F1 Restart

[Bunkermagnet]

I don't think they are down playing his achievements though. Look Vettel won 4 world championships on the trot and ahd by far the best car, take the best car away from him and he hasn't wont anything again. For the last 5 years the Merc has been the best car so staying with it for that period should give you the most wins, the most poles and the most championships, if it hadn't have been Lewis maybe it would have been someone else. I think what frustrates some is many a time there is a failure to acknowledge it is down to more than just Lewis for the past 4 or 5 years and the team and car is amazing.

It is one of the reasons Diego Maradona is so feted, He pretty much did win the World cup for Argenttina, he dragged that team through it, Lewis has not done that for the last 5 years he has benefitted from the best car and team. Additionally he has not had the same level of driver competition that many had, Like Prost, Piquet, Senna, Mansel all at the same time. Who has been of sufficient challenge to him from a driver level, we have Max who was just a kid for the first 3 years and no one else.

You could argue LH should be judged on where his team-mate is, and today he was 13 places behind him and lapped him. Many use Schumacher as the pinnacle, but how many races has LH been given by his teams instructions to his team-mate and team orders?
LH is the best there has been, and I feel priveleged to have been able to watch him through the years.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

You could argue LH should be judged on where his team-mate is, and today he was 13 places behind him and lapped him. Many use Schumacher as the pinnacle, but how many races has LH been given by his teams instructions to his team-mate and team orders?
LH is the best there has been, and I feel priveleged to have been able to watch him through the years.

I agree - no one has operated at the level he has for such a long time in the history of the sport.

Wet conditions are a great leveller in terms of the cars and throughout his career Hamilton has been brilliant in the wet. Today was case in point; phenomenal

 

[bobmac]

Well done Lewis ... 7

 

[Smiffy]

Keep reading autosport ... working in the sport for over a decade apparently makes an opinion nonsense ?

I don't get this comment. Whilst I agree that it wasn't aimed at me, I have been watching F1 long enough to have witnessed some of the stunts that Schumacher pulled, I don't need to read Autosport to form my own opinion.
Schumacher was a bully, an arrogant so and so. And he was dangerous. What he did to Damon Hill and attempted to do to Villeneuve put him in a bad enough light, but what eventually showed him up for what he was was the stunt he pulled on Barrichello, (see below).
I'm not a massive fan of Hamilton, I don't agree with a lot of what he says or does, but that's up to him.
But he is an out and out racer, and as far as I can recall has never come close to putting another driver at risk to achieve his results. Is he the greatest of all time??? No, but he's certainly the greatest of his era.
When Lewes feels he has had enough, or he is no longer able to compete, he'll bow out gracefully. He won't resort to tactics like below. Schumacher should have been banned for this..........

 

[cliveb]

A few comments to the Hamilton naysayers:
1. To all those who say Lewis has the best car. Yes, but so does pretty much everyone who wins the WDC. Everyone's hero Fangio was a master of jumping from team to team to ensure he was always in the best car.
2. As a driver Lewis has matured into someone that combines the outright speed of a Senna with the patience and strategic analysis of a Prost.
3. Senna was a bully, Prost was a scheming political manipulator, and don't get me started on that outright cheat Schumacher. Compared to them, Lewis has been a gentleman. Outspoken, yes, but always fair to his competitors.

I never thought anyone would match the greatness of Jim Clark, but I think Lewis might just be up there.

 

[jim8flog]

That race demonstrates just how good all the drivers are.

The ability to drive in those conditions at those speeds and in the main keep the car going where it should was just amazing.

 

[robinthehood]

I would assume a knighthood will be forthcoming.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

I don't get this comment. Whilst I agree that it wasn't aimed at me, I have been watching F1 long enough to have witnessed some of the stunts that Schumacher pulled, I don't need to read Autosport to form my own opinion.
Schumacher was a bully, an arrogant so and so. And he was dangerous. What he did to Damon Hill and attempted to do to Villeneuve put him in a bad enough light, but what eventually showed him up for what he was was the stunt he pulled on Barrichello, (see below).
I'm not a massive fan of Hamilton, I don't agree with a lot of what he says or does, but that's up to him.
But he is an out and out racer, and as far as I can recall has never come close to putting another driver at risk to achieve his results. Is he the greatest of all time??? No, but he's certainly the greatest of his era.
When Lewes feels he has had enough, or he is no longer able to compete, he'll bow out gracefully. He won't resort to tactics like below. Schumacher should have been banned for this..........

