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[7UpJordan]

I also think Piquet's last title in 1987 was quite lucky as Mansell injured his back (again) in that massive crash in qualifying at Suzuka. Mansell was also beset by reliability gremlins that year whilst Piquet kept just sneaking into the points.

[AKR]

Schumi is the greatist all time. Lewis doesnt compare, and I dont think he will. Next year will be the year for him to prove he is a great. Most drivers who become champions find it hard to become 2 times champions (kimi is a recent example) my top 5 list of greats are:

1.M Schumacher (unquestionable)
2.A Senna (maybe could of achieved more but was cut short )
3.A Prost (he proved his worth with every team he joined)
4.F Alonso (I tip him for a 3rd)
5.JM Fangio (dont know much about him but I know he was a legend of his time)

Hill, Villeneurve, Hakkinan & Kimi were weak champions tbh. they had a good car but wernt anything special

I agree with this totally.

Look what happened to HIll and JV when they tried to do it without an Adrian Newey car, they were nowhere.

I still have dreams of Schumacher coming out of retirement and driving an Adrian Newey designed car one day, would be nice to see him lap everyone 15 times in a race

Next year I will say 4 drivers maybe 5 will be running for the drivers title. (Provided their cars are up to it). Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), Massa and Kimi (Ferrari, I am sure they'll sort out their KERS problem soon after Kimi does his 1 month testing equivelent of more than a GP season. That is if Ferrari even is really struggling with KERS), then Robert Kubica (BMW), Fernando Alonso (Renault, they look like being back to their winning ways) and lastly maybe Vettel (Red-Bull-Ferrari). He was very quick in a Toro Rosso-Ferrari. In the full works Red Bull team and now with a Ferrari engine, you just never, never know.

[onelapdown]

my top 5 list of greats are:

1.M Schumacher (unquestionable)
2.A Senna (maybe could of achieved more but was cut short )
3.A Prost (he proved his worth with every team he joined)
4.F Alonso (I tip him for a 3rd)
5.JM Fangio (dont know much about him but I know he was a legend of his time)

HOW THE HELL DO YOU PUT ALONSO AHEAD OF FANGIO!!!

Sorry, but that's just plain silly. Alonso's great and I have a lot of respect for him - maybe one day if he achieves a lot more he may come up to the level of Jackie Stewart and possibly even Jim Clark, but there's no way, on current career achievement, that he ranks above Fangio.

[KyrosV]

my top 5 list of greats are:

1.M Schumacher (unquestionable)
2.A Senna (maybe could of achieved more but was cut short )
3.A Prost (he proved his worth with every team he joined)
4.F Alonso (I tip him for a 3rd)
5.JM Fangio (dont know much about him but I know he was a legend of his time)

HOW THE HELL DO YOU PUT ALONSO AHEAD OF FANGIO!!!

Sorry, but that's just plain silly. Alonso's great and I have a lot of respect for him - maybe one day if he achieves a lot more he may come up to the level of Jackie Stewart and possibly even Jim Clark, but there's no way, on current career achievement, that he ranks above Fangio.

hey that is my comment!! I put alonso ahead of fangio because its a list of people I think are great and as I know more of Alonsos time then I put him ahead. I put Fangio 5th because I recognise his achievment. But if all 5 of those drivers were racing in the same era in the same car, at thier peaks. who do think would win?...

[onelapdown]

If they were in the same race? Senna and Prost would crash into each other, Alonso would be slow and sulking because none of the quick teams would have such a loose cannon, and Fangio would serenely lead home Clark and Stewart, because Moss was racing in another event where the money's better...

[KyrosV]

If they were in the same race? Senna and Prost would crash into each other, Alonso would be slow and sulking because none of the quick teams would have such a loose cannon, and Fangio would serenely lead home Clark and Stewart, because Moss was racing in another event where the money's better...

... damn I forgot about Jackie! hmm I would rate him pretty high up, maybe above Alonso..

