- 05 Nov 08, 18:53#79213
Is Lewis Hamilton All the English Media Say He Is?
by Paul Heffernan
"
It shows the true character of a man by the way he acts under pressure.
The great ones go into a special place, dig deep, and produce brilliance, while the pretenders run off at the mouth with excuses and end up cracking.
F1 is a place where the pressure is huge, where the blatantly biased media will say anything for a story.
To say that Hamilton is a megastar in England is an understatement. The English media have built him up to be the greatest ever, with common references to the great Tiger Woods.
That particular reference is uncalled for and most inaccurate, one of many from the English media. Still, that is another article, that is aimed more at the English media, than the topic at hand Lewis Hamilton.
In Sunday's race at the iconic Mt Fuji, Japan, with a hot title chase in the mix, the complexities of an entire season were demonstrated in one afternoon.
As such, it is a perfect opportunity to look at the man in question and examine him under pressure.
How did he respond before, during and after the race, are his responses in harmony with the picture of him painted by the English media?
Hamilton had a seven-point lead of his main rival, Felipe Massa. His car had been dominant all year in wet and damp conditions, while the Ferrari, which at time was faster than the McLaren that Hamilton drives, was at a clear disadvantage in anything but dry conditions.
Qualifying saw Hamilton live up to his hype as he won the pole with ease, while his rival struggled to find grip and was buried down in fifth place.
With a pole that was hailed by McLaren's team principle as best ever, the stage was set for a race that should see Hamilton increase on his lead over Massa. All he needed to do, was stay out of trouble and in front of Massa.
This would appear to be an easy task for one who is hailed as the next great one. A side note: during last years title chase, Hamilton's first, he threw the title away over the last three races.
This he did with errors that were not those of one destined for greatness. The English media, put it down to his being a rookie, which was not altogether true, as he was a seasoned performer, who had raced for more than 10 years.
As the red lights went off, things for the guy on the pole were a comedy of errors. First, he lost the start to Kimi Raikkonen and Hamilton's teammate, Heikki Kovalainen.
Then, in a dash of madness, he drove down the inside trying to slide in under Kimi Raikkonen. This action was so silly, it is the type of action that is only seen by the most inexperienced of drivers. He very nearly brought down half the field and did in fact ruin the race for some.
It's clearly not what the great ones would have done in the same circumstance, they saved that kind of action for one-on-one actions against their main rivals.
So for the second year in a row, the driver in question did not live up to the hype and put his title chase into jeopardy.
Two laps after the debacle, Felipe Massa was involved in a racing skirmish with Hamilton, one that saw the Mercedes driver spinning and being relegated to last place. Stewards later gave both drivers a penalty, for their part in the two incidents mentioned.
After which, the two drivers found themselves at the rear of the field, one driver raced through from the back and into the points, while the other floundered at the tail end.
An exciting day to say the least, one of emotion, some great racing, silly mistakes and great pressure. So how did our driver in question handle the day, did he live up to the hype?
Was his day the one legends are made of, or did he crumble? The following is a report card on his day with attached comments:
1: PATIENCE F
His drive into the first corner was not the sign of a great driver going for the title. Rather, it was that of an impetuous kid rushing to open Christmas presents. Never seen a great make this kind of a silly move.
2: RESOLVE F
As soon as he was at the back of the field, he lost interest and was more interested in finding an excuse for being there, than digging his way out. That's something Schumacher, Prost, and Senna would never have done.
3: ATTITUDE F
The best way to see the attitude of the great ones is in defeat. They say very little, acknowledge their mistakes and move on. Hamilton, had more to say in defeat, than most have in victory. A few of his comments include;
"I'm still leading and we are going to win. My belief is as strong as ever. "I'll learn from this and move on."
Then of course we have the silly side of him, where he make statements about Massa that are absurd. When talking about the get-together, he said, "I think that was pretty much as deliberate as can be."
The logical question, why would Massa deliberately knock off Hamilton, when it could have a far greater impact on Felipe?
So we have according to the English media a superstar, one who is destined to become the greatest ever. Yet the litmus test shows another side.
It shows a man who is impulsive, impatient, one who cannot handle the pressure it takes to be the best, a young man who clearly does not think when on the track.
The last point is above all others the clearest indictment against Lewis Hamilton's bid for greatness, as all the great ones were known for being great thinkers.
