With Lewis's people

Some time ago I went to Oviedo to try to understand more about Fernando and where he is from (some of you will say, no doubt, that I failed in that endeavour) and I had a great couple of days visiting a city which loves its driver-hero. I went to the fountain where they celebrate his victories, I met some members of his supporters club and I went to what apparently is Fernando's favourite restaurant, Punto Y Coma (the waiting staff there asked for a signed photo of Lewis which I organised and sent to them, but I never heard a word in response. This was before the fall-out with Fernando, however, and maybe they decided against having a picture of him in the main bar area. Has anyone seen it?)

Anyway, I digress, on Friday I went to Stevenage where Lewis is from and a place as big a contrast to Oviedo as you are likely to find. A New Town with no history before 1950, it comes as a shock. When I first arrived in the middle I found it so shapeless that I had to ask someone if this was actually the town centre. Stevenage was a vision of the future 60 years ago, now it is looking grubby round the edges and, because it was all built at the same time, out of the same materials (concrete mainly) it is ageing all in one go and it feels a little depressing.

Town planning, as opposed to the incremental development of a settlement over hundreds of years, applies logic and uniformity and it feels like a straightjacket. The weirdest thing you can do in Stevenage is to head for Tescos at the bottom of the main shopping precinct, then walk over the bridge across the railway line (I think) and then through the concrete underpass back into the Old Town high street. This is a charming and higgledy-piggledy place, mixing medieval buildings with Georgian, Victorian and twentieth century structures, just as anywhere else in Britain. After the grey vastness of the New Town, the old village feels like a stage set or a Disney creation. (It was at a model shop in the Old Town high street that Lewis bought his first radio-controlled car, aged about 6).

Stevenage is not all depressing however. Far from it. The uniform urban landscape creates an almost institutionalised feel which gives it a strong sense of community, like a big kibbutz sitting on the hills to the north of London. Once you get out of the town centre, you notice the abundance of trees and open space and the estates which ring the centre are tidy and pleasant. There is a functional feel to it and, in some ways, it all makes a lot of sense. I found it fascinating to think of Lewis growing up there and to consider the lifeplan of his father Anthony who set himself up in a small house in Peartree Way in the Shephall estate and, from there, has now taken on the world.

As I mentioned in my feature for the paper there are plenty of people in Stevenage who are not interested in Lewis or Formula One but the ones that are, that I spoke to, were very proud of him and determined that he will succeed this weekend. I thought it was interesting that they saw him as a humble guy who has made a few mistakes on and off the track but who's heart is in the right place. They seemed pretty impressed not just by him but with Anthony too and the way the family has stayed together and made its way from such modest beginnings.

I didn't have room for everyone in the paper so here are a few extras starting with Val Gibbings, a 61 year-old NHS Junior Manager who has just retired from the Lister Hospital in the town.

"I'm very proud of him. For somebody so young he seems very grounded. He doesn't seem to have let his success so far go to his head. He's done one or two daft things in recent weeks, but they all do. No, I think he's fantastic and I really, really hope he pulls it off. I think the people of Stevenage have really taken him to their hearts. He seems quite proud of his roots. Although he has moved away and he has done really well and has this fantastic lifestyle, he's not ashamed of saying where he has come from. I hope to God he nails it in Brazil. My worst faer is that he loses it by a hair's breadth. Some will say that he can't finish it but I think he will keep going, he will come back again if he doesn't get it this time. He's got the determination to say 'Ok, we'll put that behind us and move on again.' I think he will be one of the greats - he's got the skills. He maybe needs some more experience under his belt but I think he's got what it takes, I really do. I hope so anyway."

Charles Rich, 34, originally from Kenya and works at Asda.

"I don't expect the same thing to happen like last year. I think he's improved and it explains the aggression he's getting from all the other guys. Clearly something has changed - he's looking better than last year. He's the new kid on the block - he borders on arrogance but, you know, he's good. It's just his nature of driving. He enjoys his driving. He likes driving on the edge. If you are going to be a winner, you've got to have that within you or you just end up like everyone else who just race but never win. It's amazing, it's quite a fairytale. It's good to see even somebody with such a background, making it to the top of such a sport - it's a good thing. People feel he is part of the family. He's put Stevenage on the map and he's done more for this place than any footballer. It might be painful in Brazil if he's suffering like last year but, if he stays focused this time and is not too aggressive, and just go for the position, he should be fine."

James Wrenne, 21, a forklift driver who was at the same secondary school as Lewis, although two years below him.

"He should do alright. He's more attacking isn't he? He's better than everyone else - he's more daring. I didn't really know him at school. He had a few bits of trouble at school. He seemed very popular - both he and Ashley Young (pro footballer with Aston Villa). It is amazing what he's done - you don't get that very often, like someone doing that from around here. His salary is ridiculous really. It's fine but you've got people like us who struggle and then you've got him who's driving a car and gets paid millions. He could get killed but you could get killed doing anything. After last year, it might be a bit hit or miss. He might try to be cautious or he might just go for it. I think he should just go for it - not change for anyone else, just be what he is."

Stewart Wilcox, owner of Models in Motion where Lewis and his brother buy their radio-controlled racing cars.

"I think he's had a good win in China and he's mentally ready now. His last race showed that. Yes, he'll have some nerves but I think he knows he hasn't got to win it, so he knows there is some leeway there. It will be good news this time."   

Comments

[Keith Collantine]

I think there is an ordinariness about Hamilton that F1 doesn't communicate well and perhaps even smothers. Of course, when your girlfriend's a pop star there's a limit to how 'normal' you can be, but you can see it in Hamilton if you pay attention to him rather than (much of) his press. And I think it goes a long way to explaining his appeal, as this piece shows.

That and he's a combative driver and you get a bigger sense of the work he's putting into driving a racing car than you get with a Massa or a Raikkonen. As a driver, that's a weakness and a strength; as a person, it's what a lot of people like about him.

