Hammy's fast but makes silly mistakes (Monza last year); he still has much to learn.
just guessing here, from watching the races so far... the Renault is VERY healthy on power (thanks to the engine being allowed a 'defreeze' tweak?), but the chassis is just a tiny step 'behind' Mclaren. if they continue to develop at a steady rate, i think they will be right in the middle of the fight...should be great watching it all unfold...
Wondering when Ferrari will be allowed their update....btw i think the whole freeze is silly...keep the revs at 17.5 k but really let the engineers do their job; stifling engine development is best kept in NASCAR I have always liked Kubica but is it him or the engine's new found spunk carrying the day at Renault?
A bit of both I'd guess. Kubica has always shown talent and Petrov may be slightly flattered by the Renault.
huge advantage this year Petrov is an exciting prospect, he had Hamilton scared chip off the old block
I notice him force Lewis into a mistake Looks like fans here don't remember which aggressive driver lifted off for eau rouge... It wasn't Alonso. Lewis only looks aggressive when he is overtaking slow cars or drivers dozing off, he hooked up with Sutil last race and couldn't get pass him.. His "aggressive" run came to an end and we heard him whining on the radio about it. Alonso not passing Massa in Oz GP was blatantly obvious he wasn't even trying to pass him.
Dunno whose better but there's no doubt who the most entertaining and exciting driver is. Hamilton is a virtuoso on wheels.
If you think Alonso was at the top of his game during the McLaren/Spygate fiasco, then there's no real point in even bothering with this discussion. It will go nowhere. If that's the opinion you want to hold then it's perfectly fine. Frankly I think it's a bit of a crazy one though. My opinion? Alonso just went from a Renault that was one of the worst cars on the grid to his DREAM TEAM. I think he's about to be at the top of his game (if he's not there already with the amazing drives he's already put in this year).
Alonso's drive was perfect. He had a wounded car, and still managed to have good pace. Directly fighting loses time for both, so he laid back, stayed close, and waited until the appropriate time to try to overtake. Hamilton is a talented driver, but he is immature.
Wow. Reading this thread, I can't believe I didn't see mention of this until the 36th post! I was going to mention this, and still consider this far and away the drive of the race. For Alonso to fight the way he did against the engine/tranny drop-out (or whatever it was doing) through the downshifts was very impressive and deserves a lot of credit. As the announcers mentioned, he lost the benefit of consistent engine braking which made most of the corners unpredictable. It also seemed to delay his ability to get back on-throttle. Yet he was on pace and attacking. I know there are drivers who would have parked the car, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
Age: FA 28, LH 25 Races: FA 141, LH 55 Poles: FA 18 (12.77%), LH 17 (30.91%) Podiums: FA 54 (38.30%), LH 28 (50.91%) Wins: FA 22 (15.60%), LH 11 (20.00%) Points: FA 614 (4.35/race), LH 287 (5.21/race)
Throw Alonso into the such a great car and team from his rookie year forward and I'm sure his stats would look that way as well.
It's crazy to think Alonso was at the top of his game when he went to McLaren in 2007? Are you serious? So, what, he was still a green noobie who didn't know the ropes? Come on - that's silly. He'd been in F1 for years, had driven good and crap cars, and had just won two WDC's against Schumi and other excellent drivers. And you wouldn't say he was at his prime during these years? That's silly.
Are you including 2001? If you use Alonso's Minardi season, then the apples to apples comparison loses a little something.
Have you forgotten everything that went on during the season? Spygate? The #1 driver fiasco? The loss of all constructor championship points? His obvious lack of maturity at the time? That's a lot of stuff that can make an impact on a driver and his performance. Performance-wise he may have been at the peak in his career, but if he's not there emotionally then he's not there period IMO.
Alonso has historically been heralded as a great development driver. I think after last season, Hami deserves that recognition too. McLaren's increase in pace from the beginning to end was incredible, more so than anyone else.
Lewis is the most exciting drivers in modern F1. He is aggressive and has exceptional car control, especially in the wet. For whatever reason, people have a thing against him. This is a guy who knows how to win. Personally, I can't stomach Alonso. Never could. Of course, neither are on the level of M.S., and I personally doubt we will ever see another driver on his level again. Lewis's driving style reminds of M.S., but M.S., had such a complete command of the sport both on and off the track. He was a drivers driver and an engineer's driver, and I am pretty confident that by next year, he will be back to being a dangerous force in F1....but I digress.
The stats show FA first F1 race was Australia in 2001...so yes, I believe it includes everything. http://www.gpguide.com/Driver.aspx?driverId=24&year=2010
The apples to apples comparison is 07. Lewis matched his two-time champion teammate his rookie season. And since someone will surely say Alonso was treated unfairly:
