If the title of this thread was "Is Hamilton one of the most successful ?" it would be a resounding yes. Greatness is something else. In the modern era Valentino Rossi has overcome adversity and has greatness.
Hamilton had to endure being the only driver of his kind from carting. He had to be great just to make it to F1, much more being a 5 time champion
What do you mean by "kind" ? He's not disabled. Hamilton has been wrapped in Mercedes cotton wool since he first joined F1 with uncle Ron. He didn't venture out into the ugly world of crap cars and develop them into good cars. Ricciardo has suffered more unreliability in 2018 than Hamilton has had in 5 years.
No, he is certainly not disabled. Now, shall we spell it for you that Lewis Hamilton comes from an ethnic minority background. He is from mixed race and had to overcome many prejudices to climb the ladder in what is predominently a rich white middle class arena. There is a glass ceiling in many activities like motor racing, and Lewis Hamilton broke that, and very successfully too. That maybe why some people don't like him and try to dismiss his achievements, I don't know, but for many he is a role model. As I said before, as the father of mixed race children and grand children, I celebrate his success and the inspiration he gives. Maybe that explanation, will go well above your head, and you will not be able to grasp any of it; the more the pity.
You know exactly what he means. And Ron didn't take him under his wing until it was clear just how talented he was. He and his family, particularly his father, had to go a long way to get that far. Read the poem Still I Rise and you might learn something.....
He was the only black kid racing from start of his career. What driver are you referring to that started in a crap car? Shumi started with Benneton which was a top 4 car at the time. When he came to Ferrari they were 3rd best team.
Actually I think Schumi initially signed with Jordan and Flavio bought his contract out- but same thing. The only one who started out in a crap car was Senna- because he didn't want to tie himself into a long term contract and knew he would be recognized. Within a year he reneged on his Toleman contract and went to Lotus.
I would not put Elton in a top 10, but surely in a top 20, pehaps 15. He's good, fast, keeps his nose clean on the track and does the job. On the other hand i believe he's very limited in terms of car development (luckily for him teams don't rely so much on drivers input this days), i think if he was driving 15 years ago he would be in serious trouble. I also think he doesn't get a clue about strategy during the race, unlike a Shummy or Prost he is unable to take decisions, fortunatly for him, he's got behind s great team that makes the job very easy for him. He matured a lot since his Mclaren days, but i doubt he has become a much better driver. In fact i believe that the way he drives is due to the fact that his superior car alows him not to take any risks, were he in a less dominat machine like we saw from 2009 to 2014 and he would again be banging wheels againts Massa. So IMo and i say this as honestly as i can (ignoring the fact that i don't like him), he's very fast (but not as fast as the very best i saw), good at wheel to wheel fight (but nothing extraordinary), pretty handy in the rain (again, very far from the best i ever saw), average at making starts, poor at car input and race tactics...so as is aid, he wouldn't make a top 10, but perhaps good enough for a top 15 of all time, surely not a great one in my book.
He's black, so what ? Hamilton was signed by a shrewd Ron Dennis. Anthony Hamilton endured sacrifice and should be applauded. I still see him occasionally in one of my "locals" . I have many black friends who have capitalised on their roots and talent in the music business with great success. A business that was also run predominantly by white middle class. Bravo to them all. Why some of you guys feel the need to keep bring up Hamilton's ethnicity is staggering. Move to the centre of London and you will soon stop your fussing.
" Didn't Dennis give him a contract when he was 13 ? Or are you saying that he overcame prejudices while at McLaren, who then let him race for them in 2017 - which ladders are you referring to ?" Blacks don't encounter prejudice just because they're signed up at 13? Did he imply anything in the least about McLaren discriminating against Lewis? "Here we go again with you implying people are racist if they don't like him or agree with the topic. How many times do you try to bring up the race card ?" He didn't imply anyone was racist. And he didn't bring up race. But you've certainly exploited the subject. "That's insulting." So is most of your post. Maybe you should read Still I Rise.
We're talking about F1, not music etc. F1 has been around for almost a century. Lewis is the only black "driver" much less black champion. This may be a "so what" moment to you but the opposite for many
On the contrary he's the best development driver since the great MS. Mercedes was nowhere before came to the team. With Hamilton's input on the car Merc has development one of the most dominant cars ever in F1 and when Button and Witlessmarsh took Buttons development inputs instead of Hamilton... well you see where they are today. Also Hamilton is the only driver in F1 to win a race during evering season whether or not the car was up to it.
13 year old Ham in a kart in the wet, give it a watch Pedro. Seems to me he has just gone from strength to strength, it's very hard to argue he is not in the all time top 3, and that's being fair IMO.
I live and work predominantly in London, someone's ethnicity is not even on the radar. Some people on this board treat it as high priority, and need to get out more
There is no denying he's a great talent, but imo he's not even close to the real great ones of f.1. The fact that he never drove a bad car is probably hurting my opinion on him, since i never saw him drive well and beyond above the machinery at his disposal. I know what Moss, Gilles, Ronnie, Ayrton, Alesi were able to do in an inferior car...never saw anything like it from elton....
Come on! Hamilton beat two-time world champion Alonso in the same car! Alonso on the other hand had beaten Schumacher! By the way, how many times had Hamilton beaten Rosberg in the same car?
Being in the top 5 isn't just about "raw talent and what might have been if only..."...Hamilton is in the top 3 because racing is about results. It is mental and physical...car and driver...it is composure and courage...and it is winning. Hamilton wins and he is in the best team, and he is in the best team because he wins. He delivers the goods. The nitpicking Hamilton haters will never give up their game...that is all they've got. I don't care what Hamilton does off track...I'd find a fashionista blog if I wanted to discuss that. Discussing Hamilton's racial background seems like something not worth discussing, I would hope we are all well beyond that. Bottom line...five WDC. Only two other drivers have ever had that many and only one other driver has more. Top 3, period.