I agree with you Smiffy about Schumacher.

The only thing I would say though is that although it isn’t possible to say that Hamilton is the best there has ever been, given what he has achieved I don’t think it’s possible to say that he isn’t either.

I’m with Vettel on this, it’s impossible to compare across generations as the skills required to do what they do have changed dramatically.

 

[harpo_72]

I don't get this comment. Whilst I agree that it wasn't aimed at me, I have been watching F1 long enough to have witnessed some of the stunts that Schumacher pulled, I don't need to read Autosport to form my own opinion.
Schumacher was a bully, an arrogant so and so. And he was dangerous. What he did to Damon Hill and attempted to do to Villeneuve put him in a bad enough light, but what eventually showed him up for what he was was the stunt he pulled on Barrichello, (see below).
I'm not a massive fan of Hamilton, I don't agree with a lot of what he says or does, but that's up to him.
But he is an out and out racer, and as far as I can recall has never come close to putting another driver at risk to achieve his results. Is he the greatest of all time??? No, but he's certainly the greatest of his era.
When Lewes feels he has had enough, or he is no longer able to compete, he'll bow out gracefully. He won't resort to tactics like below. Schumacher should have been banned for this..........

I think we all know Schumacher made some pretty poor decisions in his desperation to be competitive. The Benetton was good but the Williams was not a push over and perhaps we don’t credit Hill and Villeneuve with enough talent.
But I don’t say Schumacher is the all time great, he did go to a poor performing Ferrari, but he did not make them dominant on his own. There was a transfer of some very key personnel as well.
When has Lewis ever been in a non competitive car? The red bull was dominating him in the hands of Vettel and Webber and that was just aero efficient as the engine wasn’t cranking out the best performance. He also didn’t give Button much competition either .. championship was done and dusted pretty early for the Brawn team.
Just accept that some of us don’t think he is the greatest and we don’t think he is as well a rounded driver as some of the other world champions.

 

[Deleted member 18645]

I found a review of the 1982 F1 season on YouTube narrated by the awesome Clive James. Tremendous footage, detailed analysis and incredible writing and sarcasm throughout from James. Brilliant 90 minutes.

 

[4LEX]

I would assume a knighthood will be forthcoming.

I doubt it due to his tax dodging.

 

[robinthehood]

I doubt it due to his tax dodging.

Other than he's in the top 5% of highest tax payers in the UK.

 

[4LEX]

It's not what you see it's what you don't when it comes to tax avoidance

 

[Deleted member 29109]

It's not what you see it's what you don't when it comes to tax avoidance

You don't partake in any form of tax avoidance then?

 

[4LEX]

You don't partake in any form of tax avoidance then?

 

[bobmac]

Tax dodging or tax avoidance, are they the same thing?

 

[robinthehood]

No.

 

[Deleted member 29109]

Tax dodging or tax avoidance, are they the same thing?

Tax avoidance is perfectly legal. Tax evasion is most certainly not.

So an ISA, pension, partaking in a cycle to work scheme or buying duty free are all perfectly legal ways to avoid paying some tax. As is being a contractor and running as a single director limited company, paying yourself minimum wage and taking a yearly dividend.

Doing a bit of weekend work off the books for cash and not declaring the income is tax evasion and not legal.

As far as I am aware Lewis has done nothing illegal. In fact he's probably had not a lot to do with any of his tax arrangements. He most likely leaves it all to his management company. As anyone with that sort of money and lifestyle would.

I don't know anyone who voluntarily pays more tax than they have to.

 

[ger147]

Based on the number of Sirs down the years who were not domiciled in the UK for tax purposes, I don't think tax status is on the Honours checklist.

 

[harpo_72]

Based on the number of Sirs down the years who were not domiciled in the UK for tax purposes, I don't think tax status is on the Honours checklist.

Isn’t more about giving to the party ?