Well we've done this already in the scorecard thread, there are plenty of laps where JB was as fast, but not when they were both definitely going for it, They had fuel to save.

In the first 5 laps they were going for it and at the end when we heard the radio that they could stop saving fuel and race.

It's quite easy to find laps to suggest Lewis isn't much faster, but when it mattered, he was. And in relation to JJCale's point, JB is a fast guy anyway, just the 2+ tenths Lewis had on him in Q3 makes Hammy seriously fast on a lap.

... never said he is not fast... just not "superfast" over a single lap. BTW JB got beat in Quali by RB last year and he also has well known tyre heating issues... I dont think 2 tenths on JB is a great achivement - however the consistency of the gap and the fact that it almost became predictable from track to track shows what LH is really about... amazing consistency.

LH has plenty of other gifts, there is no need for us to suggest that he is also the fastest guy out there over a single lap.

I can't wait to see him world champion again. My fingers are already crossed for next year!

Well define "superfast".

JB has to blame something for being behind and tyres is the obvious thing - something that is neither him nor the team. IMO he's driving the best he ever has, is getting the best setups he ever has, I don't think anyone else would put more time into him than Lewis has.

Last year don't forget Jense had Shov as his RE, a good guy but one that Schumi has kicked out, and one that completely lost it mid-season with those 3 disastrous races where they were burning the tyres up, so I don't think that's a 2+2=4 comparison with Rubens vs Hammy.

The 2 ths are the averaged result of all races
there was a stat here, where someone eleminated the most extreme results at qualifying between the top3 team team mates (Vettel/Webber, Lewis /Button, Alonso/ Massa)
and suprisingly the gap between the McLaren drivers was the biggest even without extreme results
There was even a smaller gap between Alonso & Massa

Isnt that Jenson's excuse?


McLaren were cautious with the set up


What many people fail to realise is that Kimi was running in 3rd place about a second a lap slower than Massa trying to entice Lewis into trying to pass him in order to.......? After several laps realising that Lewis wasnt going to take the bait, Kimi speeded up.

This is so brilliant!

Cautious? Hamilton is rarely cautious. Him and Mclaren were more like underdogs in Brazil 2008 and this year was no exception either. In the recent 10 years, Mclaren have only had one victory at Interlago and less than 5 podiums. It was only during the Mclaren/Newey era of the 1990s that Mclaren drivers had the car to outright storm to victory in Brazil. Hopefully, one day Lewis will have the car to win a Brazil and overcome the emotionally turbulent races he has experienced there.

Is end of next year end of Lewis's contract . I really think he'll stay . But be intresting to see who try's to get him.

No, it's 2012.

I thought in 07 he signed 5 year deal end of 11 thats his 5yr drive over?

nope he initially was signed for 1 year in 2007
then after it was clear that he is the driver for the future they signed him for 5 years from 2008, so it ends at 2012

Lewis' missus on X Factor tonight for those interested.

People dont seem to realise that the way title contenders race in the last race of the season is very atypical to how they race in the rest of the season... and that is completely to be expected in the circumstances.

FA did not make one serious attempt to go up the inside of VP this year... did he choke? no, he was just very cautious (arguably too cautious) ... as the points leader always is in the last race. The same applies to LH in 07 and 08.

It's about time Lewis and jenson did that race of champions.

Lewis is back on Twitter, yaaaayyyyyy , and he will be at the X Factor tonight.

McLaren don't allow it

Would have been a shame if Lewis obeyed the smugness of some little minds

Im sure he got lots of tweets like mine telling him not to let the haters win.

I'm happy he is back too!

Lewis spotted at X-Factor:

Jenson has done it before in 2007 & 2008 & 2009...

for
freedom of expression

I'm also happy he is back, but reading his twitter, it seems as if he has toned down the slang!

Aaaah, nice.

Jenson wasn't employed by McLaren in 2007, 2008, 2009.

Hey i've joined the forums recently although i'v been following them through the whole year. As a supporter of Lewis, and someone whon has been following F1 since 2007 it has been really interesting, to read through the whole topic history. Ive done it with a few other forums, and its always different to read initial views of hamilton, some flattering, some dismissive about hbis hopes and watch how they change to either respect or admiration, or just pure dislike with few shades of grey. In this topic the first 50-60 pages are all 2003-2010, the rest is just this year alone. Its also noticable how all the bashers start appearing in 2009, with the increased proliferation of the internet, and the fact Lewis had a dog of the car. Its also weird how the people who comment the most change, from era to era.