It's one of many ways I think there are more and deeper similarities between Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton than there are differences. I think we'll find out how truly similar they are the day Hamilton finds himself sharing a team with a precocious young rookie...

[A Parker]

Me ol’ pa, ex-army, ex-golf pro, spoke to me yesterday about F1. He’s never been that interested, but now because he knows I’m a mad LH fan, and also because Lewis Hamilton really appeals to him, he discusses it with me. He commented from what he has read, “Isn’t that Alonso a really nasty piece of work?” I said that was somewhat of an understatement. You can visit a person’s home town and meet their supporters, but that doesn’t make them a good person. On the other side of the coin, how proud Stevenage must be of Lewis, someone who would NEVER say such a disgraceful thing as he would help someone to win in another team, just out of spite and hatred.

Anyway, what a lovely article – brought tears to my eyes. The people of Stevenage really have something to be proud of, a remarkable personable, charming young man, who has gone from a very humble background to the top of his sport and has brought along a huge mass of awe inspired fans in the process.

[Javier]

Please, do not take this question on the wrong side, I'm just asking out of curiosity (and ignorance):
Where is HAM mother?
I always hear about Anthony and how well he raised his children, but his mother is never mentioned. If she raised HAM then she should have her little percentage of glory too.

[A Parker]

Javier, HAM's (by that I presume you mean the great Lewis Hamilton) mother (actually he has two) have been mentioned quite a lot. Please see links: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1079012/Thats-boy-Lewis-Hamilton-smothered-kisses-BOTH-mums.html and http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/sport/motorsport/article52174.ece

[Richard]

JAVIER - his mother left him because he wouldn't stop comparing her to Senna's mum.

Not really, I don't think he had a mother as such. He was grown by McLaren in a carbon fibre test tube.

[Hugh Madgin]

Ed,

Pre-New Town Stevenage was NOT a village! It was/is a thriving market town which increased its population four-fold between 1801 and the coming of the New Town. To be able to call Stevenage a village, you have to go back to before 1200, before the original settlement of Stevenage, on a hill where the church remains, was replaced by a thriving town on what would become the Great North Road. This may seem a small point but it matters a lot to natives of the town!
It's great to have another king of the track from the town, following on from the successes of George Brown on two wheels.

Hugh Madgin

[CHIUNDA]

Nice piece Ed, very nice indeed. This is the kind of story that only you seem to have the ability to deliver with the desired effect. It is the type of story that has differentiated this blog - congratulations, and nice to know "a Leopard never changes its spots"

[A Parker]

Richard, you made me howl with laughter!

[cvt]

Ed

It's regrettable you failed to mention the name of the secondary school Lewis attended with Ashley Young, The John Henry Newman School - a Roman Catholic school,because his faith is important to Lewis, and unlike far too many Englishmen, he's not afraid to affirm it.

You might have even visited it, as it would have provided a further understanding of his strength.

cvt

[mecano]

good one richard

[tiptoe]

A PARKER
As usual you were able to turn a nice article about LH's town into a "I hate Alonso" leaflet.
You are brilliant!, how did you manage to do that?

[May]

Hugh,

Thanks for the insight. I am a keen reader of English history - my favourite period being (easy to guess, I suppose) the Tudor one - so I was delighted to find a bit of it in this blog!

Richard, :-) (Were you serious?)

A.Parker,

I am a bit surprised by your reply to Javier's comments - during the GPs the on-screen information (positions, time differences) displays the three first letters of the driver's last name to identify them (HAM, ALO, MAS, RAI, KUB...), isn't that the case with ITV? (I am assuming that you are in Britain, apologies if this is not the case). I thought that the same display was used worldwide. I any case, I believe that for F1 followers it is quite usual to use these three letters instead of full last names - easier to type!

Best regards,

[ELCROWLEY]

Ed,
Alonso has much more "die hard" followers than Ham, believe or not. Last year, a reporter from T5 (spanish channel broadcasts F1 in spain) went to broadcast how did Stevenage feel for the LAST RACE IN BRAZIL LAST YEAR. Remember he was the maximum favourite. Well, reporter went a couple of Sports pubs and expect a lot of fun and crowd ready to enjoy a F1 race on bg screens. You kow what? Pubs were EMPTY!!! Just a few guys playing billiards. They were asked by reporter and they said "Ham?? Who's Ham?" Awesome! A probably F1 WDC and his town didn't know a word about him!

That's IMPOSSIBLE in Oviedo and WHOLE Spain.

[jordi]

Posted by: Richard | 27 Oct 2008 13:27:50

Richard, best post this season!!
You should show your funny side more often amigo!

[Mrs Bishop]

Awwww... so cute!

But i have to say stevenage seems like a nice place compared to my home town!

But completely understand how hard it is to grow up in present world, i'm 19 and have struggled but managed.
It takes real dedication, and atleast my goal seems pretty achievable, but a racing driver? Famous? Competing with Alonso? MENTAL!
My dream was to move away! never mind become the bestest driver in the world! Congrats to him. [sorry can't resist, just like i've been insisting for 2 years Murray is the best! I'm completely patriotic!]

And what trouble in school? i'm sure if he as any trouble from the pits A Parker will be there to sort 'em out!

[Alston]

Nice to see a little insight of the HAM-let! Hopefully on sunday the town can roll out the banners! Are many of the foreign contigent aware that Lewis was also a top model car racer in his 'younger days'?

[Big Phil]

Richard excellent!!!! I thought it was truly funny. Didn't know you had that side, like Jordi suggests, you should bring it out more often.

A. Parker, once again you've shown little class. You need to relax a bit.

[Richard]

Thanks folks, I wasn't sure how people were going to take my post, but I'm glad it was appreciated by all 'sides' - I thought a little humour was a good idea after some of the recent banter.

It's certainly a lot more fun than arguing over the wording of the International Sporting Code!

[jordi]

Next Tuesday we might have the first Afro-American USA president and the first mix race F1 world champion, personally I would like that only one of those predictions became a reality (guess which one) but nevertheless and personal likes/dislikes to the side, we are living a historic moment for a better world, a world where people don't judge each other by the colour of their skin, their gender or their religion but by their actions.

Best of luck to all.

[Anon (from Switzerland, the real one, blahblahblah)]

Richard: 'tis pretty funny.

I can see the conversation developing like this:

A Parker- everybody knows Fernando was spawned as an orc in Moria.

Javervivaespania- actually, Fernando was born in a manger in Nazareth

Jordi- have you seen how he drives? He was born in a car!

A Parker- sorry, but do tadpoles grow in eggs? If so, Fernando was born in an egg.

Elcrowley- dear, dear, some forget Fernando's birth in a shoebox...

B Cave- sorry guys, Lewis was born on the planet Krypton, and he is here to save the Earth because he's Superman...

Henkka- Kimi was born in pure ice.

IDR: I think Fernando was born wrapped in tapas and other food at birth...

Anon- if only Fernando was born in Switzerland...

Heehee. fun humor. Interesting how little we fight compared to last year at the same stage.

[IDR]

Australia 1998-Win Häkkinen WDC Häkkinen
Australia 1999-Win Irvine WDC Häkkinen
Australia 2000-Win Schumacher WDC Schumacher

Australia 2001-Win Schumacher WDC
Schumacher
Australia 2002-Win Schumacher WDC
Schumacher
Australia 2003-Win Coulthard WDC Schumacher
Australia 2004-Win Schumacher WDC Schumacher

Australia 2005-Win Fisichella WDC Alonso
Australia 2006-Win Alonso WDC
 Alonso
Australia 2007-Win Räikkönen WDC
Räikönen
Australia 2008-Win Hamilton WDC ??????

Well, in the last ten years, who wins in Australia, wins the championship (7/10) on the other hand, this series is like this:

True-False-True-True-True-False-True-False-True-True-????,

Following the recurrence, should be a True for 2008, so Lewis will be champion next Sunday.

One important thing: If you want next year Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (for A Parker) HAM (For the rest of this nasty world) will win the Championship, be sure he doesn’t win in Australia!!!!

@Richard

Spot on! Very funny indeed. Congrats.

[todd]

LOL "He was grown by McLaren in a carbon fibre test tube."

nice one..

i have a strong dislike for hamilton, and at the same time i really like him as a driver.

i think i hate 'him' because the British media want to have his babies. whereas i respect and like his driving when he's in the car. think i should start watching the f1 with the sound off...

i really think if the british media stopped trying to talk him up and call him their god every 2 minutes he'd have a lot more supporters..

dont get me wrong, the brits have every right to love him, but ffs, every 2 minutes of every media coverage? give it a rest, theres 20 drivers.

[Paulo]

Hey Ed, you 're squeezing it a little bit, It must be end of the season. Why the you did not go to Brasil, poland or finland? those three were the ones fighting for the champ. Did you forget how to make interesting journalism? you really set things so that iluminateds like Parker can make up his arguments...

[F1-Insider]

Ed
Waiting for the thread on F1 without Ferrari (yer right)!
Why does the spanker have to play these games?

[JavierG]

A. Parker and Keith. Who is talking about Alonso now? Why don´t you leave him alone?

Keith, Alonso and Hamilton are at least very different in one thing. Alonso will never start a disrepute, Hamilton will (he did it last year, twice, until he got away with it). Yes, Alonso will be ruthless when answering back, but he never throws the first stone.

[Furio]

Ed
Waiting for the thread on F1 without Ferrari (yer right)!
Why does the spanker have to play these games?

Ed, please!

[A Parker]

Jordi, really nice post. Not quite reality yet (plot by neo-Nazis to assassinate Obama; who knows what will happen on Sunday).

Todd, actually I think the British media can be quite hard on Lewis at times.

Ed, I still have that sinking feeling, do you?

[Richard]

TODD - the British are crying out for a true sporting superstar, one that can actually deliver results as well as look good on adverts.

In F1, the last time the fans had a driver who was consistently a contender for the title was when Mansell was racing, and he didn't capture the attention of non-enthusiasts the way Hamilton has.

Why is this? His ethnicity, his age, his background, his personality, nearly winning the WDC at his first attempt, the fact that he's perceived to have the potential to be one of the greats? I guess its a combination of all these things, and more besides.

If you really want to see the media enthusiasm dampened, the best thing is to hope that he wins the title on Sunday. The British love to build their sporting heroes up, but when they start winning, they also like to knock them back down again. The British seem more comfortable with a nice loser. Henmanitis, I call it.

[Jordi]

Todd

Prepare yourself, if LH wins the WDC we are going to have Hamilton for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next 3 months. I wish I could take 3 months holiday!

[Jamie]

Hi Ed.
Picking up on F1-INSIDERS comments what is going on between the FIA and FOTA? Could this signal a breakaway formula? It seems to me that all the teams are united against standard engines etc but MM is still pursuing it.
Its interesting that after all the accusations of Fia - Ferrari bias on this blog that its Ferrari who are the first to stand up and threaten to leave F1 if these engine rules are pushed through.
I do wonder where F1 is going but I also wonder if F1-INSIDER is right and its one of MM`s little games to which Ferrari are playing along.
I suppose we shall just have to wait and see!!

[Jordi]

A competition with all the cars with the same engine would be the end of F1 as we know it. Yes, it would be much cheaper for the teams, new teams could take part in the championship but if I had to choose between a F1 Skoda Team and Ferrari...

[alex]

Javier, if you paid attention in class, you would have noticed Mr Hamilton, after his fine victory last weekend, ran over and hugged both his mums. He has two, Senna, no matter how good some people claim he was, only ever had the one.

