Hamilton is so full of himself

[jido]

Some say that Lewis has too much self esteem, I think it is actually the opposite.

The expectations on him are so high that he compensates a feeling of not being able to meet them with aggressiveness (I believe that fear underlies violence). Somewhere he feels inadequate.

He is a good driver, but he needs to learn to race for himself not for his fans. Learn from Kimi, Lewis!

[RE30B#16]

Why do we care so much about arrogance on this board?

Ayrton Senna, the greatest ever, was called arrogant.

Nigel Mansell was pretty cocky (nee: arrogant) when he was racing.

Michael Schumacher always made sideways remarks about his fellow competitors. He was extremely self-assured (nee: arrogant) when he raced. (BTW: Nothing Hamilton has done so far is more shameful than the way Schumacher behaved after winning the 1994 San Marino GP knowing somewhere at that moment, Ayrton Senna lay dead or dying.)

Martin Brundle: arrogant.

Nelson Piquet: arrogant.

Niki Lauda: arrogant.

Keke (pronounced: cah-kee) Rosberg: arrogant.

No one was more arrogant when he was racing than Alan Jones!!! (He even says so in his own book!!)

Hamilton is a new F1 driver. It makes sense that he will make a mistake on track occasionally. Why haven't we been as hard on Felipe Massa who has taken many other drivers (and usually himself) out of races as he has struggled with his F1 learning curve?

As for whoever said Hamilton should learn from Kimi, he did. Now they both are world champions. Hamilton, quick study as he is, did it much faster!!

[RE30B#16]

...Alonso has proven in the past that you can win championships without being arrogant, without running drivers off the track and in a car that isn't the fastest out there...

I agree with you about Alonso, but my point is Alonso had to believe he was the best to beat the best. This is a prerequisite to success in sports (and I dare say life).

Hamilton uses the media to put the psychological kabash on his fellow competitors before the race even begins. Senna was good at this. Schumacher was even better.

In the cut-throat business of Formula 1, the nice guys may not necessarily finish last, but it is hard for them to finish first.

[Snowy]

I would just like to take issue with one thing someone said and someone else agreed with. It was stated that Alonso won his championships in a car that was not the quickest and that Lewis was driving the fastest or best car. Whilst it is always subjective, the facts are that in 2007 Fernando did not win the WDC, driving the same car as Lewis. In 2008 Heikki won one race and scored a grand total of 3 podium finishes, it should and could have been many more were it not for flaming pace cars. The fact remains though that clearly the McLaren that Lewis drove in 2007 and 2008 was not always the fastest car, indeed the Ferrari was clearly the faster car in race conditions at the majority of circuits in 2008. The fact is that Lewis made the best of a number of circumstances and opportunities that presented themselves and that is all a racing driver can do.

Constantly berating Lewis and belittling his achievements is as arrogant and misguided as Lewis's nieve statements that are usually quoted out of context and sometimes totally misquoted. In interviews Lewis is asked questions and it is easy to tell that he is not always at ease or comfortable having to think up interesting answers. Essentially he is a young man who by nature likes to be charming, witty and amusing, he likes to be liked. Unfortunately pulling off the charming, witty and amusing bit is very difficult, ask any one that has been to a job interview. Rather than constantly berating Lewis and becoming angry and inflamed and possibly dissolutioned with F1, one should remember that the hype surrounding any sportsperson is an indication of peoples asperations, hopes and dreams. We shouldn't trash one another's asperations, nor should we belittle their achievements, it is not very sporting.

[JayVee]

Why do we care so much about arrogance on this board?

Ayrton Senna, the greatest ever, was called arrogant.

Nigel Mansell was pretty cocky (nee: arrogant) when he was racing.

Michael Schumacher always made sideways remarks about his fellow competitors. He was extremely self-assured (nee: arrogant) when he raced. (BTW: Nothing Hamilton has done so far is more shameful than the way Schumacher behaved after winning the 1994 San Marino GP knowing somewhere at that moment, Ayrton Senna lay dead or dying.)

Martin Brundle: arrogant.

Nelson Piquet: arrogant.

Niki Lauda: arrogant.

Keke (pronounced: cah-kee) Rosberg: arrogant.

No one was more arrogant when he was racing than Alan Jones!!! (He even says so in his own book!!)

Hamilton is a new F1 driver. It makes sense that he will make a mistake on track occasionally. Why haven't we been as hard on Felipe Massa who has taken many other drivers (and usually himself) out of races as he has struggled with his F1 learning curve?

As for whoever said Hamilton should learn from Kimi, he did. Now they both are world champions. Hamilton, quick study as he is, did it much faster!!

RE30B#16, I think to be an F1 driver you have to have a degree of arrogance but when you start berating and belittling your teammates(using Snowy's words!) it doesn't become acceptable (in my view).

I started this topic when Hamilton started making comments about Kimi's driving forgetting how he crashed into the back of him in Canada just a few races earlier.

Almost everyone except one person of course didn't agree with me.

Then and even before he won his lucky title he claims he was as good as Senna.

Now tell me RE30B#16, did any of those arrogant drivers you list make comments like that ?

It is unsportsman and disrespectful

And Snowy, if Hamilton didn't state that he is as good as Senna, why didn't he deny it ?

[JayVee]

I would just like to take issue with one thing someone said and someone else agreed with. It was stated that Alonso won his championships in a car that was not the quickest and that Lewis was driving the fastest or best car. Whilst it is always subjective, the facts are that in 2007 Fernando did not win the WDC, driving the same car as Lewis. In 2008 Heikki won one race and scored a grand total of 3 podium finishes, it should and could have been many more were it not for flaming pace cars. The fact remains though that clearly the McLaren that Lewis drove in 2007 and 2008 was not always the fastest car, indeed the Ferrari was clearly the faster car in race conditions at the majority of circuits in 2008. The fact is that Lewis made the best of a number of circumstances and opportunities that presented themselves and that is all a racing driver can do.

