Driver Of The Day British Gp

[Sato 0]

I noticed a headline on a site earlier where it implied Hamilton was practically copying Alonso's car at every race... He'll be screwed if that stops, by the looks of things....

[Karta 0]

I noticed a headline on a site earlier where it implied Hamilton was practically copying Alonso's car at every race... He'll be screwed if that stops, by the looks of things....

That reminds me year or so ago article where Piquet said similar thing about Mansell. Not sure if it was about car setup or improving car during testing. Not sure if that was true anyways

[AleHop 0]

That reminds me year or so ago article where Piquet said similar thing about Mansell. Not sure if it was about car setup or improving car during testing. Not sure if that was true anyways

It has been Hamilton who has admitted he has been copying Alonso's set-up... He invented a diferent one yesterday and I bet he is going to grab Alonso's set-up from now on... again!

[Fed up 0]

Maybe true but he has had the least problems of the top drivers as well.

Q. It must be a new experience being 36 seconds down on the guy in front; do you feel yourself lucky to be on the podium?

LH: I wouldn't say it's luck. Obviously we worked extremely hard this weekend. I think we made a wrong decision, or I made a wrong decision with the set-up. I chose a different rear end to Fernando and I think it really caused me problems during the race.

Q. (Anne Giuntini – L'Equipe) To Lewis: you said you had a different rear end to Fernando. Do you usually have the same type of set-up?

LH: Yeah, we usually have a very similar car. But it was slightly different this weekend. Normally it is not exactly the same but near enough the same.

You can look at this in 2 ways; the glass is half empty i.e LH copies Nando's set up blah blah - Or the glass is half full and he is able to beat a WDC in the same car and the same set up.

Lewis is a rookie and obviously needs guidance in terms of set up if he is to compete at the highest level. Dont forget he has had very little testing mileage compared to the likes of Kovy, Nando, Piquet, Kubica, Vettel, Davidson etc etc.

When he learns the intricacies of tailored set up I am sure he will be a lot faster.

The impression that I am getting is that a lot of people are putting undue pressure and expectation on Lewis' young shoulders. The ITV coverage is nauseating and some are measuring Lewis as if he is a seasoned pro - He is not! This time last year he was in GP2 now he is leading the WDC by 12 points at the half way stage and out performing his very experienced and capable team mate.

For me, If Lewis doesn't score another point for the rest of the season he will have exceeded my expectations and had an incredible season. Let's get some perspective people.

Phew!

[Max Mosley 2]

Yup, I agree entirely Fed Up. Lewis has done extremely well. Regarding set-up, it's hardly surprising a rookie who has never worked as a test driver needs some help. To me this suggests that there's plenty of room for Lewis to improve, because presumably 'Nando's set-up isn't perfect for Lewis, given they do have different driving styles.

[AleHop 0]

Let's get some perspective people.

Phew!

That's perspective too.

Different one!

[MALIBUMAN 0]

238 loons voted for Lewis on the ITV site.

I'm voting for FM

[Max Mosley 2]

I agree with Piotr on Bob. I think he (Bob, not Piotr) would probably be my driver of the day, assuming Nick didn't have any problems.

[Schumikonen 2]

I just can't believe this FA'S fans voting for him as driver of the day.

[AleHop 0]

I just can't believe this FA'S fans voting for him as driver of the day.

If Hamilton got 2 points I think Alonso deserves 8.

[Kati 0]

OK, one question (and call me bias, I don't care) How can you so swiftly dismiss ANYTHING that Kubica does??? When heidfeldt defended his position, most of you were full of praises, when he uotperformed Kubica, you concluded that he has the best year of his carrier. When when Kubica does the same, AGAIN you simply dismiss his accomplishments. He defended for 13 (not 9) laps his position against a driver with more experience and a car that's possibly up to a second/lap faster. He WON that duel, and youy chose the more experienced driver in a better car for a driver of the day? Are you watching the same races I do???

BTW - Kudos to the Quiet One for actually noticing Kubica's effort. Call me crazy, but in a couple of years, with a decent car, he WILL challenge for the championship.

Actually I agree with him. Flipper didn't try to overtake Kubi as much as he could. He tried it once, maybe twice. You can't compare that to Nick vs. Fernando in French GP... (Ok, Nick lost, but that's REAL attack) Kubi's efforts were great yet not THAT brilliant. Was a good race for Kubi, and I think he deserves credits for outpacing Nick but that's all.