I apologise for not somehow finding some way of drawing further attention to what an unpleasant and inadequate person that Alonso chappie is, so you will just have to take my word on it.

[Furio]

JAMIE: "I do wonder where F1 is going but I also wonder if F1-INSIDER is right and its one of MM`s little games to which Ferrari are playing along."

omg

[mecano]

Alex, can you tell us why we have to assume that when Lewis hugged 2 white women they were both his mums?? I for one paid attention and thought it was his mum (didn't know which one) plus an aunt, relative or friend. I do know who his dad is, and Massa's, if that helps.
A Parker, on a race issue, what do you think of Michael Jackson's turning white slowly but surely. DId you like his music before, do you like it now? What if Lewis, started doing the same (for arguments sake only) would you still want him to win the WDC?

[Richard]

MECANO - "what do you think of Michael Jackson's turning white"

I think Jacko has a little more to worry about than the colour of his skin. Knowing what Ron Dennis had to say about Kubica's nose, he'd probably sack Lewis if he ended up looking like this:

http://beat.bodoglife.com/entertainment/michael-jackson-planning-comeback-tour-37921.html

[PTM]

Richard - Best post ever, you really made me laugh. Thank you

[A Parker]

Mecano, if you read my two links you will see you don't need to assume the two women were his mums as the text informs us fully who they are. As an LH fan (in case you didn't know), I know all about his family history. There are no assumptions: he has a mum and a step-mum, both of whom were involved in his upbringing, both of whom he is close to, and both of whom support him in his endeavours. The whole Hamilton family seem to be a model of what is positive in family life.

As for your second question, just too offensive and pointless to bother with.

Alex, let me help, Alonso is ... oh you know already.

[David Bevir]

Isn't it precisely Lewis' 'ordinaryness' that makes him so extraordinary in these times ? His youthful exuberance, his reciprocated devotion to his family and his team, coupled with his skill and determination, and his charm and patience in the face of provocation - they all combine to make a very attractive sporting personality of whom everyone in the UK can be proud and should be supportive

[PTM]

Ed - Dont pay any atention to speople complaining about your reports on LH and FA. The guy is british, so are you and the newspaper you work for.
In their own words they are talking tonterias (nonsense).
If any of the English press wrote one tenth of the bias drivel the Spanish do, they'd be closed down, sued and never to publish again.
So please keep up the good work and don't let any braying put you off not even mine.

[A Parker]

David Bevir, what an excellent description of Lewis - I couldn't have put it better myself. What a pity that he isn't fully appreciated in Britain which surely reflects how dreadful our society is at the moment.

Lewis is indeed extraordinary - you can see how people react to him when they meet him/know him from Ben Ainslie the sailor to Ron Dennis who obviously adores him.

[mecano]

A Parker, my first question was not made to you, it was to Alex. SOrry to inform you that I watched the race live hence your comments/links were post race whilst my thoughts in whom the ladies could be were 'live'.
2nd question was made to you and I was not trying to be offensive. I was just curious since you mention racial discrimination very often. Basically if Lewis does not change anything whether driving skills, character, personality etc, except for his skin colour, would you still be mad about him? As far as I'm concerned you should still like him as much as that would be a personal decision that would only affect his personal happiness, yet, I'm not sure you would agree.

[Alex T]

Dear Ed

The values and character of Hamilton’s small community have certainly help to infuse him with the fine qualities that have help me to become the gentleman he is today. These qualities also will help him to overcome the challenges that he face in his quest for the F1 crown. (Hopefully he will succeed this Sunday). He has certainly benefited from the love and support of the community, his family as well as the careful nurturing of Ron Dennis. I hope one day he will dedicate a race win to Ron. He has earned and deserves the symbolism.

Hamilton has carried himself very well. On balance, he has held up well under pressure. And is evolving into a very, very good ambassador for McLaren and the sport of F1.

Hamilton has been very gracious and generous in sharing his successes with the team. These gestures will certain help to cushion the impact of racing adversities. But Hamilton needs to do more. He needs to make a determine effort to get along better with his fellow racers. Approaches he may used include: joining the drivers associations; speaking up for them where possible and socializing with them.

He is a member of a small fraternity and he should help to foster harmonious relationships. He should also consider being less emphatic when passing other drivers. It is arguable the case that three of Hamilton’s recent passes on Massa (Germany) and Alonso and Webber (Italy) probably were done with a little too much flourish.

As you will recall, recently none of his fellow racers came to his defence or lend him any support regarding the Spa fiasco or regarding any of his difficulties with his friends at the FIA. This was sad. It is very important for Hamilton to always remember that no man is an island.

Richard: Nice touch.

[A Parker]

Alex T, Lewis cannot be held responsible for the bitterness, immaturity and jealousy of some of his fellow drivers. I wouldn't want to creep to them and be in their gang after some of their recent quotes/actions. He is not an island - he has a lot of love and support from those who are worthy of his attention - he needs no more. I wouldn't join the GPDA either with its current leadership (whinging Webber et al) and poisonous members (Alonso and his poker gang) - why don't you ask Raikkonen, Massa and Sutil to join too as they are also not members? The other drivers will learn to respect Lewis in time - either that or they will continue to use up unnecessary energy in hating him. I'm sure Lewis has better things to do than be jealous and bitter, like driving a Formula One car and enjoying himself with his family, friends and girlfriend.

[alex]

Mecano, I learned that it was Lewis' Mother and Stepmother by the cunningly watching the race, on Spanish television no less. Indeed they both appeared to be white, amazing, whatever next ?