Constantly berating Lewis and belittling his achievements is as arrogant and misguided as Lewis's nieve statements that are usually quoted out of context and sometimes totally misquoted. In interviews Lewis is asked questions and it is easy to tell that he is not always at ease or comfortable having to think up interesting answers. Essentially he is a young man who by nature likes to be charming, witty and amusing, he likes to be liked. Unfortunately pulling off the charming, witty and amusing bit is very difficult, ask any one that has been to a job interview. Rather than constantly berating Lewis and becoming angry and inflamed and possibly dissolutioned with F1, one should remember that the hype surrounding any sportsperson is an indication of peoples asperations, hopes and dreams. We shouldn't trash one another's asperations, nor should we belittle their achievements, it is not very sporting.

The fact is that Alonso in the same car as Hamilton was driving against his own team publicly from Hungary onwards and privately from a few races earlier. Finishing on equal points with Hamilton was a big acheivement that only someone with the determination and mental ability of Alonso could have done.

As for not trashing someone's aspirations, when someone compares themselves with Senna without any similar acheivement, that is not very sporting.
Hamilton is the one who needs to watch what he says, be sporty and respectful. We form opinions from what they do and say.

Belittling and berating, I don't think many would disagree that neither Massa or Hamilton deserved to win last year. Both made mega stuff ups and for their performances in 2008, neither were worthy champions. It was a race of who can stuff up more.
It may have been thrilling to the fans but relying on a backmarker to win a title or otherwise was the weakest, most pathetic way to win a championship. Someone had to win!

[RE30B#16]

RE30B#16, I think to be an F1 driver you have to have a degree of arrogance but when you start berating and belittling your teammates(using Snowy's words!) it doesn't become acceptable (in my view).

I started this topic when Hamilton started making comments about Kimi's driving forgetting how he crashed into the back of him in Canada just a few races earlier.

Almost everyone except one person of course didn't agree with me.

Then and even before he won his lucky title he claims he was as good as Senna.

Now tell me RE30B#16, did any of those arrogant drivers you list make comments like that ?

It is unsportsman and disrespectful

And Snowy, if Hamilton didn't state that he is as good as Senna, why didn't he deny it ?

JayVee, you can find belittling comments in the press from every driver I listed about their teammates and fellow competitors while they were competing in Formula 1. Have you forgotten the famous battle of words between Senna and Prost or Mansell and Prost? Or Schumacher and any number of other drivers? Niki Lauda and Nelson Piquet were alwas berating some driver in the press.

Finally, to call Hamilton's championship 'lucky' is downright silly. As for not denying he is as good as Senna after some wag made the statement about him only means he is perhaps not so humble at worst and extremely confident at best. So what? He made the most of the fastest car which the other driver in it didn't and now he is WDC. It is time to get over it.

[RE30B#16]

BTW:

Almost everyone except one person of course didn't agree with me.

[jacfan]

And now he is depicted in wax!! I just hope they remembered to add the wick. Anyone here want a rather large candle for their birthday cake?

[JayVee]

RE30B#16, I think to be an F1 driver you have to have a degree of arrogance but when you start berating and belittling your teammates(using Snowy's words!) it doesn't become acceptable (in my view).

I started this topic when Hamilton started making comments about Kimi's driving forgetting how he crashed into the back of him in Canada just a few races earlier.

Almost everyone except one person of course didn't agree with me.

Then and even before he won his lucky title he claims he was as good as Senna.

Now tell me RE30B#16, did any of those arrogant drivers you list make comments like that ?

It is unsportsman and disrespectful

And Snowy, if Hamilton didn't state that he is as good as Senna, why didn't he deny it ?

JayVee, you can find belittling comments in the press from every driver I listed about their teammates and fellow competitors while they were competing in Formula 1. Have you forgotten the famous battle of words between Senna and Prost or Mansell and Prost? Or Schumacher and any number of other drivers? Niki Lauda and Nelson Piquet were alwas berating some driver in the press.

Finally, to call Hamilton's championship 'lucky' is downright silly. As for not denying he is as good as Senna after some wag made the statement about him only means he is perhaps not so humble at worst and extremely confident at best. So what? He made the most of the fastest car which the other driver in it didn't and now he is WDC. It is time to get over it.

RE30B#16,

I know you don't like this topic but I have to disagree with you that all those drivers you listed berated their rivals. Of course some have but never to the degree that Hamilton went on about how Raikkonen drove last year.

As for calling Hamilton's championship lucky, well it was IMHO of course and I would have said the same if Massa had won it. I already said that I don't think either deserve to win it as both made really silly mistakes last year.
When the championship is won due to a driver in 5th place struggling to keep his car on the track, I call that lucky

And I have been over it long ago, this thread is from last year but you replied and put your point of view and I replied to it.

I just hope this year we'll have a great season with more racing and less controversary but with all these changes I somehow doubt it

[Julian Mayo]

Hambone has just met reality with a thud, and imho, does not have the grace or the character to deal with it. His team-mate is making him look silly in practice at Albert Park.

[Snowy]

Lewis Hamilton P3

Lewis Hamilton defies reality.

Reality 0 Lewis 6

[GhoGho]

Lewis Hamilton P3

Lewis Hamilton defies reality.

Reality 0 Lewis 6

This has to be an April fools comment!

Good one Snowy

[Snowy]

Lewis will continue to confound you and his critics, he is really rather good at what he does. And he is just going to keep on getting better at it.

[jacfan]

Lewis Hamilton P3

Lewis Hamilton defies reality.

Reality 0 Lewis 6

I am thinking someone is pulling on my leg.