Hamilton must wait for greatness on Planet Formula 1 - 'Hamilton must wait for greatness' - PlanetF1 : PlanetF1
Jackie Stewart is like Nikki Lauda; a good driver in his time who tends to put his foot in his mouth too often now.
The biggest problem Lewis Hamilton has at the moment is that he is lacking in humility! When he makes statements about hoping to be remembered as a legend of F1 (Lewis Hamilton: I hope I might be a legend of F1 - Formula 1 - Eurosport Australia ), I personally think it diminishes his chances of achieving that goal due to the lack of humility. His beloved Ayrton Senna will always be remembered as a legend of F1, not only because of his incredible car control, but also because of his incredible personality. He was a natural enigma due to his focussed determination, and at no point was he trying to replicate anyone who went before him. Added to that, Senna had a massive impact on F1 during his time, something that Lewis simply hasn't done to anything like the same level. Michael Schumacher is another who will also be remembered as an F1 legend, not just because he won 7 WDC's, but because of the incredible impact that he has had on the sport. As with Senna he had an incredible determination to win, and he had incredible car control, but he also wasn't trying to replicate anyone who went before him, he was just himself at all times. Lewis just seems to be too obsessed with being seen to be the new Senna! The thing with both Senna and Schumacher is that they both forced other drivers (and F1 in general), to up their game in order to compete. They both moved the sport on by a large margin when it came to the performance of both the cars and the drivers. Their commitment to the sport was 100%, with nothing being allowed to distract them from their goal of winning races and WDC's, especially during a race weekend. With Lewis, you don't get the same feeling that he's making the other drivers have to up their game in the same way, and when you see him being the big celebrity at parties, sporting venues, fashion shows etc., etc.,and having his dog follow him round the World, being seen hanging out with gangsta rappers, singers, super models the rich and famous and such like, seeking out the lime light, you don't get the same feeling of being 100% committed to the sport. Fangio, Moss, Clark, Lauda, Villeneuve (Gilles not Jacques!), Senna and Schumacher, they were all some of the greatest drivers in F1 and legends of the sport, but non of them had the desperate need to be seen as a celebrity that Lewis seems to have. For all of them, racing was the number one most important thing to them, not the fame that goes with it. In the case of Lewis though, it seems that the fame is as important, if not more important than the racing. Personally speaking, the more Lewis tries to push his claim to be recognised as one of the all time greats of F1 and to be an F1 legend, the less I'm inclined to see it!
Translation: We knew Michael was superior to his peers despite having the best car. We aren't sure if Hamilton is superior to his peers in the car that he has now. Makes sense I guess.
I don't agree he is trying to put himself in the limelight all the time. Fangio, Moss, Clark, Lauda, Villeneuve Senna and Schumacher didn't have Twitter, Facebook feeds ect, times do change, so how do you know they wouldn't have posted up what they were up to on a daily basis... Hamilton seems to me a pretty much humble guy when it matters, with the world at his feet, and yes still young enough to wear outlandish clothes and hair, I don't see Merc top brass complaining. There is a fine line between good at your job and seeking fame, it goes hand in hand, and Hamilton can back his chat up on the track. So when the cops next pull me up for speeding, I'll let you if they utter the words "Who the hell do think you are ? Lewis Hamilton" .....that was usually Mr Schumacher..
I think we can say for certain that this would have not happened to Fangio, Clark and Schumacher because they were not the type of personality to do so....Look a Schumacher: he hated to give something away from his private life so I doubt he would have been a star on Twitter or Facebook. Or look at Vettel today: he lives in this era of social media but he is not present either...I do not think that this is a question of the time but more of the personality...But to make sure that I am not missunderstood: I do not say that the way Hamilton handles this is bad, it is just different....
DUnno..but I will never view him as a legend. I think in modern F1, the only 'legend' is probably Alonso. And i'm not even an Alonso fan.. I think Lewis has always had an easier life in F1, compared to the real legends.
That's my interpretation of the point he was trying to make. Unless he was just rambling and making no sense.
It's interesting that the OP is starting a new thread with Jackie's opinion, but somehow he completely ignores what his favorite Alonso said the other day: When the media asked if Hamilton could be considered one of the all-time greats, Alonso replied: “I think he is one already … Three titles, as Niki [Lauda] has, and Ayrton [Senna], we cannot put Lewis in a different level, he is one of the best in the sport and I think there are more to come.” “He is one we all respect. He’s had some up and downs but the good thing about Lewis is that when he didn’t have the best car he still won some races, maybe not the championship, but winning some races and fighting for the championship. That’s something that maybe not everyone did.” What the hell does Alonso know? Pay attention to: "He is one we all respect." Seems like Walter Wolf and company know a lot more than the drivers that are on the track. Another interesting observation: Look at all the thread titles/polls and who starts them. When someone gives a different opinion or defends Hamilton then they cry and complain how we keep shoving Hamilton's greatness down their throats. It will only get worse as this third title looms. You guys need to save some ammunition for the next three titles
Why anyone expects me to be looking for articles I don't agree with is beyond me. The same people have told us many times how little they respect Alonso, or in fact most other drivers, yet somewhere some PR person has asked Alonso to comment, probably for some Sky end of year tribute to the new world champion, and his people have come up with something for it, and these guys are now hanging on every word he says like he is God? In the words of a Paul Whitehouse character 'suits you sir', to much mirth and merriment of all Like I said, this thread is to discuss Jackie Stewart's comments, that is why it's posted, lots of people here respect the guy and his opinions (I'm not a massive fan of his, but he has earnt the right to comment)
At a Ferrari launch event back in 2011/12 sometime, I was lucky enough to speak to Luca and other members of the F1 team. At the time, I remember Elton was overflowing with love for Alonso in every interview he made. Many were suspicious he was looking to go to Ferrari at the time. You won't find it at surprising I was beside myself with concern, I never want to see him at Ferrari. I brought this up when I spoke with a high up person within the team, and although everything sounds so lovely in Italian, essentially it boiled down to no chance, the team would be cuckolded by his attitude and arrogance.
By virtue of being so far up in the record books Lewis is already a legend. Third on all time wins and third on all time poles. Stewart is only saying this because Lewis is shattering records and it's beyond argument that he's the most successful British f1 driver ever...and because Lewis has rebuffed Stewart over the years and ignores his requests to come see him
One thing is sure, Lewis Will never learn "sprezzatura"...of which Luca himself was quite an example. Rgds
The problem with Lewis for me, and Vettel for that matter, is that they are not very interesting. They both seem flat, shallow, boring. They will be in the record books, but legendary? It's character that make a legend, not the record book.
+1 Exactly! Cases in point? James Hunt: 1 WDC but an F1 legend never the less (Not necessarily for his on track achievements though! ) Gilles Villenueve: 0 WDC's but an F1 Legend with a deserved capital L! (and definitely for his on track achievements! )
