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I am pretty disappointed with the running of Formula 1. I want to see races won on the track not through the meddling of the idiots who govern the sport. It was ridiculous that the pit lane was closed in Canada. I've never seen this happen before. It was a stupid thing to do and almost seems like a contrived act designed to generate an incident. It was equally ridiculous that Hamilton was given a penalty for an infraction that other drivers committed in the same GP race in France without being punished. Hamilton didn't make a mistake, he was simply driving his heart out to overtake another driver - something all too rare in F1 these days. In fact, it is hard not to view these incidents as the someone, somewhere trying to clip Hamilton's wings lest this year's F1 be reduced to a foregone conclusion. Despite not scoring points in two races, Hamilton is only 10 points behind Massa. That is incredible. I have every confidence that Hamilton will recover from this retake the lead in the championship.

I'm a fan of Lewis, but come on.  How can driving into the back of a stationary car when there's a red light on not be a called a mistake?  2 cars saw the red light and Lewis didn't?  Even, if he was driving his heart out, he has to be careful in the pits, especially when mechanics get injured in there.  Even Lewis himself apologised to Kimi and thereby admitted he was at fault.

 

Are you having a laugh Brakedust? It's not 01042008, I had to check the date just to make sure.

Hamilton, if he applies himself, will be a great F1 driver but the Hamilton of 2008 vintage is a F1 driver a season and a half into his F1 tenure.

He'd do well to remember that. 

His mistakes and the mistakes of the team cost him the drivers title last season, a more seasoned pro would not have made those mistakes and would have pushed the team to not make those mistakes.

I agree with both the responses on this. I am also a Hamilton fan, I especially enjoyed watching him in GP2. However he is making mistakes, but then so is every other driver on the grid. The difference is our media choose to focus on nothing else, in effect blowing our perception his mistakes out of all proportion. The pitlane penalty was deserved, I am not so sure about the overtake, but as we did not have same access to footage as the stweards I cannot judge. I think Hamilton would be well advised to start adopting a Kimi-like approach to the media. In effect, say as little as possible to them and let his driving to the talking. I say this because some of Hamilton's comments come across as a bit petulant, whether they are meant that way or not. I hope he does win this year, but if not then i am sure he will at some stage. In the meantime I am really enjoying how this season is panning out; Kimi's flashes of brilliance, Massa's new found in car maturity, Kovi's never say die mentality (in the face of attrocious luck) I could go on.....Kubica, Coulthard, Trulli, Webber et al, all providing an amazing show.

Everyone makes mistakes, and yes the media do single him out, sometimes undeservedly. 

This is charater building for him though and remember, it will make him a better driver for the future.

Dear non de plum...

What exactly should he remember??

...to be subservient to ex-world champions who cannot accomodate their own ego's....stop RACING when it gets wet......avoid the challenge of CHARGING through the grid....or maybe he should remember that Formula One respects world champions who do NOTHING off-track and drivers who drive for points.....

The sport is all screwed up.....

He has RACED for approx. 2500 MINUTES and been runner-up in the World Championship and beaten the BEST driver of his generation in the SAME CAR.....get my drift....

He IS a great driver NOW....wake up and WATCH the races....

PS...His penalty was justified but so is penalising KR at the next grand prix 10 place penalty for driving a Fiat with the capability for maiming spectators and drivers alike....good opportunity for the FIA to redress the balance I think....fat chance eh!!!

Be thankful we have 3 RACERS on the grid - Hamilton, Kubica and Rosberg.

Team Sparky:

Dear non de plum...

What exactly should he remember??

...to be subservient to ex-world champions who cannot accomodate their own ego's....stop RACING when it gets wet......avoid the challenge of CHARGING through the grid....or maybe he should remember that Formula One respects world champions who do NOTHING off-track and drivers who drive for points.....

The sport is all screwed up.....

He has RACED for approx. 2500 MINUTES and been runner-up in the World Championship and beaten the BEST driver of his generation in the SAME CAR.....get my drift....

He IS a great driver NOW....wake up and WATCH the races....

PS...His penalty was justified but so is penalising KR at the next grand prix 10 place penalty for driving a Fiat with the capability for maiming spectators and drivers alike....good opportunity for the FIA to redress the balance I think....fat chance eh!!!

Be thankful we have 3 RACERS on the grid - Hamilton, Kubica and Rosberg.

 

He should remember that he has no anticedence in F1. How many people have come into F1 with a fab CV and then thrown it all away or found they can't cope? 

1989		Winner British Kart Super Prix
1990		1st British Cadet Kart Championship
1991		1st British Cadet Kart Championship, 1st British Open Kart Championship
1992		1st British Open Kart Championship, 1st British Junior TKM Kart Championship
1993		1st British Open Kart Championship
1994		Competing British Junior TKM, Junior Intercontinental A Italian & European
1995		1st Italian Senior ICA Kart Championship
1996		3rd American & World Cup Kart Championships
1997		1st European Super A Kart Championship
1998	Haywood Racing	1st British Formula Ford Championship, Winner Formula Ford Festival, McLaren Autosport Young Driver of Year
1999	Promatecme	3rd British Formula 3 Championship (3 wins, )

 

Not bad until you realise it's Jenson Button. A good driver in the wrong place at the wrong time.

And there are lot's of others too. 

F1 is about being in the right place at the right time. The skills should be taken as read, refining those skills is the key, anyone who knows anything about anything at the top level knows this. Football, rugby, driving et al.