Also, this is the best year of Nick's career. I don't think he could say this was the best year of Kubi's career when he didn't have an entire season. So I don't think he said it to 'dismiss' Kubi's efforts.

I agree with Piotr on Bob. I think he (Bob, not Piotr) would probably be my driver of the day, assuming Nick didn't have any problems.

I can't say Nick has no problems on back anymore, simply cus he didnt say so. But I think he's lying again hehe Otherwise he wouldn't say he'll seat out this week's Spa tests to take care of this problem. (Not also saying that that's an excuse for his poor result)

[Autumnpuma 0]

You are wrong of course. Lewis is by far the man of the season so far. He has made the least mistakes out of the top drivers and has the highest qualifying position on the grid, not to mention 9 consecutive podium finishes. Only Kimi has more race wins in a car that is half a second faster than the Mclarens and his team mate has suffered bad luck so far.

Get some perspective, man. Hami has one bad race, comes 3rd and now everyone is abandoning him. The fickleness of F1 fans huh?

Sometimes I'm wrong, but not here and not now. I'll explain myself and hope you understand that explanation. Michael Schumacher won so many GPs because of one simple-sounding, but hard to accomplish thing: Driving fast in and out laps. It was by doing this that he was nigh unbeatable.

The only man on the grid that has learned to do this is Kimi. Though Hamilton (whom I support, but not to the detriment of logic) has done a fantastic job so far, it's Kimi that has found the Golden Key of winning.

I shall ever be a Hamilton fan, but I will not be unreasonable when evaluating him, or the other drivers.

As for getting perspective, I think I have enough to cover us both.

[lukeB 0]

Tough decision this one, have to go with Kimi I suppose, still didn't manahe to bring a smile from him though. Massa did well, a lot better than Alonso a week ago, but should have had more of a go at Kubica I reckon.

And why is everyone having a go at Hamilton just because of 1 bad result? It's not even a bad result, 3rd place, 6 points.

[Quiet One 15]

Tough decision this one, have to go with Kimi I suppose, still didn't manahe to bring a smile from him though. Massa did well, a lot better than Alonso a week ago, but should have had more of a go at Kubica I reckon.

And why is everyone having a go at Hamilton just because of 1 bad result? It's not even a bad result, 3rd place, 6 points.

Nobody is "having a go" at Hamilton. In fact, had it been Kimi, Massa, or Alonso who had the race Lewis had, the vitriol level would have been much higher. Everybody still recognize his merits which is a lot more generous than any other driver would have had in the same circumstances.

BTW, Lewis made a huge mistake this race. It was not the pitstop "moment". He didn't test at Silverstone in June, he had a day off. Alonso, meanwhile, tested the car there. And here comes Lewis REAL mistake: he did not use FA's setup for the car and used an alternative one instead. Like he later admitted, he should have used Alonso's. A reminder that he is human after all!

[AleHop 0]

A reminder that he is human after all!

And he is not able to find a good set-up on his own.

[dribbler 6]

Sometimes I'm wrong, but not here and not now. I'll explain myself and hope you understand that explanation. Michael Schumacher won so many GPs because of one simple-sounding, but hard to accomplish thing: Driving fast in and out laps. It was by doing this that he was nigh unbeatable.

The only man on the grid that has learned to do this is Kimi. Though Hamilton (whom I support, but not to the detriment of logic) has done a fantastic job so far, it's Kimi that has found the Golden Key of winning.

I shall ever be a Hamilton fan, but I will not be unreasonable when evaluating him, or the other drivers.

As for getting perspective, I think I have enough to cover us both.

To say that Kimi is your man of the season because he is emulating Michael's ability to do fast in laps and out laps is a weak reason, in my opinion. He has been inconsistent this year so far compared to Lewis.

On the whole, Lewis has done the better job. Do i agree that Lewis needs to develop the pit stop speed too? Of course. I would also say though that although this is a learned ability, conversely Lewis has been teaching Kimi a thing or two himself. The in lap and out lap speed is vital, but only when you are dead tied to your opponent. If you have been ragged all race and therefore nowhere near, that ability is worthless.

