Official F1/Motorsport thread

[Richard.John]

I was told the British press have mentioned it but not 100%. I stand corrected if untrue. He did say though that he is the best at his job, during the FIA hearing in Paris. He needs to grow up a bit and put a sock in it at times.

[Alastair]

I'm not sure even Lewis is arrogant enough to say that about himself. An awful lot of media has said it of him though, sure he will believe it now anyway. He is that arrogant.

For the record, I never liked Schu the arrogant cheater and I don't much like Hamilton. I do however appreciated how damn good they both are. It's a bit obvious at the moment that Hamilton isn't the total package (yet). He should have won the WDC last year but for a silly couple of errors and he should have all but secured it this year already at Fuji but again a couple of hot headed moments cost him big time.

[Rossco]

Party Boy has a point though, any Ferrari fan hates LH because he's cocky and thinks he's the best yet loved MS who was exactly the same.

[Alastair]

If you're a Ferrari fan you see through the drivers faults and worship them for the fact that they are winning and bringing glory to the brand. It's perfectly reasonable for them to like Schu because he did so much for the team yet ignore his bad points and not like Hamilton because he shares some of those bad pionts. It's not even hypocritical in my view, it's just normal hero worship.

[Party boy]

Yeah, but for British Ferarri fans though, surely they're British before they're Ferarri fans? or do they support Italian football teams and their national team because ferarri are Italian? I doubt it.

[Party boy]

In fairness to Hamilton he would have won the WDC last year if those drivers who used illegal fuel had been disqualified as they should have been, plus it was McLaren's tactics in the penultimate race and gearbox trouble in the last race that cost him.

[Roddie]

I don't think nationality should come into it at all. I like Hamilton because he's made the sport interesting again, not because he's British.

[Alastair]

Yeah, but for British Ferarri fans though, surely they're British before they're Ferarri fans? or do they support Italian football teams and their national team because ferarri are Italian? I doubt it.

Your logic is a bit flawed, surely they should be McLaren fans (or one of the other British teams) if they're British and would never even dream of supporting Ferrari?

Sometimes nationality has nothing to do with it. I work with people of many different nationalities and if a British colleague is a twat I wont like him more than a non Brit who is less twatish.

[Rossco]

Yes but with sport it's more common to support someone from your home nation than abroad, surely you understand that.

So people who sit there mouthing off Hamilton while worshipping Schumacher are hypocrites.

[Alastair]

Yes but with sport it's more common to support someone from your home nation than abroad, surely you understand that.

So people who sit there mouthing off Hamilton while worshipping Schumacher are hypocrites.

Saying:
"Schumacher was great because he was such an aggressive driver. That Hamilton's a twat, he's so aggressive" is hypocritical, yes.

Being British but a Ferrari fan, therefore loving all their drivers, but not liking Hamilton because he's aggressive/arrogant is not hypocritical, it's just opinion swayed by the fans allegiance. It doesn't mean they like those qualities in Schumacher, they just choose to ignore them. Once Hamilton has won a WDC I think he'll have every right to give it the big 'I am', but not yet.

It's not really important anyway is it. I don't even know why I'm arguing the point, I like neither, Hamilton, Schumacher nor Ferrari to any great extent. I just respect them all for their talents.

[Richard.John]

If you watch F1 because of the nationality of the drivers, then you are wasting your time. I just can't understand why. The teams yes, but drivers are just people. I am extremely proud of the contribution that GB makes to F1 but I don't care where the drivers come from. I like them for who they are, not where they were born.

EDIT: In my opinion of course.

[Rossco]

Oh well, I enjoy supporting DC and LH because they are from Britain, DC especially being Scottish. If that means I'm wasting my time then so be it.

[Shez]

Only a blind man would deny that Hamilton messed up, but only a completely biased governing body would penalise him for it. That kind of thing happens in literally every single race at the start, only normally it's at the back of the field/not a McLaren so there's never a penalty. It's one rule for them, another for everyone else, and it's beyond ridiculous.

I dont see drivers flat spotting their tyres to the canvas in to the first corner of literally every race, so you're well wide of the mark to state such a thing.

After being on a charm offensive all week about how he was going to race for points and how he'd grown up etc, I didn't expect to see him drive like that into the first corner. He ballsed up the start and then tried to make it back by dangerously over driving into the first bend.

In the current climate that type of driving is asking for trouble.

In reference to him saying he was better than Senna, I can't say I have ever read that one, but I do recall him saying he didnt want to be stuck amongst the monkeys at Monaco last year.

The pressure is on Hamilton at the moment, Kubica who by all acounts is a friend of Hamiltons has come out and said he thinks his driving this season has been dangerous, and it has been brought up at drivers meeting on multiple occasions - He's not a popular chappie at the moment. There are murmerings that all is not well within the Mclaren team where a divide between team Hamilton and team Mclaren is currently present.

He'll sort himself out I am sure, but expect some controversy along the way - I still fancy him to win this season.

[Roddie]

Oh well, I enjoy supporting DC and LH because they are from Britain, DC especially being Scottish. If that means I'm wasting my time then so be it.

I'm Scottish but I certainly don't feel inclined to support Coulthard just because of that. He's been outshone by every teammate he ever had, never won the WDC despite being at Williams and McLaren when they were dominating and even though he's crashed into someone different in about every race this season so far, he never admits any fault.

[Dazzyman]

In fairness to Hamilton he would have won the WDC last year if those drivers who used illegal fuel had been disqualified as they should have been, plus it was McLaren's tactics in the penultimate race and gearbox trouble in the last race that cost him.

and the fact they had rebranded it from a Ferrari in nicked tech

Erm Mclaren Mercedes as in part supply/sharholder and partner of a german company called Mercedes so that makes it british does it? Its not the old days they all have some coownership whether its engine or something else that doesnt make em strictly british. I dont see what supporting someone/team has to do with F1 and being british I just dont see it being the same as footy as in footy all the team is from your country in F1 its broken down so your driver changes regulary. You could have say the old Williams or Bruces Mclaren a complete old style english built car but a that year it changes and you get a italian driver then what do you do. Also do you follow a english driver if he moves to Ferrari then or just bin him?

Ive said many times I detested Schummy till end of Damon hill era (was a big mansell fan before that) then I got into him and Ferrari when he moved to them once I saw how skilled he was and Im a serious Ferrari fan now and thats never going to change (I didnt really have time to watch F1 religously and follow it till Mansell). Back when he started and before Ferrari at Benneton he was very cocky and arrogant and I couldnt stick him (Hill should have decked him that day lol) and I feel exactly the same about Hamilton. If he calms down abit and grows up and stops with the I am the man attitude (making the others wait for a parade wave isnt clever) then Im sure I would support him in how talented he is at actually driving (but never support him until he moved to Ferrari) until then I just want to punch him no matter how good he is.

Saying that I wasnt impressed with the stewards this week. I understand both him and Hamilton getting penaltys but they got it bang out of order him being moved a place up after the race that was a racing incident at best at worst Massas own fault and on that one if i wasnt a Ferrari fan Id be saying fowl with the stewards on that one.