Lewis Hamilton 2017

There's no doubt he's a great racing driver and will without doubt go down in history as an all time great. But in my opinion as a person he's a bit of a burk. Like other high profile people he has used his fame as a platform for promoting his own ideas. Being involved in agriculture I had to laugh the other week when I read he had become a vegan because he is very concerned about the amount green house gases cows are producing and what a devastating impact eating food produced by them is having on the environment. Now I'm not going to get into the ins an outs of that statement, but it's a little hypocritical coming from a man who screams round a track endlessly in a car for no real reason other than self gratification, trails a fleet of cars, equipment and staff all over the world, flies round in a private jet and owns a collection of super cars that will be lucky if they do into double figures MPG. As an individual Lewis Hamilton is a significant detriment to the environment himself. I wish him all the luck in the world, but stick to driving and leave the politics alone.

 

He certainly seems to come across as a bit of a twat but you can't deny his ability as a racing driver. I admire his talent but I just can't warm to him.

I've never met him and obviously don't know him so can't possibly categorically state 'this man is definitely a twat' Who knows, he might be a grand lad one to one away from all the circus that goes with F1. I remember Carl Fogarty came across as a bit of a throbber during his racing days but he's a much more relaxed and fun character nowadays.

One thing I've noticed with Hamilton is that he NEVER gives his opponents any credit when they beat him. He will always come up with multiple excuses as to why HE didn't win. The strategy, the team, the tyres went off... etc. And it's based on this observation I've formed my 'he's a twat' opinion.

 

Can not deny his talent but dislike everything about him.

 

Maybe that's a head game thing. Never admit they are better than you.

Nobody is better than me at anything either but there are some really lucky feckers about!

 

One of our engineers went to work for his F1 Team. Apparently he sits in the canteen with everyone else and carries himself as "just another employee..." I dont follow f1 atall (cars dont really interest me anymore). I used to be a bit of a car nut years ago (Renault 5 Turbo) - sold it when we bought our first house so that turned into a new roof at the time. Luckily i got a job with a company car (Mondeo estate at the time). And, for 2 years i drove it with my foot on the floor everywhere. After that, anything on 4 wheels bored the shit out of me.

 

I also think he's a bit of a twat. Friends of friends in F1 say that he is as well.

As a driver he is immensely talented. He is one of the best ever at qualifying. However his conversion of pole positions to race wins isn't great (all the F1 greats have a better pole to win ratio) and his ratio of F1 race starts to wins isn't up there with the greats either. Read into that what you will. My interpretation is that he's nowhere near as good at racing as he is at qualifying. I get the impression that he is someone who can drive, but doesn't really fully understand how to manage the car's performance over the course of a race.

That is part of the psychology of winning. Never let yourself believe that any of your competitors are better than you. Also never let yourself believe that you are the reason why you didn't win.

Once you start to believe that you aren't the best and that you're the reason why you don't win you'll probably never win again. The difference in ability between those at the top of their sport is negligible. If you can gain a psychological advantage over your opponents by making them believe that you are better, then in a straight fight you'll win.

 

F1 isn’t racing. I believe you need the occasional overtake to call it racing.

 

I've yet to find successful people at the top of their game not being called twats by some. I remember watching Hunt get out of a car and within an hour be in a caravan with Barry Sheene drinking vodka and surrounded by dollybirds.

My biggest worry for F1 is if they repeat that Americaism shit they did at the Texas race, if that is the sign of things to come, Lewis being a knob will be the last of their problems.

 

To be honest many highly focused, driven, high achievers aren't that nice as people. Their lives are about winning, beating everyone else, being the best at what they do at the expense of everything else.

Before he was outed as a cheat I had been an admirer of Lance Armstrong until I read his autobiography and realised that he wasn't a nice person. I had admired Carl Fogarty as a racer, then read his autobiography and realised what a prat he was.

I doubt that Lewis Hamilton is much different.

 

I had him alongside me around several laps of one of the Bedford circuits in a Palmer JP-LM when he worked for Palmer in his formative years. Great instructor, even at that tender age, personable and all round nice guy.

 

55k for a #44 F4

His dress sense is a bit Justin Bieber

 

It can't be easy living in a media bubble where every move is scrutinized to the 'nth degree. I guess his public personality is highly managed and suppressed.

You can't disagree with his record of wins and pole positions, all the while fighting with some capable team mates. Schumacher always insisted on number one status during his career, famously blocking some quick drivers from becoming his team mates. Lewis has raced and beaten some quick drivers in the same car. He broke double world champion Alonso when he joined McLaren imo.

 

Met him at a Launch party in Knightsbridge, class bell end.
Zero time for him personally.

 

Some would say both Carl Fogarty and Lewis Hamilton are both twats. I'd agree to a certain extent. But they are twats for different reasons. I genuinely think Carl Fogarty came across as a twat because his ambition was to race and win and nothing else and he never came across well. For some attention and fame is an unwanted side effect. Carl Fogarty since retiring has realised that being 'Carl Fogarty ' is what's going to pay the bills so has mellowed and embraced the media attention for his own gain, which is fair enough and he seems to come across as a decent sort of chap nowadays. Lewis Hamilton on the other hand in my opinion has turned into a twat. When he was younger he came across well, ambitions and eager to please, but he's slowly developed a superior 'I'm great' attitude, swaggering round lapping up media attention. And now he's started picking on my cows he's a proper twat! If your reading this mum sorry for all the swearing

 

Sounds like it would have been full of down to earth people too.

 

Thats a good point. I'd put Stoner in the same bracket as Foggy: all about the racing, can't stand the publicity, comes across aloft, arrogant and a knobhead.

Hamilton comes over as believing he's the best out there and probably best ever (and he probably isn't far off really for talent) and a wannabe rapper so adopts that attitude too. Must be all that time he spends on yachts.

 

Jenson Button , now there's a likable bloke, Lewis...Erm....No !!

 

No even close to the same league. In fact, barely in the same race.

 

Yeah, but still a nice bloke, and former world champion. Lewis just a boring self absorbed soulless tit IMO.... Laters, getting the bike out