P.S. i know how much disregard the post 2007 watchers are held by many, especially because they are seen to have jumped on the lewis bandwagon, despite the fact that we were not all born 40 years ago, and introduced to F1 by our passionate Fathers....... but i have made sure to brush up on my F1 History

Im totally with you buddy, I started watching in 2007 and was very impressed with Lewis and am a massive fan. Before that I thought of F1 as boring like a lot of people still unfortunatly do. But F1 has become one the the biggest things in my life and Ive got books, framed pictures, and all sorts of merchandise, it also got me into racing myself and eventually after 3 years I ran the Karting society at my university. I love racing and wish I started younger.

Same here, before 2007 i had never really watched F1, and just about vaguely knew who schumacher wsa. Out of curiosity i watched Lewis's first race in Oz, and i was just blown away about how much i enjoyed watchinghim race. I think in a way he helped to get me in, because having no motorsport experience i know absolutely nothing, and because Lewis was also new, it felt like starting from scratch where i could follow someone from the beginning rather then being at the tail end of someone else's career. I watched a lot of sports, but it seemed from then that this was and is still the only sport that gets my heart pounding so much, and where i feel so much exhillaration watching him drive. He seemed like someone i could support, not because he was british, and in spite of all the pain (china, brazil0&, good bit of 2009) but because when he drives he always tries his best, never gives up, and loves to race.

F1 has also become a big part of my life after 2007 i began to pay attention to the rest of the field and all the different relationships, rivalries, politics and history. i also think its pretty sweet you started your own society at Uni, we've got nothing like that at ours, but youve certainly given me an idea, i worked at an outdoor Karting track over the summer, and took every opportunity to race them, and i agree i also wsh i started younger.

Haha i love how we both registered for the forums on the same date

Hamilton now has the no. 3 and Button the no. 4 on his car. http://www.planet-f1.com/news/3213/6549561...ton-s-number-3-
http://www.fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre/press...2011_entry.aspx

Also on his Twitter, he asked us what our favourite cars were - most said Astons apparently, but he's gone with a McLaren

http://twitter.com/IamLewis4real/status/10623764383399936

and Rosberg No. 7 on his car...

Nope.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmRpvw0Q2HU...feature=related

The moment when LH went to seek out Ron in '96 isnt capured on video so this is probably as good as it gets...

"But... imagine being in a Formula 1 car!"

Aw, how cute. Thanks for that!

Awww, Lewis was so cute back then! (he still is, of course)! Thanks for posting it.

A very smart kid

http://twitter.com/IamLewis4real

Tweets are now pretty much in English and he's gone from Gangsta to choirboy ... should please the old fart crowd but I expect he will now upset those who think "Karma" is the one true faith

I do wish he'd keep quiet about God. It's the one thing about him that bugs me, his story is so much about integration and all sorts of positive things, but religion is about division. You can never reconcile faiths, because they deny the value of evidence, the division just goes on forever. And they're all about power anyway. Not to mention the sheer stupidity of faith as a concept.

The personality changes on his twitter are fun to watch, I have to say. I guess there's more to come...

Oh dear! The guy can't make one tweet without someone find it inappropiate! BTW, religion is not about division. The problem is there's still intolerant people and they can't accept others religion or faith.

Having been here a few years, I actually think its more plausible that he grew up here and ended up a Gangsta than a Christian... Even after all this time, I am still amazed to see strident anti-religious views like yours... do you realise how intolerant you seem when you say stuff like this?

I was also pretty surprised that some journo mentioned his "faith" as sign of his inner confidence (rather than the other way round ) ... presumably since it puts him - by choice - in even more of minority than the one he was born into.

... one gains so many fascinating insights about this country from reactions to LH.

Of course religion is about division. It's the religions who can't tolerate each other. Jews for example used religion to avoid integrating into their host communities for 1,500 years, then went back and fell out with a competing religion. And they'll never merge with the Palestinians in thousands more years, even though they could all make a great community together, just because of faith. Same with Ireland, Iraq, all over the place. It's such a contrast with everything else Hammy stands for.

Oh, please tell us what he stands for! I'm confused, judging by his tweeting style he stood for something different two weeks ago?

I'm sure Lewis is sat at home worrying about the opinions people have over his twitter account.
The question is who would we rather be, the guy who over analyses what a driver says on twitter and dedicates hundred's of posts criticizing that person on a forum, or the guy who is a multi millionnaire and races fast cars for a living?? I think the evidence is there folks..

Yeah I daresay I seem intolerant about it . But then, in my considered opinion faith is a damaging thing that's given far too much respect, so intolerance is the best policy .

Anyway I'll say no more. Lots of the nicest people are religious, I appreciate. Just the idea that it snowed because of God set me off...

That's a trick question, isn't it?

The more interesting one has to be why the guy with the glorious life is so easily influenced by an army of nobodies behind a keyboard.

More like thousands...

I have to say my 1st thought was that he simply intended to write "it's" instead of "is" which would give it a far more casual meaning. But what do I know, I can't read his mind...