their son. I'm just saying that there are thousands, no doubt, of parents doing exactly the same thing, and thinking it is worth every penny. My lad had talent and if I had been unable to support it, I would have felt I'd let him down.
I wouldn't have missed it for the world. So many really great memories. Cheap at the price.
That doesn't include sweeping the lines of the pitch clear of snow one time, then sitting in the drafty stands for hours while my lad, who played in three matches, one after the other, kept warm by running about. (The props must have been frozen.) Two days later a back muscle went into spasm, more pain than I'd ever known. But I'd do it all again.
And there are lots of people doing just the same now and not thinking of it as a sacrifice.
Edited by Derek Smith on Tuesday 21st April 15:39
Derek Smith said:
BigBen said:
Derek Smith said:
Stuff about his son playing Rugby
Is he available Saturday?ash73 said:
lbc said:
Hamilton is simply driving a level above everyone else this year.
Nico will need to pull something very special out of his bag to get past him.
Lewis is incredibly gifted but I think in some ways he's as much a passenger as we are, whereas Nico really has to work at it. I wish they'd fall out properly and stop sharing data, then we can see who sets the car up better. At the moment Nico's got no cards to play with; give them the same equipment and Lewis will win. He needs lady luck to swap allegiances, and soon.Nico will need to pull something very special out of his bag to get past him.
nico has dropped back
.
Sky seem to be bigging up the "return" of nico but the race I saw, the boy might have had some fight but he was fighting to stay in second while lewis cruised around in the lead. And evan though there was mitigation in him losing second, I can think of a few drivers who'd have rudely trodden all over kimis nose for a lap, played fast and lose with the rules to keep that place...
Agreed, Lewis is simply at the top of his game. He just seems so relaxed and confident in his own abilities, without being big headed, it must hurt Nico that he cant match him, but credit to nico the way he is going about it, He is like, well I have to do the best for the Team anyway knowing deep down he is no match to the raw talent of Lewis and is slowly accepting #2.
Still I hope he can get his nose in front soon in quali, then we can see what Lewis can do and show Nico how to do it, I believe Lewis is that good, Its just awesome to watch someone at the top of their game.
I know its only 4 races in, and it can all change with one bad race, but what I have seen of Lewis so far suggests it won't.
Still I hope he can get his nose in front soon in quali, then we can see what Lewis can do and show Nico how to do it, I believe Lewis is that good, Its just awesome to watch someone at the top of their game.
I know its only 4 races in, and it can all change with one bad race, but what I have seen of Lewis so far suggests it won't.
You only have to look at the odds that the bookies are offering to see how they feel about the rest of this season.
Lewis is 1/6 'on' with most of them. (For those who don't bet, it means you'd have to put £600 on to win £100)
Nico is 10/1.
I'm not sure I've ever seen odds like that after only four races.
Lewis is 1/6 'on' with most of them. (For those who don't bet, it means you'd have to put £600 on to win £100)
Nico is 10/1.
I'm not sure I've ever seen odds like that after only four races.
RichB said:
Paul_M3 said:
Lewis is 1/6 'on' with most of them. (For those who don't bet, it means you'd have to put £600 on to win £100)
Actually expressed as '6/1 On' or 1/6 but not 1/6 On - for those that don't bet. 
(I did know that, honest!)
jjones said:
10/1 on Nico does't sound like a bad place for a tenner to be. It's very early on in the season in what is probably a two horse race.
Not a betting man but those odds seem very pessimistic. It's early in the season and, while Nico hasn't matched Lewis yet, there's nothing to say he won't raise his game or that Technical gremlins won't come in to play.Lewis has a race advantage over Nico already though and that's going to be tough to haul in for the German without outside intervention.
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