[egc]

I remember last year tele5 went to Stevenage to test the ambiance about Hamilton "nearly-going-to-be-the-champion", and nobody was interested even in a pub in the center with giant TV screen...
May be things have change soooo much during a year, who knows.
Cheers

[MA]

@Alex, A.Parker,
May I suggest that if you did not resort to insulting Alonso at every possible opportunity, the discussion in this blog would be more productive?
I am shocked at the nastiness of the adjectives that you use when referring to this driver, given that apparently neither of you have met the guy. In particular, A.Parker, for someone who has had first-hand experience (as per some of your previous comments) of being mistreated by people who didn't know you because of prejudice, and are fully aware of the unfairness of it, you show remarkably little tolerance towards others.

[Richard]

ALEX T - great post - a very interesting and thought-provoking perspective.

[Alex T]

Dear Ed

The values and character of Hamilton’s small community have certainly helped to infuse him with the fine qualities that have helped him to become the gentleman he is today. These qualities also should help him overcome the challenges in his quest for F1’s top crown. (Hopefully he will succeed in this endeavour this Sunday). He has certainly benefited from the love and support of his community, his family as well as the careful nurturing of Ron Dennis. I hope one day he will dedicate a race win to Ron. He has earned and deserves the symbolism.

Hamilton has carried himself very well. He has shown himself to be polite, courteous and dignified. These are some of the essence of a good character. On balance, he has held up well under pressure. And is evolving into a very, very good ambassador for McLaren and the sport of F1.

Hamilton has been very gracious and generous in sharing his successes with the team. These gestures will promote group cohesiveness, group loyalty and will help to cushion the impact of racing adversities and disappointments. But Hamilton needs to do more. He needs to make a determine effort to get along better with his fellow racers. Approaches he may used include: joining the drivers associations; speaking up for them where possible and socializing with them.

He is a member of a small elite fraternity and he should help to foster harmonious relationships. He should also consider being less emphatic when passing other drivers. It is arguable the case that three of Hamilton’s recent passes on Massa (Germany) and Alonso and Webber (Italy) probably were done with too much flourish.

As you will recall, recently none of his fellow racers came to his defence or lend him any support regarding the Spa fiasco or regarding any of his difficulties with his friends at the FIA. This was sad to witness. However, it is very important for Hamilton to always remember that no man is an island.

Richard: Nice touch.

[Richard]

A PARKER - I agree that some of the other drivers are letting their wounded egos run away with them. It's probably not surprising that some of the most competitive guys on the planet are going to have their noses put out of joint when a new boy comes straight in at the top. We've seen hostility towards others in their early years in the sport but then went on to become superstars.

However, I think joining the GPDA would be a positive symbolic gesture, and it would show us that he can rise above the tittle tattle.

[Anon (from Switzerland, the real one, blahblahblah)]

NOOO! IDR beat me to that! I've thought of that many, many times.

It's weird that Kimi won in Australia, lost for six consecutive races, and then wont he WDC. It's like you HAVE to win in Australia to get the title.

But then according to you rpattern, we've seen two champs win both Aus. and the WDC, so isn't it time for a false?

[IDR]

@ANON

The pattern is 1 true-1 false, 3 trues-1 false, 1 true-1 false, so the follwing ones should be 3 trues (2006,2007 and...2008) followed by 1 false (2009)

Anyhow, it's just a way to spend some time before sunday...

[Alex T]

Dear Ed

Thanks.

A. Parker: Hamilton has most certainly been under siege recently. First by the relentless hounding of him by his friends at the FIA. Second, by a few team principals, pace Briatore. Third, by his fellow drivers. Due to time constraints I will only focus on his fellow drivers. As I pointed out, in a post under the thread titled “Numbers to chew on over the weekend”, Hamilton is in a class above the rest. This, by virtue of his on-tract accomplishments to-date and, his tremendous abilities.

As a consequence of these combination, Hamilton’s colleagues are both jealous and envious. Hence, their petty and insidious comments must be viewed from this perspective. However, since Hamilton is the class of this cadre of racers he needs to be the voice of reason and act like the mature adult in the group. Many of these drivers have mediocre talents but they all have massive egos. And do not like to be showed up either directly or indirectly. From these drivers’ perspective, it’s bad enough that Hamilton shows up their inadequacies on tract but failure to interact off tract may be perceived as a lack of respect.

In essence, he is a better racer than all of this crop. But he does not have to go around showing it. As the de-facto top dog he needs to be exercising leadership of the group and by making a meaningful contribution in one way or another. This can only be accomplish through positive and sustained interaction.

As you will recall, Schumi made a useful contribution towards the F1 fraternity by being actively involved on the Safety Committee. (I should note that I have never liked and will never like Schumi - although I’ve always admire his intellect). This is one ways the leading driver can exercise leadership.

Talking about safety. F1 is a very exciting sport but it’s also a dangerous sport. Hamilton is a very daring and an un-risk-averse racer. Many of his daring passes of other drivers require very good car control by both parties. An errant movement by an opposing driver, intentional or unintentional, can lead to serious disaster to Hamilton’s car and to his person.

When the prevailing environment becomes too poisoned - regardless of who is responsible - then drivers become uncooperative. As we saw in Shanghai recently, Coulthard, a fellow Brit and a racer that was kept on at McLaren long after his role as an effective utility or journeyman racer had passed, refused to allow Hamilton by for 20 laps. One reason Hamilton may have been constrained from attempting a pass, stemmed from the fact that Coulthard had been involved in four crashes this year. Anyway that race result is history.

Since you do no like the alternatives I suggested, what positive steps do you suggest he could take to help alleviate tension and improve the prevailing atmosphere?.

[mecano]

So Alex, its irrelevant whether you watched the image on Spanish, Chinese or other tv. There's no reason for assuming what you said unless someone mentions it, and this was not the case. Just because you see people on tv there's no reason for knowing who everyone is, especially if they are not the main characters, as in this case.