"
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/6817 ... -say-he-is
Nice one, a little different then what we constantly hear from the English media......
by Paul Heffernan
"
It shows the true character of a man by the way he acts under pressure.
The great ones go into a special place, dig deep, and produce brilliance, while the pretenders run off at the mouth with excuses and end up cracking.
F1 is a place where the pressure is huge, where the blatantly biased media will say anything for a story.
To say that Hamilton is a megastar in England is an understatement. The English media have built him up to be the greatest ever, with common references to the great Tiger Woods.
That particular reference is uncalled for and most inaccurate, one of many from the English media. Still, that is another article, that is aimed more at the English media, than the topic at hand Lewis Hamilton.
In Sunday's race at the iconic Mt Fuji, Japan, with a hot title chase in the mix, the complexities of an entire season were demonstrated in one afternoon.
As such, it is a perfect opportunity to look at the man in question and examine him under pressure.
How did he respond before, during and after the race, are his responses in harmony with the picture of him painted by the English media?
Hamilton had a seven-point lead of his main rival, Felipe Massa. His car had been dominant all year in wet and damp conditions, while the Ferrari, which at time was faster than the McLaren that Hamilton drives, was at a clear disadvantage in anything but dry conditions.
Qualifying saw Hamilton live up to his hype as he won the pole with ease, while his rival struggled to find grip and was buried down in fifth place.
With a pole that was hailed by McLaren's team principle as best ever, the stage was set for a race that should see Hamilton increase on his lead over Massa. All he needed to do, was stay out of trouble and in front of Massa.
This would appear to be an easy task for one who is hailed as the next great one. A side note: during last years title chase, Hamilton's first, he threw the title away over the last three races.
This he did with errors that were not those of one destined for greatness. The English media, put it down to his being a rookie, which was not altogether true, as he was a seasoned performer, who had raced for more than 10 years.
As the red lights went off, things for the guy on the pole were a comedy of errors. First, he lost the start to Kimi Raikkonen and Hamilton's teammate, Heikki Kovalainen.
Then, in a dash of madness, he drove down the inside trying to slide in under Kimi Raikkonen. This action was so silly, it is the type of action that is only seen by the most inexperienced of drivers. He very nearly brought down half the field and did in fact ruin the race for some.
It's clearly not what the great ones would have done in the same circumstance, they saved that kind of action for one-on-one actions against their main rivals.
So for the second year in a row, the driver in question did not live up to the hype and put his title chase into jeopardy.
Two laps after the debacle, Felipe Massa was involved in a racing skirmish with Hamilton, one that saw the Mercedes driver spinning and being relegated to last place. Stewards later gave both drivers a penalty, for their part in the two incidents mentioned.
After which, the two drivers found themselves at the rear of the field, one driver raced through from the back and into the points, while the other floundered at the tail end.
An exciting day to say the least, one of emotion, some great racing, silly mistakes and great pressure. So how did our driver in question handle the day, did he live up to the hype?
Was his day the one legends are made of, or did he crumble? The following is a report card on his day with attached comments:
1: PATIENCE F
His drive into the first corner was not the sign of a great driver going for the title. Rather, it was that of an impetuous kid rushing to open Christmas presents. Never seen a great make this kind of a silly move.
2: RESOLVE F
As soon as he was at the back of the field, he lost interest and was more interested in finding an excuse for being there, than digging his way out. That's something Schumacher, Prost, and Senna would never have done.
3: ATTITUDE F
The best way to see the attitude of the great ones is in defeat. They say very little, acknowledge their mistakes and move on. Hamilton, had more to say in defeat, than most have in victory. A few of his comments include;
"I'm still leading and we are going to win. My belief is as strong as ever. "I'll learn from this and move on."
Then of course we have the silly side of him, where he make statements about Massa that are absurd. When talking about the get-together, he said, "I think that was pretty much as deliberate as can be."
The logical question, why would Massa deliberately knock off Hamilton, when it could have a far greater impact on Felipe?
So we have according to the English media a superstar, one who is destined to become the greatest ever. Yet the litmus test shows another side.
It shows a man who is impulsive, impatient, one who cannot handle the pressure it takes to be the best, a young man who clearly does not think when on the track.
The last point is above all others the clearest indictment against Lewis Hamilton's bid for greatness, as all the great ones were known for being great thinkers.
"
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/6817 ... -say-he-is
Nice one, a little different then what we constantly hear from the English media......
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