Lewis Hamilton

[Hungrymc]

I think you can tell more about people from how they interpret such soundbites than you can about the interviewee. Professional sport has completely changed what Sport is about. It's about commitment and winning at any cost. It's not unique to F1. The successful ones have a life which is priveliged, but that comes at a price, to be really successful at pretty much anything does.

You could argue that Lewis is naive to think he needs to point this out. But the reaction of some idiots shows that incredibly he is right.

Would the majority swap their path in life with his? In a heartbeat. Would they have stuck it out and made the early sacrifices, and become world champion, off course not. Most of us were out shagging instead of studying properly for A-Levels.

[C70R]

deadslow said:

Yes, it invariably brings a tear to my eye when, on chat shows and the like, the multi-multi-millionaires complain about the terrible inconvenience of celebrity

Do you think it possible/conceivable that a driver could have a single-minded goal of reaching the pinnacle of the sport (and make lots of money), yet not want to covet the limelight that goes with it?
I'm not suggesting that this is Lewis, because he clearly enjoys sharing his lifestyle via social media etc. (with which I have no issue).

[Hungrymc]

C70R said:

deadslow said:

Yes, it invariably brings a tear to my eye when, on chat shows and the like, the multi-multi-millionaires complain about the terrible inconvenience of celebrity

Do you think it possible/conceivable that a driver could have a single-minded goal of reaching the pinnacle of the sport (and make lots of money), yet not want to covet the limelight that goes with it?
I'm not suggesting that this is Lewis, because he clearly enjoys sharing his lifestyle via social media etc. (with which I have no issue).

You're not wrong....
Rosberg opted out after one championship.
Casey Stoner quit in his prime as he hated all the things that went with being at the top of his sport.

Of course they're lucky to be financially secure enough to do so. But it really is not a path that many can take and make a success of.

[Vocal Minority]

C70R said:

Do you think it possible/conceivable that a driver could have a single-minded goal of reaching the pinnacle of the sport (and make lots of money), yet not want to covet the limelight that goes with it?
I'm not suggesting that this is Lewis, because he clearly enjoys sharing his lifestyle via social media etc. (with which I have no issue).

I guess that's the trade off - as all things in life are. He's clearly decided it is still worth, whereas others did not/have not.

The whole thing is basically two people on either side of the fence, staring over at greener grass.

The Mail journalist acting as a conduit to st-stir people looking at money and fame and driving racing cars and thinking those thee things are all anyone could want.

Hamilton on the other side, lamenting the more homely things in life - friends, privacy, the peace of a 'normal life' away from the expectation and scrutiny of total strangers. - Stuff we take for granted because we have it.

Its just the human condition.

[HighwayStar]

Hungrymc said:

C70R said:

deadslow said:

Yes, it invariably brings a tear to my eye when, on chat shows and the like, the multi-multi-millionaires complain about the terrible inconvenience of celebrity

Do you think it possible/conceivable that a driver could have a single-minded goal of reaching the pinnacle of the sport (and make lots of money), yet not want to covet the limelight that goes with it?
I'm not suggesting that this is Lewis, because he clearly enjoys sharing his lifestyle via social media etc. (with which I have no issue).

You're not wrong....
Rosberg opted out after one championship.
Casey Stoner quit in his prime as he hated all the things that went with being at the top of his sport.

Of course they're lucky to be financially secure enough to do so. But it really is not a path that many can take and make a success of.

It's the usual Brit thing of routing the people on the way up and then shooting the down once they get there.... musicians, sportsman... whoever. It happens all the time. The media go out of their way to catch them out, publicise anything that goes wrong or they deem the particular celeb to have done wrong. Then they say they should be better than that, should be role models.

And here we have the F1 guys... fans, admittedly, had been saying the drivers are like robots, on message, nothing controversial, towing the company line, giving nothing to the fans while trousering eye watering sums of wedge.

Lewis gives us in window into his life, lifestyle and he's slaughtered being flash, up himself by people who KNOW what's in his mind, his very thoughts even. Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.
If I'm not interested in someone.... guess what. I don't have anything to do with them, read about them or worry about what they are up to etc.

[hairyben]

Vocal Minority said:

Hamilton on the other side, lamenting the more homely things in life - friends, privacy, the peace of a 'normal life' away from the expectation and scrutiny of total strangers. - Stuff we take for granted because we have it.

Its just the human condition.

And thats the beginning middle & end of it. Wont stop the verbal diarrhea though.

People with employed jobs will jelly my freedom from bossery, I'll jelly their security and freedom to handoff, the BMW M4 I jelly will likely be driven by someone who'll jelly how small my mortgage is. All things we can change, but just because we make the decision we want doesnt mean we can't wish for the other things too.

[Sa Calobra]

You know I wish people would stop the hatred of a person that they've never met but viewed on a TV screen and formed an opinion based on a one dimensional experience.

Seriously. I thought Vettel was a down to earth guy when he got his first race break. How humble he was first race, but I didn't enjoy watching him in his Resbull dominance then fallout. Now I enjoy watching him again
Did I ever hate or love him? No. I've never met him and I can't even begin to imagine how hard and competitive a F1 job is. Just doing a few laps in a kart gets me knackered. So chapeau to all these drivers. Even Rosberg who everyone took the Mickey out of it seems. His retirement parting shot was right. His whole life had been living in a motorhome, racing and travelling to tracks. Who'd want that?

I just don't get the vitorol aimed at people on a TV. Get a grip.