[dg810]

hey, first post, and i've been a f1/mclaren fan for about 3 years (the number of australian gps ive been to as well) so don't take my word for it BUt

the way i see it is that hamilton won his title over the course of the season and clearly many people, given the final corner events, have forgotten about that.

also i dont understand the ridicule that hamilton receives. people call him dangerous and reckless when he drives for the win, now he shows discipline and you call him weak. he wins the championship and people still find a way to belittle his achievement despite bettering the performances of previous champions and experienced drivers. what more does the man have to do to prove himself?

for me though, the best part about his year has been with all the negativity that has come his way, either by his own doing (kimi pitlane incident) or the fia for example, he still managed to pull it off, with little help from his teammate as well, unlike the massa/kimi partnership.

[FJuan]

my top 5 list of greats are:

1.M Schumacher (unquestionable)
2.A Senna (maybe could of achieved more but was cut short )
3.A Prost (he proved his worth with every team he joined)
4.F Alonso (I tip him for a 3rd)
5.JM Fangio (dont know much about him but I know he was a legend of his time)

HOW THE HELL DO YOU PUT ALONSO AHEAD OF FANGIO!!!

Sorry, but that's just plain silly. Alonso's great and I have a lot of respect for him - maybe one day if he achieves a lot more he may come up to the level of Jackie Stewart and possibly even Jim Clark, but there's no way, on current career achievement, that he ranks above Fangio.

What about Brabham ahead of Alonso? For winning 3 wdc & being the only man to win the Formula One world championship driving one of his own cars.

[2eyebrows]

Compared to Schumi & Alonso, Lewis is the weakest champ of recent times.
Feel free to make your own comparisons between the 3.

A real champ would have driven for the win. Lewis didn't

Haven't read through all replies here so forgive me if this has been mentioned.
Remember Schamacher in 03 ... he needed to come 8th in the title in Japan. and he came 8th.
For me the result this year was good. Massa would have been the weakest champion (apart from that
canadian JV) He wins form pole, or turn one (as in hungary barring blowup) he's a poor racer. Good lap driver.
No Hami will be a great champ - if you saying weak Champions - well Kimi it can be said was a weak one, the
way his season floundered. Alonso did a good job as champion despite his eyebrow.
By the way, I'm a Ferrari fan but for me Massa isnt worthy. Hamilton was so well done to him.

[7UpJordan]

A real champ would have driven for the win. Lewis didn't

To be honest, Alain Prost didn't always "drive for the win" either. Take Adelaide 1986 for instance, Prost was on the verge of running out of petrol and was sure to lose the title but then Mansell's tyre burst, Piquet then had to pit and all Prost had to do was mind his fuel consumption and nurse the car Home.

[2eyebrows]

One needs to keep a mature head, him and the team had obvisously decided it was the way to go and though i thought it was the wrong approach it worked out and was a bloddy good finish to the year

[Gaz]

A real champ would have driven for the win. Lewis didn't

To be honest, Alain Prost didn't always "drive for the win" either. Take Adelaide 1986 for instance, Prost was on the verge of running out of petrol and was sure to lose the title but then Mansell's tyre burst, Piquet then had to pit and all Prost had to do was mind his fuel consumption and nurse the car Home.

This is correct He drove to win the Championship he kept his cool and went for the greater goal this is the mark of a true champion.

He also went though the whole season with very very little (if any) assistance from his teammate, wheras Massa required Kimi to swop places in China which is pathetic really.

[racechick]

One needs to keep a mature head, him and the team had obvisously decided it was the way to go and though i thought it was the wrong approach it worked out and was a bloddy good finish to the year

Lewis had no say in the strategy at all. McLaren told him to just do what they told him. He found it went against all his natural instincts but was not as bad as he thought. He now feels it is an extra string to his bow that he will be able to call on in future times.

[Gaz]

One needs to keep a mature head, him and the team had obvisously decided it was the way to go and though i thought it was the wrong approach it worked out and was a bloddy good finish to the year

Lewis had no say in the strategy at all. McLaren told him to just do what they told him. He found it went against all his natural instincts but was not as bad as he thought. He now feels it is an extra string to his bow that he will be able to call on in future times.

Yeh with all the pressure he was under he drove very well without risking any engine failures or crashes i mean he could of gone for the win only to have the engine fail on the last lap and then what would his critics be saying?

[2eyebrows]

I doubt that engine would have failed, had he been in the front of the pack he could have gone for a comfortable podium letting Mass win. McLaren's reliability has been great this year, no problems for Lewis.

And yes, it was probably so hard for Lewis to be conservative but a good experience for him considering how last year ended for him. Forza