Lewis Hamilton (Vol. 2)

[RB Will]

LostM135idriver said:

Interesting article/interview about LH’s approach: https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/hamilton-i-want...

He mentions understanding the psychology of his competitors in order to understand how/why they’ll race on track.

Can you say attention to detail?

I thought that was pretty standard practice to be honest. Even in my limited amateur motorsport experience you got to know people, find out what makes them tick, where they are coming from and how they typically are on track and then add in variables from there, like is this going to be their first race / championship win, home crowd etc

[Muzzer79]

PhilAsia said:

I think Lewis is one of the cleanest WDC I have ever seen 1960s-2022. Others will disagree

There's quite a few who I would describe as clean drivers. Hakkinen and Villeneuve spring to mind from the modern era - brave but not dirty.

[Jasandjules]

CoolHands said:

Yeah I mean in F1 though. I’m not too interested in him winning from the back aged 8 on a kart track

You should also be interested in his F2, F3 etc. Some of the overtakes and drives were magnificent (I seem to recall 3-4 into one corner and he went up the inside and got them all).....

[defblade]

RB Will said:

LostM135idriver said:

Interesting article/interview about LH’s approach: https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/hamilton-i-want...

He mentions understanding the psychology of his competitors in order to understand how/why they’ll race on track.

Can you say attention to detail?

I thought that was pretty standard practice to be honest. Even in my limited amateur motorsport experience you got to know people, find out what makes them tick, where they are coming from and how they typically are on track and then add in variables from there, like is this going to be their first race / championship win, home crowd etc

Takes the chance to put a little dig in, too:

Lewis via motorsport.com said:

Now I'm older, I look a little bit deeper into their character and a bit of their background, upbringing.
Our upbringing is why we act out the way we do and behave the way we do, good or bad. So I try to understand those, so I can have more appreciation of who that character is I am racing with.

Jab, ouch...

[RB Will]

Jasandjules said:

You should also be interested in his F2, F3 etc. Some of the overtakes and drives were magnificent (I seem to recall 3-4 into one corner and he went up the inside and got them all).....

possibly my favourite overtake.
4th to 1st around the outside in one corner

[MarkwG]

RB Will said:

Jasandjules said:

You should also be interested in his F2, F3 etc. Some of the overtakes and drives were magnificent (I seem to recall 3-4 into one corner and he went up the inside and got them all).....

possibly my favourite overtake.
4th to 1st around the outside in one corner

Yeah, but he's in the best car

[ch37]

If Lewis wins next week do we think there is any chance he drops the mic and retires on the spot? I assume contractually he will have a way out, if required.

Would be one hell of a way to go out, having broken pretty much every record there is and whilst still on top, having proved himself against a fiercely talented youngster.

[DickyC]

ch37 said:

If Lewis wins next week do we think there is any chance he drops the mic and retires on the spot? I assume contractually he will have a way out, if required.

Would be one hell of a way to go out, having broken pretty much every record there is and whilst still on top, having proved himself against a fiercely talented youngster.

Stylish.

Get eight and get out.

[NRS]

It’ll be a consideration - I guess it’s a question does he want to try and cement things long term (particularly knowing Max will try for his records too - so the longer he stays the harder it is for Max). Or does he just want to stop risking his life against a driver who never backs out?

[Sandpit Steve]

NRS said:

It’ll be a consideration - I guess it’s a question does he want to try and cement things long term (particularly knowing Max will try for his records too - so the longer he stays the harder it is for Max). Or does he just want to stop risking his life against a driver who never backs out?

I wouldn’t have agreed with that sentiment until the last two or three weeks, but sadly it does now seem plausible that he walks rather than continue to risk his life, competing against someone utterly convinced of their own righteousness and immortality.

[Rumblestripe]

NRS said:

It’ll be a consideration - I guess it’s a question does he want to try and cement things long term (particularly knowing Max will try for his records too - so the longer he stays the harder it is for Max). Or does he just want to stop risking his life against a driver who never backs out?

Max will not win anywhere close to seven WDC, he's good but flawed. If he wins this year it has been if not gifted to him certainly engineered for him.

[Dr Interceptor]

Rumblestripe said:

NRS said:

It’ll be a consideration - I guess it’s a question does he want to try and cement things long term (particularly knowing Max will try for his records too - so the longer he stays the harder it is for Max). Or does he just want to stop risking his life against a driver who never backs out?

Max will not win anywhere close to seven WDC, he's good but flawed. If he wins this year it has been if not gifted to him certainly engineered for him.

I think if Lewis retired this season, Max could come close to some of his records. Max and Lewis are it seems a cut above a number of the other drivers, and if Lewis wasn't there, Max would likely get enough of the spoils to win a few WDC's.

It'd be a close battle behind him though between Perez, Sainz, Leclerc, Gasly, Lando and Danny Ric.

[RB Will]

It is a possibility I guess.
He clearly hasn’t lost it yet though so one wonders if he will see if next years car is any good, if as good as this years probably stick around and maybe try for 10WDC.
The other heffalump in the room is Russel.
If he is the driver we all think he is and is allowed to challenge then it might make life a bit difficult.

Suppose if the car isn’t great he can put 2022 down as mentoring Russel and then leave.

[MarkwG]

Dr Interceptor said:

Rumblestripe said:

NRS said:

It’ll be a consideration - I guess it’s a question does he want to try and cement things long term (particularly knowing Max will try for his records too - so the longer he stays the harder it is for Max). Or does he just want to stop risking his life against a driver who never backs out?

Max will not win anywhere close to seven WDC, he's good but flawed. If he wins this year it has been if not gifted to him certainly engineered for him.

I think if Lewis retired this season, Max could come close to some of his records. Max and Lewis are it seems a cut above a number of the other drivers, and if Lewis wasn't there, Max would likely get enough of the spoils to win a few WDC's.

It'd be a close battle behind him though between Perez, Sainz, Leclerc, Gasly, Lando and Danny Ric.

I take your points, but I don't think so: F1 seasons tend to settle into a pattern whereby pairs or groups of drivers tend to battling with each other, but only see the rest when they're lapping or being lapped. Verstappen mainly battles with Hamilton & Bottas, who've been remarkably gentle with him, considering, (although that's changed in recent months, notably since Silverstone).

I suspect once that changes next season, as it inevitably will, he'll be racing drivers who may be slightly less experienced, &/or slightly less willing to put up with his "pass or crash" BS, which may significantly increase his chance of poor results & DNFs. That'll use up valuable opportunities, & tarnish his reputation, such that his chances of repeat championships will plummet. Sadly, I can also see tantrums in his future though, as his sense of entitlement grows. I simply don't see a run of WCs as Vettel had, he simply isn't that accomplished a driver, or that respected by the others. But, he hasn't won this won, yet

[MustangGT]

Dr Interceptor said:

I think if Lewis retired this season, Max could come close to some of his records. Max and Lewis are it seems a cut above a number of the other drivers, and if Lewis wasn't there, Max would likely get enough of the spoils to win a few WDC's.

It'd be a close battle behind him though between Perez, Sainz, Leclerc, Gasly, Lando and Danny Ric.

It all depends on next years cars. If RB have nailed it then quite possibly. I find that highly unlikely since they have thrown everything into this year.

Ignoring Lewis, any one of the following drivers is at least as good as Max:

George R
Lando N
Carlos S
Danny R
Charles L

If any of them has a decent car under the new rules they would be in with a shout.

[nickfrog]

MustangGT said:

Ignoring Lewis, any one of the following drivers is at least as good as Max:

George R
Lando N
Carlos S
Danny R
Charles L

I don't know. Gasly for me has been as good as them this year but look what happened against Max (I appreciate the circumstances were a bit special and that we will probably never know what actually happened).

For me Max as a driver is very special, as in rare raw talent - particularly in the wet, which is always a good test.

[paulguitar]

nickfrog said:

For me Max as a driver is very special, as in rare raw talent - particularly in the wet, which is always a good test.

I agree, Max is an outrageous talent. If he could sort his head out he could have an enormous amount of success. The question is, CAN he sort his head out? The way he drove yesterday was completely out of order, to the point where I think there are serious doubts about his emotional suitability for racing.

[nickfrog]

Yes Paul I agree. I would point the finger at the people who surround him as detrimental to his approach, Horner, Jos and Marko.

[MarkwG]

paulguitar said:

nickfrog said:

For me Max as a driver is very special, as in rare raw talent - particularly in the wet, which is always a good test.

I agree, Max is an outrageous talent. If he could sort his head out he could have an enormous amount of success. The question is, CAN he sort his head out? The way he drove yesterday was completely out of order, to the point where I think there are serious doubts about his emotional suitability for racing.

Personally, the way he drove yesterday cancels out the outrageous talent point. Flashes of genius don't cut it for me, particularly when they're shared with flashes of incompetence or shear dangerousness. Ruthless I can accept, no-one expects them to play Marquis of Queensbury rules, but he's not that, he's dangerous.

I'm going to sound a bit like a Hamilton denier, but: if he wasn't in the Red Bull, "the best car", where would he be...? Mclaren wouldn't have him, too toxic, Ferrari, nope, Alpine, I doubt it, AlfaTauri, been there, done that. He's turning himself into a Northern European Alonso of yesteryear, but without the Southern European cheeky grin...

[usn90]

MustangGT said:

It all depends on next years cars. If RB have nailed it then quite possibly. I find that highly unlikely since they have thrown everything into this year.

Ignoring Lewis, any one of the following drivers is at least as good as Max:

George R
Lando N
Carlos S
Danny R
Charles L

If any of them has a decent car under the new rules they would be in with a shout.

I can discount 4 of those drivers,

Max was a Match for Danny R from The very first race at Rb, and clearly was the quicker of the two in the later stages.

As for sainz, their brief time at TR shown max to have the upper hand, I specifically remember Austrialia, sainz was
Stuck in a train, max passes sainz then proceeds to immediately overtake the very cars sainz spent an age behind. There Was a good reason RB chose max over sainz for the promotion, also let’s not forget here, that at this point, this was Max’s 2nd year in cars!

And with sainz, we then have a good yardstick for Norris and leclerc, who it seems sainz is a Match for

Edited by usn90 on Monday 6th December 19:29