[Munter]

hairyben said:

jelly

eh?

[C70R]

Sa Calobra said:

You know I wish people would stop the hatred of a person that they've never met but viewed on a TV screen and formed an opinion based on a one dimensional experience.

Seriously. I thought Vettel was a down to earth guy when he got his first race break. How humble he was first race, but I didn't enjoy watching him in his Resbull dominance then fallout. Now I enjoy watching him again
Did I ever hate or love him? No. I've never met him and I can't even begin to imagine how hard and competitive a F1 job is. Just doing a few laps in a kart gets me knackered. So chapeau to all these drivers. Even Rosberg who everyone took the Mickey out of it seems. His retirement parting shot was right. His whole life had been living in a motorhome, racing and travelling to tracks. Who'd want that?

I just don't get the vitorol aimed at people on a TV. Get a grip.

Getting extremely emotionally involved with sportspeople (e.g. football clubs/players or F1 drivers) positively or negatively is generally a sign of low IQ.

[37chevy]

C70R said:

Getting extremely emotionally involved with sportspeople (e.g. football clubs/players or F1 drivers) positively or negatively is generally a sign of low IQ.

I disagree. Get involved emotionally...it always good to root for a team or driver. But the ability to take a step back from the sport and think about a situation, person or interview and coming to a balanced opinion based on fact rather than taking for word utter drivel from a tabloid or starting out with a biased view in the first place is a sign of intelligence.

Unfortunately on here some seem to forget that and just like bashing someone for the way they look, what they wear or what st rag tabloids say about them

No wonder the likes of rosberg, button, Vettel never stuck their head above the parapet and let us into their lives....you're only going to get slammed by armchair enthusiasts or internet trolls!

[andy355]

Personally I think he conducts himself very well. The amount of media time he has compared to say a top footballer gives him plenty of opportunities to say the "wrong" thing.
Yes he has a glamorous lifestyle but has he ever been caught doing anything wrong? Unless it has passed me by, there aren't prince Harry type pics of him.

I'm sure his upbringing was pretty intense so he may have missed out on and crave some normality. I imagine his lifestyle whilst glamourous may occasionally make him want to settle down. The grass is always greener

[Vaud]

andy355 said:

Personally I think he conducts himself very well. The amount of media time he has compared to say a top footballer gives him plenty of opportunities to say the "wrong" thing.
Yes he has a glamorous lifestyle but has he ever been caught doing anything wrong? Unless it has passed me by, there aren't prince Harry type pics of him.

I'm sure his upbringing was pretty intense so he may have missed out on and crave some normality. I imagine his lifestyle whilst glamourous may occasionally make him want to settle down. The grass is always greener

I broadly agree... he's got beyond the "is it because I'm black" phase and seems more at ease with himself. Seems at peace since the third title and relishing the battle with Vettel - a genuine respect between the two.

[Vocal Minority]

Whilst I will always reserve the right to snigger at his dress sense....he does seem much more human this year.

Seems happier to be Lewis the driver, rather than Lewis the personality

[HighwayStar]

Vaud said:

I broadly agree... he's got beyond the "is it because I'm black" phase and seems more at ease with himself. Seems at peace since the third title and relishing the battle with Vettel - a genuine respect between the two.

I actually laughed out loud at 'he's got beyond the "is it because I'm black" phase. Ballocks, he's never been like that... it's was mentioned by others when he was coming up, being the first black F1 driver etc... but he's never pulled that card, that's just crap!

[Trabi601]

Short memory, or is his ball sack muffling your hearing?

[InductionRoar]

HighwayStar said:

It's the usual Brit thing of routing the people on the way up and then shooting the down once they get there.... musicians, sportsman... whoever. It happens all the time. The media go out of their way to catch them out, publicise anything that goes wrong or they deem the particular celeb to have done wrong. Then they say they should be better than that, should be role models.

Anthony Joshua is the media's darling at the minute. How long do we give him?

[Vaud]

HighwayStar said:

I actually laughed out loud at 'he's got beyond the "is it because I'm black" phase. Ballocks, he's never been like that... it's was mentioned by others when he was coming up, being the first black F1 driver etc... but he's never pulled that card, that's just crap!

Monaco 2011. His words.

To be accurate it was, "maybe it's because I'm black. That's what Ali G says" against the stewards after some in race penalties.

[HighwayStar]

Vaud said:

HighwayStar said:

I actually laughed out loud at 'he's got beyond the "is it because I'm black" phase. Ballocks, he's never been like that... it's was mentioned by others when he was coming up, being the first black F1 driver etc... but he's never pulled that card, that's just crap!

Monaco 2011. His words.

To be accurate it was, "maybe it's because I'm black. That's what Ali G says" against the stewards after some in race penalties.

Oh dear... it was a joke, a very poor one granted. "That's what Ali G says" kinda gives it away.

To be accurate
"The McLaren driver later apologised to the stewards for what he described as "a bit of a joke, which wasn't funny at the time". He said his emotions had been running high after another frustrating afternoon in which he had to suffer two drive-through penalties before finishing sixth while Sebastian Vettel moved closer to his second world title with another victory."

Context...

As Eddie Murphy might say, can't a black man make a joke?

[Sa Calobra]

InductionRoar said:

Anthony Joshua is the media's darling at the minute. How long do we give him?

TBH he comes across on interviews as very grounded

[Vocal Minority]

He and Klitschko were both extraordinarily classy by the standards of boxing nonsense