[Richard]

ALEX T - your comments about Coulthard made me think. If he'd have driven in his first season like he has this season i.e. crashing with every car that tries to pass him, I wonder if he'd have had a more successful career. Other drivers may have been reluctant to attempt to overtake a guy if they think there's a good chance of it ending their race. Then again, he probably wouldn't have been in F1 for long if he'd driven as badly as he has this year!

BTW it was the Singapore Indoor Karting Track where he held Lewis up for all those laps.

[A Parker]

Richard, normally I agree with you but on this I have to disagree. Firstly, I think the GPDA is badly run at the moment as Massa said when he left. Secondly, I think Lewis is already rising above the nastiness with his gracious, non-combative reaction to the sniping. And thirdly, what irks me the most is that the pressure is always on Lewis to do this and that, whereas not a word is said about Raikkonen, Massa or Sutil not being members of the GPDA. This is reflective of how every thought and deed and word of Lewis’ is analysed, criticised, picked over, and dissected whereas the other drivers can go about their business in peace. So until the drivers in question grow up and show a little bit of respect for Lewis, then I think he should do his own thing.

Alex T, ditto as above. I do think that Lewis shows respect for his fellow drivers but that respect must wear a bit thin when all he gets in return is back stabbing and petty sniping. He always makes a point of complimenting other drivers for doing a good job and shaking their hands and complimenting their teams (look at the China press conference when his reaction to the nastiness from Alonso was to praise Renault for their improvement this year). There is a difference though between showing respect and crawling to get acceptance. I suppose in answer to your question, I would have to say it is really not up to Lewis to alleviate tension and improve the prevailing atmosphere, but it is up to the other drivers to stop being so jealous and childish and accept Lewis as the brilliant new kid on the block, because as far as I can see, whether he wins this year or not, he ain’t going nowhere, so they’d better get used to it.

But thanks Richard and Alex T for reasoned polite arguments, something that is rare at times on this blog.

[May]

Alex T, A. Parker,

I feel tempted to start a discussion with you around some of the points that you have raised, but it would be totally pointless. You have created a world of your own, from my point of view devoid of hard facts to substantiate it (just an opinion, like yours), and with extreme views of the F1 drivers that, and please correct me if I am wrong, you are not willing to even reconsider.

You are of course entitled to have those views, and I understand that some other participants in this blog are happy sharing your approach, so I will not interfere in this happy exchange of posts with a contrary one. I will only ask you and those who share your views that you respect the fact that some others (like me) have a totally different view of the F1 world, a world where Hamilton is a very good driver but by no means head and shoulder above the rest, where there are no drivers on the grid that deserve the adjective "mediocre" (they may be better or worse compared to each other, but objectively speaking, boy can they drive!), and where one may question Hamilton's potential leadership skills without being subject to abuse.

I have one other request - some of your comments on certain drivers are totally out of line in terms of nastiness, you may not like them, but could I please ask that you (and other participants) reconsider the terms in which you show your displeasure with them?

Thank you, and best regards,

[Jordi]

Somehow when I read people saying that all the drivers are jealous and envious of LH, reminds me when I was in School. When the most intelligent guy in the class was unable to play football with the rest of his peers and went back home crying. His mum always said - Don't worry, they are just jealous and envious.

Obviously that didn't help much, and he became more and more isolated, bitter and sad.

F1 is not school, and he doesn't need to be loved by the rest of his fellow drivers, he can continue calling them monkeys, cowards or other "clever" comments such as - "From Alonso I only learnt how not to behave", is his choice.

In my opinion he made his bed and now he has to sleep in it.

LH needs to realize that he is going to be driving with these guys for many years, spending lots of time with them. Shumi use to organize football games, Alonso plays cards and Lewis is doing PR events and "only listening to his dad".

He has the choice to be the first of the class in isolation, or to be the first of the class but been one of them. How does he achieve that is for him to discover. Been more thoughtful before speaking would help, telling him that he is the greatest and the rest are only jealous wont.

[Alex T]

A Parker: Thanks for the compliment. The subject matter of our exchanges is an important one therefore it’s worthy of further discussion. Hamilton is the hope of a nation, the face of F1 today and a racing phenomenon. He has inspired interest in F1 around the world. Wherever he goes he creates a buzz. As a consequence of the foregoing, along with his many attributes including his dynamic personality and very good communication skills, means that he has incurred certain expectations and responsibilities consistent with his status and statue.

Lets look at this issue from a contrasting perspective focusing on two subjects - Hamilton & Schumi. Hamilton is a racing phenomenon; a respected and a very alluring figure all over the world. This image will remain so, until the narrative of his composite is complete regarding the true LH. (Those of us who have observed him closely and admire him feel confident that once the process is complete the prevailing image will only be enhanced). However, any perceived indifference, aloofness or a lack of charity could cause irreparably harm to one’s public image.

Schumi, a highly respected and revered figure (mostly in Europe) has won the most championships and were he still active would probably still be competing for race wins at just about every event. Outside of Europe he is not well liked, much less revered. Were he to visit any North American city he may receive a ticket for inspiring community boredom and indifference. He is not held in high esteem probably because of the ruthless ways in which he attained some of those championships and his perceived apathy towards others. Certainly the callous image he has amassed is not the fate that one would want for LH.

With whom would you really enjoy a beer: a ruthless automaton-like warrior without much of a conscience or winner with a developed social conscience that also cares about the human element in his sphere of activities?

I would contend that as a result of his statue, notwithstanding his rocky relationship with the FIA, that they might be more inclined to listen to issues that Hamilton may raise (e.g. safety) rather than to any of the other drivers.

Finally as you correctly noted, LH is extremely mannerly, gracious and doesn’t hesitate to extend certain courtesies to many others. Therefore, it should not be difficult to help repair the breach that exist amongst and between his peers. Precisely who should take the first step is evidently the problem. I would argue that because of where Hamilton sits, more is expected of him relative to the others. Hence, he should take the lead. This does not mean that he needs to stoop to conquer. A careful and strategic reapproachment will suffice. It could start with offering to buy a few members coffee, (Oh, in Europe you guys prefer tea) or a beer. (Remember the great American - Chinese reapprochement began with a game of ping-pong).

Now concerning the three racers that you identified. The bottom line is that they do not inspire much interest. A casual review of the traffic flows on this blog should confirm that they have not stimulated sustained debates unless one or both of the two top actors (LH & FA) were involved. Hence, their involvement in the GPDA are of little or no interest to outsiders. I don’t have much more to add regarding these fine gentlemen.

May: I am unsure what points you were making since your post lacked, for the most part, specificities.

Richard: Evidently, our retiring friend, during his formative years, would not have survived very long if he had utilized then his current less than prudent style of racing. Collectively sponsors spend billions of dollars on F1 teams in order to gain worldwide exposures. They are unable to gain much exposure much less positive returns on their investments when drivers crashes out. Having driven for Williams in their hay days and for McLaren, he has amassed an interesting record. What do you think of his record?

[rackboy]

@ May

Very well said! It is very interesting to read some of these comments from my perspective (the other side of the world). I think some of the people's opinions on this blog take something of a rose-tinted view of Hamilton's driving abilities and character. While A Parker and Alex T should be applauded for their enthusiasm as F1 fans I think perhaps their nationality is making it quite hard for them to be objective.

In my opinion (not that it means much) Hamilton is a very talented driver though I don't think he's done enough to warrant all the "best driver" labels. If he wins the championship this year it will bring him a step closer but even then I don't think he's been the best driver this year. IMO that driver has been Kubica who before China was still a title contender with a slower car than Hamilton and Massa. Also, now that Renault has gotten it's act together Alonso has scored a bag full of points which still shows, whether you like him or not, he's a very good driver.

As for the man's character I have to admit he leaves me well and truly cold. The sense of entitlement he seems to possess, coupled with the uber-corporate McLaren soundbite style of speaking in interviews does little to convince me he is the nice, humble bloke the posters on this blog seem to think he is. Also, I find it very hard to believe the animosity he receives from the rest of the paddock is solely down to jealousy...he must've done something to rub these guys the wrong way. Driving dangerously at Monza and making comments like the "balls" quote perhaps?

@ Alex T,

You demean everything else you say by calling the rest of the grid "mediocre". These are the 20 best drivers in the world. Also, it is very difficult to compare driver's abilities relative to each other when they aren't driving the same car. For example, we know Lewis is faster than Heikki but how fast would, say, Vettel be in a McLaren?

[A Parker]

Rackboy

I do not support Lewis Hamilton because he is British. I support him because he has brought an amazing new energy and audience to F1, he comes across as a wonderful person, and is gorgeous to boot.

The argument about how good Lewis is and whether blah blah blah would be as good if they were in a McLaren, is so boring now and unnecessary. We have had 2 years now in which to measure Lewis’ performance against someone in the same car. 2007: Lewis in his FIRST year beat a 2 time world champion and in my opinion, would have won the title if Alonso hadn’t thrown his spanner in the works and mucked it up for everyone. I really believe that Ron Dennis probably regrets signing Alonso more than any other decision in his life, but at least we have him to measure Lewis against, so he served some purpose. 2008: Lewis has thoroughly trounced Heikki. At the beginning of the season you could see people willing Heikki to be better than Lewis but the reality is he’s not. Conspiracy theories about McLaren hobbling Heikki or not (and I have sympathy with those as I thought McLaren were hobbling Lewis at the start of the year), it is clear Lewis is a million times better than Heikki. I would love any of the other drivers to have a seat in a McLaren and I am convinced we would have the same story. Remember the armchair pundits saying that Lewis didn’t know how to set up his car – well he seems to have done a pretty good job this year hasn’t he? I notice we don’t hear that argument anymore. It was a stupid argument anyway, as I’m sure it is a joint venture with the driver and the engineers. You learn not to heed this rubbish after a while.

As for the comments about Lewis’ character. I think it says more about your own character if such a charismatic, charming person as Lewis leaves you cold. He doesn’t have a sense of entitlement (what a copied overused phrase that is), he has ambition. He does not drive dangerously, he is an F1 racer who takes exciting risks and is wonderful to watch and has shaken up the grid from their self-satisfied processional style of driving. And other drivers have made bold comments before and very insulting backstabbing ones about Lewis, but they seem to get away with it every time. I would love to know what you think Lewis has done to invite dislike from some of his fellow drivers. It seems most people who know him and have met him don’t have a bad word to say about him. I saw an interesting link from autosport which has Norbert Haug interviewed about Lewis. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71813 He said Alonso was not nice to his teammate last year. I see Alonso as being unpleasant and arrogant, but all we hear is about Lewis being unpleasant and arrogant. I sometimes wonder what is wrong with people’s eyes and ears. I am sure if the full story came out about what happened at McLaren last year, people would be horrified and disgusted, and not at Ron Dennis and Lewis.

[Alex T]

Racyboy: On this blog we are all engaging in a competitive exchange of ideas design to provoke thought, stimulate exchanges, express approbation of good to outstanding racing/racers as well as criticize those who have performed less well. The sporting quality of our contribution is much enhanced when we continue to focus on the art of racing. When you start ascribing ill motives to your fellow bloggers based on their race, nationalities or ethnicities then you debase the process and belittle yourself.

Having said that, I have absolutely no interest in engaging in a dialogue with you or anyone else about the origins (i.e., nationalities, race, ethnicities or culture) of fellow bloggers or any of the racers. Concerning fellow bloggers such as A. Parker, Richard, Anon I do not know what their origins are.

Next, I think you misread the post, I did not call “the rest of the grid mediocre”

[Jordi]

"Hamilton is the hope of a nation, the face of F1 today and a racing phenomenon...a respected and a very alluring figure all over the world...is extremely mannerly, gracious and doesn’t hesitate to extend certain courtesies to many others..."

