2015 Formula 1 British Grand Prix

Peasantslayer
Vettel is definitely more likeable now.
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The thing about Vettel is that when he was at Red Bull, he was in an environment that was built around him in every conceivable way, and so there was a real perception that his success was down to the team. But now that he's joined Ferrari, he has lost those support structures, and yet is still enjoying success - and I think that's what people like to see. Hamilton went through the same thing in 2009; he had enjoyed phenomenal success in 2007 and 2008, but he had never really had a bad car until 2009, and it brought out a side of him that needed to be seen because bad cars bring out the best in good drivers.

In a perfect world, a driver's popularity would be directly proportional to his talent. But as is so often the case, there is so much more in play - like the way the driver interacts with the team, with other drivers, with the media and with fans. We know that the drivers are almost superhuman, but at the same time, we want them to be relatable. We want them to have qualities that are in line with our values. It's why Vettel won four titles, but still couldn't get the respect of the fans. It's why Hamilton wins two titles, but is unpopular because of the way his fans treat non-fans.
 
I don't think Hamilton is that unpopular, i think that is just a misconception from the internet.

I do think Germans are unfairly treated in F1 though, only Hulkenburg seems to escape it, but he hasn't had any success yet to be hated.
 
Ryk
Alonso just turned into Button - what a git!
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Ericsson got a bit wide into Turn 3, forcing Grosjean to cut left. However, Maldonado, who was on the outside, was turning in, and so they touched. Button was behind them and was likewise forced to go left to avoid contact, whilst Alonso was in the same position as Maldonado, trying to duck into the apex to get out of the line of fire.
 
Maldonado really should not have a super licence.


The rain that was at silverstone has just started here... it actually is quite a bit... More than it looked like on the TV
 
Ryk
Shame Alonso rammed "Our Jens" out of the race. What actually happened to start that mess up on lap 1?
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Ryk
Alonso just turned into Button - what a git!
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Alonso was simply trying to avoid the fracas in front of him.

All started when Ricciardo got a bad start and fell through the order... he was clawing his way back up, saw an opening in turn three and went for it... caused the chain reaction that took Button out.

Danny did say sorry after the race. :D

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Lewis Lewis Lewis... the long and short of it is: He's a pretty talented driver, perhaps one of the three or four best on the current grid. And also one of the better wheel-to-wheel fighters, as well. But he's also emotional, sometimes rash, and terrible at pit strategy. At least he doesn't shunt other drivers once every three races, anymore.

I've never understood Vettel hate. He's arguably a very talented driver. The season against Ricciardo was difficult, but it's understandable for a driver who's spent years mastering one style of driving and being dominant with it to struggle when he finds out he can't do exactly that, anymore. I'd liken it to learning how to bicycle backwards... but it's not such a simple comparison. He's shown great wheel-to-wheel acumen in his fight with Ricciardo, but the car simply didn't suit him, and his full-race pace suffered. He's in a much better place at Ferrari now.

I don't get the hate for either of them. Don't see much hype. Then again, here in Asia, everybody knows the greatest driver on the grid is Alonso. :D
 
Between Maldonado and Grosjean being attracted to other cars. I think Lotus should be considered a threat to your race.
 
I think the most disappointed guy out there (aside from Bottas, Button, Ricciardo and... well... everyone who didn't finish) has got to be Nico.

He had Lewis. He had him by two seconds a lap before that last stop. But the luck of Lewis pitting right as the rain came down gave Lewis enough of a cushion to build a good lead by the time Nico made his. Maybe Lewis would have been faster in the wet, anyway, but if the rain had come two or three laps later, Nico would have won.
 
Great BBC interview with Lewis H with the old Gold Trophy. He understands his place in history
"My name along side all the greats, Clark, Brabham... Who put DC on here? - Johnny Herbert? Is this a joke trophy?"
 
The reason most people who hate Hamilton hate Hamilton is because he got put straight into a championship-winning car in his first season in F1. It all kinda spirals from there - people hate success and they hate it more when it seems to come undeserved, as you know Hamilton did chuff all but karting aged 6 before getting an F1 drive aged 22...


Personally I don't like him because he's a nob who, like a startling number of similarly-paid and similar age Premier League footballers, seems far more interested in being part of rap/new R&B culture (which is itself a profession fair bristling with utter dongpirates like Kanye) than doing the day job.
 
prisonermonkeys
I don't think that this incident was really a clear-cut case of driver wrongdoing. And if it was, then Ericsson and Grosjean are the most at fault. If Maldonado turned in on them, that's because he was following the circuit.
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That is true, it wasn't as clear as him being in the wrong. BUT he does tend to be in the thick of it most the time...
 
niky
I think the most disappointed guy out there (aside from Bottas, Button, Ricciardo and... well... everyone who didn't finish) has got to be Nico.

