I’d say you couldn’t make it up, but…
May 18th 2007 14:53
My joke about what the next issue of F1 Racing would have on its cover:
HAMILTON! The best driver the world has ever seen! And why he will be the first ever rookie champ!
The actual cover of the next issue of F1 Racing:
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#1 Max
May 18th 2007 15:10
I understand that the hype is becoming a little wearing, but I have a great deal of sympathy for the sentiment…
I think the point commentators are trying to make with the “best ever” theme is that he really is the first of his kind - someone selected for talent and groomed for F1, rather than someone who had the money of family connections to find their way in.
In that respect, he’s the “best prepared” - he’s had ten years of grooming by, effectively, a McLaren Academy. This is normal practice in other sports, but a revelation for F1.
#2 Jeff
May 21st 2007 14:15
I saw a documentary on the guy a year or two ago, just charting his successes in Kiddy Karting (or whatever it’s called). His level of ambition and determination is truly amazing. A British Tiger Woods for sure. There was also something about how he wrote a letter direct to Ron Woods (?) of McLaren practically begging him to take a chance on him. Turns out it was a chance well worth taking.
I think he deserves the hype, and that’s so often not the case.
Very impressed with your prediction by the way. Derren Brown isn’t your uncle or something?
#3 doctorvee
May 21st 2007 14:54
Yeah, I think the story is that Lewis Hamilton just walked straight up to Ron Dennis of McLaren and asked if he could race for McLaren one day. Ron Dennis probably said, “Ho ho, we’ll see about that!”, but obviously kept an eye on him.
For what it’s worth, I think Lewis Hamilton is great. Really, really exciting. But the point is that four races does not an F1 career make. We haven’t seen how he copes under pressure, how he drives in the wet, what happens if he makes a mistake, etc, etc.
And he is yet to win in a car that is a proven race-winner. For all this talk about how he has blown Alonso away this season, let’s not forget that Alonso has actually won a race this year.
Hamilton leads the championship by default by finishing in a safe second all the time — he won’t be able to keep that up all season.
And let’s not forget that the last person who had such an impressive début — Jacques Villeneuve — turned out to be a bit rubbish in the end.