Alex T. I think you posted your comment a bit too early, 3 days too early. If LH press the wrong button again, or if he crashes on to the back of a car waiting for the green light, you are going to wish you didn't post it.

All the best and get some perspective.

Regards

[A Parker]

Just saw this article in 'The Sun'. Yes, we all know what a dreadful paper this is, but they have are obviously not making this up. It seems Alonso has the fans he deserves, and this also shows some people who refuse to say that racism is a large part of some people's hatred of Lewis are way short of the mark. I wonder if Ed will publish this comment though as he also seems to want to live in a dream world where racism doesn’t exist in F1 or within its fan base. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article1874611.ece The content of this article is pretty sickening actually and I really hope Lewis isn’t aware of it.

[A Parker]

This article gives more horrifying detail. So upsetting and yet over 16,000 people have left messages on it. That doesn't sound like a "minority" to me. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1081822/Spanish-racists-leave-death-threats-nails-race-track-Lewis-Hamilton-ahead-F1-championship.html

[Alex T]

Jordi: Your are a very good blogger. Hence, it’s unworthy of you to be stringing together a series of quotes taken out of context. Now, the outcome of the finale will not have an adverse impact on any of the characteristics attributed to LH. Further, he can be assured that his nation will always be behind him fully hopeful that he will succeed if not now then in subsequent years.

Concerning the pending finale, as I pointed in a post under the thread titled “Lewis is driven onto canvas” , we should be prudent in our expectations and enthusiasms that LH will win on Sunday since we are well aware that McLaren often snatches defeats from the jaws of certain victories. On this point, I am not too comfortable with the myriad of new parts McLaren is adding to their cars for the finale.

Anyway, I am sure Jordi, should LH succeed, that thanks to your heightened sense of sportsmanship you will not hesitate to hoist a celebratory glass of cheers to the deserving champion.

Cheers

[Jordi]

You are right Alex T, I have the same opinion as Fernando Alonso, whoever wins the WDC is the one who deserves it, so yes I will not hesitate to hoist a celebratory glass of cheers to the deserving champion, whatever is Hamilton or Massa, I wish other bolggers that support Hamilton blindly could say the same.

Regards.

[Un pajarito]

Yes Alex, we take your word for it.
And what's next?
The Earth rotates around the Moon and the Sun rotates about both...Ha, ha.
You see, I could also say you take my word for it and start calling names to Hamilton, his dad, his cat and dog. But I wont.
Probably because I'm silly and you are very, very clever.
Wake up man!

[Richard]

ALEX T - what do I think of Coulthard's record?

Not all that much I suppose! With the cars he's driven, he's had every opportunity to have created a special place in F1 history, and he didn't do that.

Do I think he lacks talent? No, when his mind is in a certain place, he can race with the best of them, including Schumacher. However, his mind wasn't in that place very often in my view.

To be a sustained winner in F1, the driver must want it with every fibre of his being. No, not just want it, they must need it, crave it like nothing else matters.

Senna had it, Schumacher had it, Alonso has it, and I think Hamilton has it. The further drivers climb through the ranks, the more their desire to win is tested, until only those with the strongest will to win are left with that instinct intact.

Coulthard won quite a few GPs. I believe that it shows he had some talent, but also that he was in a very competitive car.

I would have concluded this post by saying I didn't really respect him as a racer (I know he wouldn't care what I think), but actually, just one incident ensures I will always respect him. It started with this:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=aRhDQ5LVeL8&feature=related

And this followed:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1lduf0QQC6I

If only he had the red mist more often, we can only wonder at what might have been....

[Lone]

A Parker
That webpage is in fact quite old, I mean from last year.
Here you have another spanish webpage WWW.hamiltoncampeon.com (Hamilton Champion)where you can give your opinion.There are already some racist comments but we can revert that posting there!!

[steve]

Though i,m not a LH fan,i do admire his tenacity,i also believe there is no bad blood between FA,and LH,FA is a double world champion,and fought the mighty Schumacher to win,and so this weekend LH can prove to all he is a worthy champion,what i would say is maybe a little less "celeb" status,he is young so i assume it will come,for at the moment millions are paying him an awfull lot of attention,i would,nt say he grounded,having moved to Geneva to protect his earnings,he could quite easily have stayed in the UK,which is where McLaren are based,his sponsorship deals alone can virtually double his income,i wonder if earning £12 million a year is not enough? I wish him luck in Brazil,because if he does,nt pull it off,next year will entirely different,much more competitive,Renault,and BMW will be very strong,McLaren,and Ferrari won,t get it all they,re own way,to many years of domination will cease,this can only be good for the sport.

[Chuso-Montréal]

Sorry, I can avoid carry on reading without posting a comment.

I cannot really believe such a person as APARKER exists. Such biased mind can only be the invention of ED to liven up the discussion.
Even If I think HAM is (and probably must) win, sometimes I deserve he presses some button to show you how friendly he always behaves with the Media. But mainly to see you shut up your big.......

Congratulations to those of you who write with some knowledge.

[Stephen Downer]

Dear Mr. Gorman:
I enjoyed reading your brief article on Stevenage and Lewis Hamilton, a courageous driver who fully deserves his new world champion status, achieved in probably the most competitive sport of all. I lived close to Stevenage for two years in the mid 1990s and found it a wonderful experience, with friendly people, an excellent train service to London, little road traffic and with much extraordinarily beautiful countryside surrounding it. I agree the main commercial centre is unattractive but, with respect, Stevenage and Hertfordshire in general offer much more than shopping, be it at Tesco's or any other commercial enterprise for that matter. Yours sincerely.

[Jonathan]

So what if his girlfirend is a pop star? she's pretty but I can't even remeber her name. The world knows who Hamilton is though; now that's really stardom!