He had Lewis. He had him by two seconds a lap before that last stop. But the luck of Lewis pitting right as the rain came down gave Lewis enough of a cushion to build a good lead by the time Nico made his. Maybe Lewis would have been faster in the wet, anyway, but if the rain had come two or three laps later, Nico would have won.
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I think leading on dry tyres in changing conditions is a big weakness of Lewis, I seem to remember Button catching him in Brazil pretty quickly when they were at Mclaren.
 
Famine
The reason most people who hate Hamilton hate Hamilton is because he got put straight into a championship-winning car in his first season in F1.
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I admit that I did at first, but 2009 changed my mind about him because he had to rise up and lead the team.

The best example I can give of why I don't like Hamilton is in the GP2 and GP3 races today. This being the British Grand Prix, there was naturally a focus on the British drivers. But there was suddenly this cult of personality around them - they were all suddenly in contention for podium finishes, even though anyone who was only half paying attention could tell that it wouldn't happen. It's like that for Hamilton in every single race, and any sort of objectivity from the commentators goes out the window. I appreciate that they are calling the race for a British audience first and foremost, but if Hamilton was as good as the commentators made him out to be, then he'd be a lap ahead before the first round of stops. And like I said, Hamilton fans have surpassed Raikkonen fans in their blind dedication to him - at their absolute worst, Hamilton can do no wrong and anyone who says otherwise is treated the same way as a Russian opposition party. It takes a hell of a lot of the fun out of things when you're viewed with suspicion and subversion just because you don't support a particular driver.
 
I'm a huge Hamilton fan. Though i can't stand rap/new R&B culture (i do love hip hop). I don't think i could ever hate on someone because of their music taste, but everyone's different i guess..
 
Nessy
I'm a huge Hamilton fan. Though i can't stand rap/new R&B culture (i do love hip hop). I don't think i could ever hate on someone because of their music taste, but everyone's different i guess..
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I don't think Famine meant the whole rap/new RnB culture as in music tastes.
 
prisonermonkeys
I admit that I did at first, but 2009 changed my mind about him because he had to rise up and lead the team.

The best example I can give of why I don't like Hamilton is in the GP2 and GP3 races today. This being the British Grand Prix, there was naturally a focus on the British drivers. But there was suddenly this cult of personality around them - they were all suddenly in contention for podium finishes, even though anyone who was only half paying attention could tell that it wouldn't happen. It's like that for Hamilton in every single race, and any sort of objectivity from the commentators goes out the window. I appreciate that they are calling the race for a British audience first and foremost, but if Hamilton was as good as the commentators made him out to be, then he'd be a lap ahead before the first round of stops. And like I said, Hamilton fans have surpassed Raikkonen fans in their blind dedication to him - at their absolute worst, Hamilton can do no wrong and anyone who says otherwise is treated the same way as a Russian opposition party. It takes a hell of a lot of the fun out of things when you're viewed with suspicion and subversion just because you don't support a particular driver.
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Commentators are not that bad, slightly leaning maybe but certainly not at the level it was in the ITV days.

it was getting to the point that is basically pointless of them commentating if Hamilton wasn't winning as they would have Zero interest otherwise.
 
prisonermonkeys
And people wonder why I don't like Hamilton. I'm not British, so I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid, but every other week, I get Hamilton's supposed brilliance rammed down my throat. In terms of actual performances, he was probably about fourth-best today; Rosberg, Bottas and Massa all out-performed him in terms of racecraft.
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I don't think there were any stand out performers from the four you mentioned. Hamilton kept his nose clean in the tricky conditions (but was slower than Rosberg before pitting for inters), then he (and Vettel) made what turned out to be a great call on strategy - one which Rosberg admitted he thought was wrong at the time. Otherwise, the Williams and Merc pairs were fairly closely matched all day.

Race craft wise, all of the front four were far from perfect:
- Hamilton was determined in trying to regain position from Bottas at the start, but you could argue that Bottas left the door wide open.
- Massa did well to defend from Hamilton at the safety car restart, but a) allowing Hamilton to be so close suggests Massa didn't make a good job of the restart in the first place, and b) Hamilton's over-enthusiasm and subsequent mistake made it easier for him to defend.
- Rosberg showed a lack of aggression in failing to pass Hamilton after his mistake, and was also hung out to dry when trying to pass Bottas later on - a move which he eventually made stick due to a (tiny) error from Bottas in the rain. He then went on to pass Massa fairly cleanly.
- Massa left the door too open for Rosberg when Nico gained second towards the end. Otherwise, he had little else to do in terms of race craft, unless holding up Bottas in the opening stint counts.

Claiming Hamilton was noticeably worse than the other three seems unjustified. I know you don't like the guy, but you're being just as bad as the English presenters that irritate you so much.
 

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