My driver of the day was Massa. His overtakes were intelligent and well judged. He displayed measured aggresion and showed just how much he has learned in the last couple of seasons. I believe that Kimi would have beaten him though, all things being equal. Kimi didn't have to work too hard for the win. Felipe had to drive his nuts off for fifth.

[Max Mosley 2]

I can't say Nick has no problems on back anymore, simply cus he didnt say so. But I think he's lying again hehe Otherwise he wouldn't say he'll seat out this week's Spa tests to take care of this problem. (Not also saying that that's an excuse for his poor result)

Well, I read in Blick that his "back problems" were simply an excuse to sit out the tests this week so that Patricia could give him another of her famous massages. Either that or the problems arose from something else she did. My German isn't so good... You might like the link for you site.

As for getting perspective, I think I have enough to cover us both.

You have far too much perspective here Mike. Don't be so generous to the lazy Finn.

BTW, Lewis made a huge mistake this race. It was not the pitstop "moment". He didn't test at Silverstone in June, he had a day off. Alonso, meanwhile, tested the car there. And here comes Lewis REAL mistake: he did not use FA's setup for the car and used an alternative one instead. Like he later admitted, he should have used Alonso's. A reminder that he is human after all!

Yes. Hopefully he won't be having a day off for a while again! And it is pretty risky to not test at a track just before the race, then not take your vastly more experienced team mate's advice on technical issues.

To say that Kimi is your man of the season because he is emulating Michael's ability to do fast in laps and out laps is a weak reason, in my opinion. He has been inconsistent this year so far compared to Lewis.

On the whole, Lewis has done the better job. Do i agree that Lewis needs to develop the pit stop speed too? Of course. I would also say though that although this is a learned ability, conversely Lewis has been teaching Kimi a thing or two himself. The in lap and out lap speed is vital, but only when you are dead tied to your opponent. If you have been ragged all race and therefore nowhere near, that ability is worthless.

Yeah I agree. The in-/out-laps of Schumi were only one part of his genius. He did everything else very well too, whereas so far this year Kimi has been a disappointment overall.

[Autumnpuma 0]

To say that Kimi is your man of the season because he is emulating Michael's ability to do fast in laps and out laps is a weak reason, in my opinion. He has been inconsistent this year so far compared to Lewis.

On the whole, Lewis has done the better job. Do i agree that Lewis needs to develop the pit stop speed too? Of course. I would also say though that although this is a learned ability, conversely Lewis has been teaching Kimi a thing or two himself. The in lap and out lap speed is vital, but only when you are dead tied to your opponent. If you have been ragged all race and therefore nowhere near, that ability is worthless.

My driver of the day was Massa. His overtakes were intelligent and well judged. He displayed measured aggresion and showed just how much he has learned in the last couple of seasons. I believe that Kimi would have beaten him though, all things being equal. Kimi didn't have to work too hard for the win. Felipe had to drive his nuts off for fifth.

I see your point and can't argue too strongly against it. Lewis has done a fantastic job. Kimi has many faults and has not performed well so far, but I think his, and only his, ability to emulate Michael won him Silverstone. That same ability will win him many, many more. I rate Kimi as driver of the year based on that potential. Lewis and Alonso and every other driver will lose races to Kimi until they can also emulate Michael.

Yeah I agree. The in-/out-laps of Schumi were only one part of his genius. He did everything else very well too, whereas so far this year Kimi has been a disappointment overall.

So given that Kimi still has all his faults from this season, but has gained the ability to run Schumacher in and out laps, and with that won Silverstone, I would imagine that this ability is worth more than Kimi's faults. I hope the logic came through there....

[Max Mosley 2]

So given that Kimi still has all his faults from this season, but has gained the ability to run Schumacher in and out laps, and with that won Silverstone, I would imagine that this ability is worth more than Kimi's faults. I hope the logic came through there....

Well, it sounds like the sort of sentence I write. (So that's a no!) Anyway, I think Kimi just won because of his car yesterday. I agree he has potential, but so do Lewis and a few others, and in terms of actual success achieved this year so far, I don't think Kimi stands out either. He's only ahead of Massa due to Massa's general ineptitude (getting disqualified, running off track etc).

[suomenpankki 0]

Kimi got my vote! and what Autumnpuma said about in and out laps being the golden key is exact what i think also.

[Fed up 0]

I see your point and can't argue too strongly against it. Lewis has done a fantastic job. Kimi has many faults and has not performed well so far, but I think his, and only his, ability to emulate Michael won him Silverstone. That same ability will win him many, many more. I rate Kimi as driver of the year based on that potential. Lewis and Alonso and every other driver will lose races to Kimi until they can also emulate Michael.

So given that Kimi still has all his faults from this season, but has gained the ability to run Schumacher in and out laps, and with that won Silverstone, I would imagine that this ability is worth more than Kimi's faults. I hope the logic came through there....

Puma, surely you know that all of the top drivers have the ability to post fast lap times at crucial points in the race. Alonso is very adept at this and Lewis' outlaps were amongst the fastest at all of the circuits bar Silverstone. To say that Kimi is the only driver capable of this is just naive IMHO.

The great Michael was a proponent of this tactic and used it to devastating effect against faster cars. Kimi's car was half a second faster than Alonso's, so logic would dictate that provided he drove to the capability of the car he would leap frog Alonso given a clear track.

I dont doubt Kimi's ability, I just find it strange that based on 2 races where his car has been significantly faster than the others you choose to laud him as the next best thing.

What happened in Monaco for example.

[dribbler 6]

The great Michael was a proponent of this tactic and used it to devastating effect against faster cars. Kimi's car was half a second faster than Alonso's, so logic would dictate that provided he drove to the capability of the car he would leap frog Alonso given a clear track.

Couldn't agree more. The ability to beat faster cars through canny race craft was certainly Michael's gift. Winning when your car is the best anyway is not so worthy. The latter was true, in my opinion, for Kimi at Silverstone.

[Kati 0]

Well, I read in Blick that his "back problems" were simply an excuse to sit out the tests this week so that Patricia could give him another of her famous massages. Either that or the problems arose from something else she did. My German isn't so good... You might like the link for you site.

I shouldn't have teached you the way to poor Swiss info hehe Anyways I actually thought at first that it was an excuse to watch out her for the baby. May born at any week from now on, I think...

[Max Mosley 2]

Oh, so it's Patricia who should be getting back problems then. Men! Just because we can't get pregnant we feel left out. He'll be moaning about his morning sickness next.

And yeah, I prefer das Bild. The photography is a joy to behold in that quality publication.

[Autumnpuma 0]

Well, it sounds like the sort of sentence I write. (So that's a no!) Anyway, I think Kimi just won because of his car yesterday. I agree he has potential, but so do Lewis and a few others, and in terms of actual success achieved this year so far, I don't think Kimi stands out either. He's only ahead of Massa due to Massa's general ineptitude (getting disqualified, running off track etc).

Puma, surely you know that all of the top drivers have the ability to post fast lap times at crucial points in the race. Alonso is very adept at this and Lewis' outlaps were amongst the fastest at all of the circuits bar Silverstone. To say that Kimi is the only driver capable of this is just naive IMHO.

The great Michael was a proponent of this tactic and used it to devastating effect against faster cars. Kimi's car was half a second faster than Alonso's, so logic would dictate that provided he drove to the capability of the car he would leap frog Alonso given a clear track.

I dont doubt Kimi's ability, I just find it strange that based on 2 races where his car has been significantly faster than the others you choose to laud him as the next best thing.

What happened in Monaco for example.

Kimi needed to make up a certain amount of time to steal 1st from Alonso. He did it and gained 1st. That wasn't the car, it was Kimi...doing exactly what Michael would have done. IF he can do that each race Kimi will win again and again and again.

Saying that all the top drivers can post fast lap time at crucial points in the race is incorrect. Once or twice, perhaps, but nobody could do it on demand, each race of a season. That was what made Michael unique. That is what gave him so many wins. He was able to, at Brawn's request, pull out blindingly fast laps in order to overtake the competition. Good as Alonso is, he proved unable to do that last season and continues to prove unable to do that. It is not all down to the car. Saying that seems to me an excuse to get out of thinking about all the variables involved.

EDIT: My estimation of each driver is fluid and based on current performance; don't expect me to bash Kimi out of hand...I bash when warranted and praise when due. Kimi has unlocked half of Michael's secret and now we will see if he can unlock the other part: consistency.

EDIT 2:Took out the arrogant parts....sheesh I'm full of myself today...