S'Pimp

addicted to Prodrive
who drives for this team? if any!

450SEL6.9

For a team that supposedly practices only equality, what Hamilton needs is not particularly relevant. If they bring in a fearless driver that is always on the limit because he helps the other driver in the team, then what brand of equality are they really preaching?

I disagree about Heikki. He can't do much in that car and still had some spirited drives this season. The one race where he was on the podium, he said he got a peculiar message from a certain Charlie Whiting to not get close to Hamilton at the restart. I think that incident should be investigated in the off-season. If he was allowed to tuck up right behind Hamilton and race him into the first corner, perhaps his hunger would have been displayed for all to see.

He's not a ra-ra type of driver, but I haven't seen anything that says he's not hungry. He finished every race until the crash in Brazil, even though he was really only fighting for bottom few points position most of the time. That's not a lack of hunger IMO. For a team that lost the reigning two-time WDC and car developer extraordinaire, Kovalainen's near achievement was very impressive.

S'Pimp

Ham and his Father prefer Sutil ;
in many cases proclaimed

Bartek Sikorski

Alonso: Why I quit McLaren

Fernando Alonso has lifted the lid on his decision to quit McLaren after only one season.
The 26-year-old Spaniard, who was released from his contract two years early, said that he "never really felt at home" with Ron Dennis' team after joining them from Renault, with whom he won the world championship in 2005 and 2006.
"Since I was a boy I had always wanted to drive for McLaren," Alonso said, "but sometimes in life things do not work out.
"I continue to believe McLaren is a great team. Yes, we have had our ups and downs during the season, which has made it extra-challenging for all of us, and it is not a secret that I never really felt at home."
At the crux of his decision to quit was the fact that he was never given preferential treatment over his British team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who he won the same number of races as and finished equal points with in the championship.
Despite speculation that Hamilton had been favoured by team boss Ron Dennis in the title run-in, Alonso said that no such situation had arisen.
"I know there have been suggestions of favouritism within the team and people say a lot of things in the heat of battle," he added.
"But in the end I was always provided with an equal opportunity to win. Today's decision allows all of us to focus on 2008, and I wish the team, Vodafone, Banco Santander, Mutua Madrileña and all the other team partners who I have worked closely with during the year, the best for the future."
Alonso is not believed to have been made to pay McLaren any compensation as part of his release, but is understood to have signed a release agreement preventing him from racing from any of their direct rivals for next season.
Whether or not his former team Renault, whom he drove for between 2003 and 2006, are classed as direct rivals is open to debate, but the team have expressed an interest in taking him back and have two seats available at the moment.
Williams - for whom Alonso's former chief mechanic Rod Nelson now works - and Toyota have also been linked with a bidding war for his services.
Jamie O'Leary / Eurosport

Matt530i

Hamilton did exactly what you said, took the car and used it to its full potential. However, the point I was trying to make was that his start in F1 has been so good because of the car. Not because he's that much better a driver than everyone else.

If two or three other drivers on the current grid had Hamilton's car instead of him, I think we would have seen a different world champion.

Centurion

Don't be so sure. Hamilton took the car, drove it on tracks he had never even seen in his life and managed to match and beat drivers with much more experience, and that with very high accuracy. I'd be surprised is some any of the other drivers drivers would have able to do what Hamilton did sitting behind the wheel of the Mclaren car.

What Hamilton has achieved this season was exceptional. Sure the driver is only as good as his car but it goes the other way too. Off course he would not have been as successful in a less superior car, but gladly he wasn't.

Hamilton + 2007 Mclaren car = Perfect match

NarutoRamen

I agree fully. Hamilton is only as good as his car. Nothing more and nothing less. He's just way overrated and being played out. While he's better than the likes of Yamamoto, I would say he would buckle under the pressure of his former direct rival, Nelsen Piquet, jr. He has buckled to him before in GP2 in the races I saw.

Centurion

Well he came second in his rookie season, how on earth can he then be called overrated? As for the car you're making it seem as if F1 driver can win WDC if they have a top car?

Matt530i

Hamilton is a very good driver, better than some/most on the current grid. However, it all gets back to the 'total package' argument. Hamilton had zero to do with the development of this car; Alonso had some influence. Until we see what Alonso can do with his new team, then we'll know how much.

I give credit to Hamilton for taking a very good car and performing better than expectations with it. But it's a long strech to say that because he could take such a good car and win with it that he'll be able to provide the necessary input to help develop such a car so that he's in the same position in future years.

If he does it next year and perhaps the year after that, the overrated monicker will not be deserved. Until he proves he can win on his own, I'm not convinced.

shonguiz

Beating the double champion as teamate in his first season is something exceptional and i honestly think that Piquet is nearly nothing compared to him.