http://www.canada.com/story.html?id=5f089403-2a41-40f2-bf8b-9aa62154d8a0&k=1769&p=2
Ron has paid for his career. Ron has paid for his career. Ron has paid for his career. Ron has paid for his career. Ron has paid for his career. Ron has paid for his career. Ron has paid for his career. ^^That's basically a summary of the article.
Wouldn't you be if you didn't have a pot to piss in and had to sell everything to make it into F1 while this kid got a free ride?(not saying this was JPM's case) I'm sure he's not the only driver that feels like this.
Still - LH leads championship. With rumored Alonso at 20M$, LH career costing 10M$ to bring him to F1 - great business decision by Ron to let Ferrari have Kimi for 50M$
Besides the point. Put many young karters in that same situation as LH and i'm sure a few would do just as well. He's been groomed for this for basically his whole life. He's doing the business. As he SHOULD be doing.
The days of "poor boy makes good" are over; unless he happens to have a halo. I've heard of motor-racing being called the cruel sport. Back when was because of the mortality rate. Now because it takes a silver spoon and talent and luck. Dont have all three ?... Next please.
I don't think that's true....there is a lot to be said for talent....which might be the reason Ron was picking up the tab.
I really wouldnt pitty any of those racers. Afterall they have the luxury of making a living ( how small it may be ) from their passion.
Read Nicky Lauda's and Nigel Mansells road to F1 and you will see that some had it really, really, really hard and the fact that they made it required enormous self belief. The difference here is LH didn't need that amazing self belief and drive, and didn't have to learn the art of negotiating, selling oneself, etc. because Uncle Ron was basically doing everything for him except the driving. I'm actually a little sad about this because finally the sport has lost ALL concept of being a sport and Ron has basically bought a person and programmed him to be a racing driver. Something here is a little not right and fair. Hmmm ... what would have happened if LH had killed himself in a race?, what would have happened if LH had a normal teenage throw back and told Ron to piss off and leave him alone; all that money down the drain. Man Ron must have basically dictated every move in his life ... ... LH is thus the ultimate racing driver robot, the smiling dummy that has probably long forgotten how to make a decision himself. Heck next Ron will have a driver cloned and then bring up the offspring from birth, or do a Michael Jackson and pay somebody to carry a drivers baby to full term and then hand over to him .. double . Pete
It was a crap shoot at best talentwise. At 10 years old, when he won the McLaren Mercedes Champions of the Future series, Ron just picked the winner. Unless Ron's pyschic, there's no way he would be able to pick LH on talent alone at that age. It's all logical. If you groom someone for something they want to do at a ridiculously early age they are bound to do well. This helps as well http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/index.php?storyID=7254 It cuts down the learning curve quite a bit.
That's fine but it's one thing to bust your butt to get there and another to have it handed to you...
If you guys want to hear about a hard time making it to F1, read Perry Mccarthy's book. He drove that crap Andrea Moda with Roberto Moreno before the team went under. I don't think you'll hear of a tougher struggle to get to F1.
Wasn't it Hamilton who said "I want to race for you in an F1 car" when he was just a boy? Regardless of how he got there, seems like he wanted to get to the top, and just happened to find a great avenue early.
I dont like Hamilton, yes he is doing well but he SHOULD! just like racerx3317 said! He is in the best car, a car that is alien to Alons still. And after he said "those monkeys at the back" he thinks he is better than them! Davidson is 1000000 times better then Hamiltion. O and another thing, he should be doing good coz he get £90m a year
All these drivers have their career paid for by somebody. They don't make any money as driver until Formula 1.
Ron didnt wave a magic wand over him. His, and all good race drivers, drive comes from within. I am familiar with Laudas climb but yes he did have a rich relative involved. Dont know Mansells story. I met with the Johnny Rutherford family just recently and learned his story. Literally rags to Richs ( in a racing way ). Those days are over unless you can find a mentor early on. LH's father had to be a very wise man to link with a mentor such as Ron D But the idea that you can "make" a driver is absurd.
Lauda's father was rich. Once he found out Niki wanted to race, he cut him off. Niki used his dad's name to get loans and was about to go bankrupt before Ferrari hired him. No one gave him anything. The drive might come from within but there are many that could do the job just as well but never get the chance because of money. Even Senna once returned to Brazil because he found it hard to find sponsorship for F3. Being at the right place at the right time is crucial as well.
So if Senna's family had bankrolled his career and made it easy for him to get a ride, would you have thought less of his accomplishments? If someone is good then who cares how they got the money so long as it's legal. We'll see how good Lewis is by the end of the season. Maybe its best if we reserve judgement until then.
so much hate for the young lad!!! wow!!! ok all you know it all's......where do I sign my kid up to be a F1 driver???....she's 2, thats probably young enough, should I give "uncle Ron" a call??? will he wave his wand and make it happen??? stop bashing the kid already!!!! I know that when I was 10yrs old(and I loved cars then as much as I do now!) if someone like Ron Dennis asked me to sign with him right then and there if I wanted to be an F1 driver, I would have took the deal without even thinking about it!!!(as many of you would have too!!)I would have beg and pleaded with my dad to make it happen!....... I bet almost every single one of you would be kissing his *** and singing his praises had he been driving one of the red cars.....if it would have been Jean Todt instead of RD that signed him, then it'd be a completely different story!!! RD had the foresight and the balls to put his money on this young kid, and it's paying off big time!!!
Sure, but that's not the point of this thread. It's about the comments that JPM made about LH and McLaren. And it's different if your family bankrolls your racing career, as was the case for many other drivers, as opposed to Ron Dennis himself paying the bills. Your family paying the bills can only get you so far. Talent and determination takes you the rest of the way. There was never a doubt that LH would drive for McLaren. All he had to do was do well with top flight equipment. The rest fell into place.
Nobody's bashing the kid, but everybody talking about him like he's the second Schumacher is really irratating, concidering he hasn't proven much. He's been heavily trained from a young age to be a formula one driver, and that's what he's doing now. He's got the best car on the grid and he's driving it brilliantly. Does he have the magic that a Senna, MS, or Alonso has? Noone knows yet. He got a lot to prove before anyone can think he's anything special.