Lewis has jumped into the right car at the right time but he is FAILING to capitalise on that advantage, what he threw away in Canada punished him in France and now he's goes to Silverstone with a monkey on his back. Want to know how I know this? Because every bloody interview he is giving is saying that he has to spank it at Silverstone and for the remaining races. Spanking it Lewis style means throwing it into a fellow racer or the wall several more times this season though.

I don't want to read LH interviews, I want to see LH focusing on the business. He could learn so much from Schumacher, his race career was set up around the notion that I only do what I have to do to succeed. What pisses people off about LH is this impression he gives that he's already a legend. McLaren have bred a monster. I never liked Schumacher as I liked Damon and I never forgave Schumacher for what he did to Damon in Austrailia in 1994, but Schumacher was successful, Damon did well and took a title in a year when Schumacher joined a new team and was developing a car. That's being honest and objective.

So no, I don't get your drift because it's sychophantic and biased, I know this because I've been there. You'll be like all the other fair weather 'fans' who turn up at Silverstone (or wherever) dressed to the nines in your silly caps and tee-shirts proclaiming allegience to someone who could not give a flying fig about you. These 'fans' are incapable of looking at the bigger picture. I well remember the grief Frentzen got at Silverstone in 1997, pathetic but echoed in your comments about LH.

He'll win the championship one day, no doubt about it, but LH of 2008 vintage is making too many mistakes both on and off the track.

Focus, focus, focus. He's got this far and I'd hate to see him throw it all away. 

 

brakedust:

I am pretty disappointed with the running of Formula 1.

 

I am pretty disappointed with the running of Formula 1 too. When is someone going to make it interesting? Bus spotting brings bigger thrills.

Thanks for your advice... 'I know this because i've been there....'

I don't remember you being with me when I was supporting Keke Rosberg at Silverstone watching his banzai record pole lap or Stefan Bellof at Spa in a 956....don't assume i'm a fair weather fan either...while you are in the Paddock Club i'm in the cheap seats!!!...and have been for many years....

....and why should anyone apologise for being a fair weather fan anyway...you are obviously embarrased about supporting a talented and gifted RACER who just happens to be British...THAT problem again...oh dear....my German, Italian, French and Spanish work colleagues ALL tell me how they find the British reluctance to be sychophantic very amusing...they don't seem to share your problem....

oh and if LH is a 'monster' you haven't been around Motor Racing long my friend!!!

Your presumptions are amusing.

How will you react when he puts it all together at the weekend, or any weekend for that matter - positively I hope. Take a deep breath, enjoy the 'competition' and savour some semblance of racing out there.

Forgive the term but he adds a lot of 'colour' to a sport that often struggles to convince the watching world that sport is a term that can be used in the context of F1.

You need to try and enjoy the ride as well as the destination...it will be over soon enough...or you may as well just turn on to watch the season decider in Brazil.

Who do I want to win on Sunday?

Button, Rosberg, Hamilton or Kovalainen...in that order of preference...

 Now....where's that cap.....ready to join my sychophantic and biased friends in Singapore later in the year to watch some RACING...great stuff!

Hope you find some PASSION in your racing sometime soon......

Meanwhile ROCK those grandstands at Silverstone for the Brits....ENJOY

 

I stand by my original comments. In Canada the pit lane was closed. I cannot remember the last time the pit lane was closed during a race. I can't ever remember the pit lane being closed without a major incident taking place on the track. I can't ever remember the pit lane being closed without race control contacting the teams to tell them so - all in the name of safety. This incident in Canada is without precedent. it is very strange. More than just a few people within Formula circles have made the same observation. For that reason, it makes me wonder if someone, somewhere was trying to manipulate the result. What makes me more certain that something fishy is going on behind the scenes is that Hamilton was again singled out for punishment in France when other offenders, notably his team mate, went unpunished for the same infraction. Why would anyone do this? Well, if Lewis Hamilton had won in Canada, then he would be starting to build an impressive championship lead - one that might make people think the 2008 GP Championship result was a foregone conclusion. And that's a turn off. We all got hot under the collar when various TV programmes used phone lines voting erroneously. The Press said it was dishonest. That's why we need F1 races to be won on the track at all costs. Sorry if I seem like a cynical conspiracy theorist with an over-active imagination, but I've been around for long enough to smell a rat... I hope I'm wrong.

RobotBoogie:

I am pretty disappointed with the running of Formula 1 too. When is someone going to make it interesting? Bus spotting brings bigger thrills.

Look, it is pretty simple. You do not enjoy F1, then do not watch it. It is far from perfect, but in my humble opinion is it still an exciting and extremely watchable event. If Bus spotting is your thing, then good luck to you.

brakedust:

This incident in Canada is without precedent.

No it is not.  Both Montoya and Massa have been pulled from races for passing a red light at the end of the pit lane.  It is a well known rule that drivers and teams are well aware of.  If the Safety Car is out, has a train of cars behind it and, at that moment, is passing by the exit of the pit lane onto the circuit then then cars about to exit the pit lane are held.

It was not a new rule dropped in at that very moment to spoil Hamilton's (or Rosberg's, remember?) weekend.  The teams of highly professional adults involved in racing cars in F1 (and other series) all know this rule  They continuously monitor the circuit, even when they have cars in the pit lane, and by-and-large warn their pitting drivers to watch for the red light.

If it was so "without precedent", why did Raikkonen and Kubica stop?  You can argue about the whole notion of the safety car and pit lane rules, but Hamilton, and Rosberg, mucked it up.  Just accept it.

Hamilton is a cracking driver.  I watched him in practice in Spain and his whole approach belies his experience, in F1.  He probably will win a World Championship, though I don't think it will come with Mclaren, certainly not with their current driver line-up.