16th sucks? Do you agree with my prediction Carol?
i don't think Kubica and Hamilton can be compared. Hamilton has been there for almost 13 years now. it's quite predictable that he doesn't makes mistakes. he works 10 hours a day for this. he's well prepared and groomed. don't get me wrong by thinking i'm not crediting this kid, i think he's awesome. his quali efforts yesterday, IMO, was the best performance to date. Kubica OTOH, was just drafted in last minute as JV's replacement last yr. so we can't expect too much from him. out of topic, but i think Nico's performance was awesome yesterday.
When i saw Kimi and Massa standing there in quali i really wanted Alonso to come round the corner! He would have freaked!
I guess I'm alone in not being ready to drink the Hamilton Cool-Aid. Talented, yes. But Kubica was practically anointed as the second coming of Michael after Monza last year. Time will tell, but today Hamilton was driving the best car on the track, and while he made the best of it, the same could be said of many other drivers. Don't downplay the quality of the ride....
some pics on "The Monaco Thread" : http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=87349&page=35 Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
How many championships will he have to win until you're ready? Just name a number. I'm sure he'll get there. Kubica was spectacular at Hungary (and because of a team's mistake he lost his points) and at Monza, but I didn't think he was the next MS. Particularly not after his blatant rookie mistake in Turkey. This season even Heidfeld (whom I like, but don't think that much of) kept him for the most part under control. At Monaco, Kubica finally begun to shine. I think he'll do well going forward, but he is no Hamilton.
That post made as much sense as the predictions. Heidfeld and Coultard nearly nipped a win at the end. So: 1) Heidfeld 1 lap down 2) Massa 3) Coultard 2 laps down 4) Hamilton dominated 5) Kubica 6) Raikkonen 7) Trulli 15th 8) Alonso dominated
+1. Neither am I. He will have to win a race before I'm ready. He a great driver. Could you imagine a driver winning the WDC without a single win all season. That would be pathetic.
Mike: I agree with you on most everything you post on this board but in this instance I think you are off-base. Tifosiron and I have had a tremendous number of debates in these boards, we rarely see eye to eye on anything, especially Massa. I shared your sentiment about these references to "inside sources" but in private discussions with Ron, he has proven to me that he really does have contacts within the team. His interpretation of what he hears may be filtered through his rose-colored glasses but he does have a line into the team. Take that for what it's worth. Besides that, I have found Ron to be a gentleman, I don't think he is deserving of personal attacks.
Hamilton is keeping pace with a 2-time World Champion. It is not the quality of the ride that is turning people's heads, it is the fact that he is on pace with the best driver on the grid. Sure, a lot of drivers could score points in a McLaren, just as a lot of drivers could win in a Ferrari. However Massa was some 7/10s a lap slower than Schumacher on average, Hamilton is running at the same pace as Alonso. And we all know how Alonso fared against Schumacher these past two years. Hamilton is the next great F1 champion, he will win multiple titles in the years to come....oh by the way, those are Jackie Stewarts words. I think he knows something about F1.
Not a snowball's chance in hell. Kubicka is having a hard time keeping up with Nick Heidfeld. Hamilton has been right there with Alonso (who by the way is the best driver in F1 today) all season long. I think Senna is the greatest driver in F1 history, bar none, and I am going to utter a statement that I never thought I ever would: Louis Hamilton is the next Ayrton Senna.
+1 Coming back to this thread's original question, I think we have a few very unpleasant answers: If Monaco is the ultimate test for 2007, then we just learned that a) Kimi lacks the motivation to go for it b) Massa lacks the speed to challenge the McLarens c) Alonso currently beats Hamilton, be that by speed or team order ergo: parkefe's forecast of Alonso matching Senna's triple crown could very well happen So: Let's just hope Monaco was NOT the ultimate test for 07 or we might as well FFW to 08.
How about he wins a race first??? Then we can talk about a championship... Singular, not plural... Yet. I've seen too many young hot talents in way too many sports fizzle out before they achieved anything. Has he been great thus far, yes. But champions are made by adversity, of which he's faced none in his career. I get the feeling that he's just going thru the motions right now, and not thinking. Once the kid starts thinking, things will change. He had no expactations placed on him this year, thus no pressure. If he becomes the title contender, we'll see what he's made of.
I would agree with you Michael, except instead of Kubica I would have said Massa. Because I believe Massa is just as good, no, better than Hamilton. In fact, I think that Massa would now be leading the WDC if he were in a McLaren. I like Lewis Hamilton. He seems like a really neat kid. But I can not understand the blind adoration for him after not even completing a full season. I agree with your comments in post 142. Additionally, the contridictory reaction on this forum for a new driver in an excellent car, as opposed to an experienced driver that has immensely improved driving a nearly excellent car, is a total surprise and completely inexplicable to me. Yes, I am saying the McLaren is a better car as of Monaco. I really hate to agree with Eccelstone on anything, but I am still believing Massa will be 2007 WDC.
give that kid a break Andreas. yea, he did have a sh!tty race in Malaysia. but he responded well in this past few races. it's not like he's performance has been dropping ever since. that Hamilton kid is a good racer. he did have his moment at Monaco Thursday free practise, and thats just a start. he'll experience more than that. remember, he's human too.
You kinda hit the problem with Ron's statement on the head: The kid factor. Hamilton is a kid, yet not only outsmarted Massa twice at Malaysia, more importantly has driven flawlessly all of his F1 races so far and is at the top of the charts. Massa OTOH is no kid anymore. Has been in F1 for many years and is just now finding into his game. Granted he is doing a fine job this year, but these two drivers are light years apart when it comes to natural talent. Once Hamilton has spent as many years in F1 as Massa has today, he'll have multiple titles to his name. I doubt Massa will ever get one.
At least Massa tried to pass on track where neither Hamilton or Raikkonen have ever tried. And when Alonso tried he was "outsmarted" by Massa and failed. Yes, Massa is as good as Hamilton, who may be better than Alonso. And Massa made it around Monaco without hitting anything. Now this is really funny: Image Unavailable, Please Login
...as opposed to last year. An accident in practice is as meaningless as one in testing. I could list here a bunch of testing accidents by Massa, but it would be meaningless. All it shows is that the driver was testing the limits of the car as he should.
Uhm...nope, Hamilton just f-ed up in practice. No big deal, so it is not really necessary to make it into something it wasn´t. It was just a mistake.
