[Other Sport] Lewis Hamilton the greatest living British sportsman?

[dangull]

It has to be said that Rosberg did win a championship recently in the same car, but I don't blame Hamilton that season, rather German team manipulating the results.

 

[LlcoolJ]

No way. Maybe because I dont fully understand F1. So many of them are great riders but can hardly think of another sport where so much reliance on equipment they are using. The difference in quality of cars in each race is huge. Give them all the same standard car that would be fun to watch.
Dont know what is equivalent in other sports.

I think the point is that if you gave them all the same car with the same power and the same reliability (they already have the same tyres and have to confirm to the same restrictions on fuel and 1000 other things) Lewis would still win.

Because he's the best. Why can't people just celebrate a British sporting LEGEND.

 

[LlcoolJ]

It has to be said that Rosberg did win a championship recently in the same car, but I don't blame Hamilton that season, rather German team manipulating the results.

Yes and the stress of it and the achievement were so big for Nico that he immediately retired. Whereas Lewis goes again, and again and again. The mental and physical demands are absolutely unbelievable to stay at the top for as long as he has.

I always found him to be a bit of a geek. Like the kid at school who tried too hard to be cool. But this bares no relation to his sporting ability and also, he's matured into a really decent bloke who stands up for what he believes in.

I'll never get the hatred/lack of respect. Unless from the obvious sources.

The bloke just broke a record that everyone thought would stand forever. And he's English. That's all. FFS.

 

[LlcoolJ]

I know very little about the 'sport' but it is my impression that formula one has become far more processional since the 80's and less popular therefore?

That's right. Nobody watches it and there's no money in it whatsoever. God knows why they bother really. Why Sky have a dedicated channel to something so unpopular must be financial suicide.

I'm not even a big fan but I can still call out rubbish like this for what it is. Try engaging brain before keyboard perhaps.

 

[LlcoolJ]

The best drivers are normally in the best teams with the best cars though - they kind of attract each other. It‘s like Messi at Barcelona or Ronaldo at Madrid.

As others have said, the greatest driver Hamilton faced was Alonso, it’s such a shame they had so few races with comparable equipment but shows you that Lewis’ judgement in choosing his career path has been sound, which is part of what it takes to be the GOAT, if you get yourself into a slow car (like Alonso did a few times) you only have yourself to blame.

Alonso shot himself in the foot by being an absolute tool and accepting money and mediocrity. Hamilton could have chucked his toys and left when Mercedes were clearly favouring Rosberg, but he dug in and became the greatest.

Alonso is the Zaha to Lewis's Messi.

 

[spongy]

Redgrave is a good call, dominated his sport albeit with the help of others. Beefy was/is great, but never the absolute best in the world over a continuous period. Tyson Fury.........

Hamilton is a true professional and a winner to boot. I have a mate who hated Schumacher with a vengeance, I just repeated that he was the best in the world, whatever else. How can, or should, I argue against Lewis?

Agreed. When Schumacher was dominant with Ferrari team orders also played a massive part in his wins (remember Barrichello having to give away a win to keep Schumacher top of the table?)

Hamilton has done it the fair way. He drives for the best team because he's the best driver and gets gets paid because he is the best.

F1 drivers are supremely fit athletes who risk their lives every time they sit in the car. I cant think of another sport that subjects the participants to such extreme g forces and be able to get out at the end.

 

[Eeyore]

When Mansell was winning Britain loved F1. Hamilton winning, it's not really a sport...

It's because the 'plucky underdog' title has gone. Hamilton always wins it so the casual follower is now 'meh'.

I didn't even know Button had won it once.

It was more exciting in the Mansell, Hill years. I barely watched it then. It's just cars going round and round. It's a niche sport.

 

[Bold Seagull]

It's because the 'plucky underdog' title has gone. Hamilton always wins it so the casual follower is now 'meh'.

I didn't even know Button had won it once.

It was more exciting in the Mansell, Hill years. I barely watched it then. It's just cars going round and round. It's a niche sport.

You could probably distill all sports down this kind of description, could be quite fun;
Cricket: just a load of people throwing and catching a ball
Running: running
Football: running and kicking
Rugby: running and catching
Hockey: running and hitting with a stick
Golf: Walking around with sticks and a ball
Snooker: Poking balls with sticks

 

[LlcoolJ]

It's because the 'plucky underdog' title has gone. Hamilton always wins it so the casual follower is now 'meh'.

I didn't even know Button had won it once.

It was more exciting in the Mansell, Hill years. I barely watched it then. It's just cars going round and round. It's a niche sport.

My Dad is a big fan so I've followed it on and off since I was a kid. It wasn't more exciting then and the coverage was completely rubbish in comparison to what we have now.

A niche sport. That millions of people round the world watch every week and that has its own Sky channel. Ok bro. FFS.

 

[Is it PotG?]

Get Hamilton IN.

Can he play CM?

 

[amexer]

I think the point is that if you gave them all the same car with the same power and the same reliability (they already have the same tyres and have to confirm to the same restrictions on fuel and 1000 other things) Lewis would still win.

Because he's the best. Why can't people just celebrate a British sporting LEGEND.

Am always very pleased when Hamilton wins. However because they all have such different equipment I would get far more pleasure when say Murray won a Grand Slam where all players are equal.

 

[LlcoolJ]

You could probably distill all sports down this kind of description, could be quite fun;
Cricket: just a load of people throwing and catching a ball
Running: running
Football: running and kicking
Rugby: CHASING AN EGG
Hockey: running and hitting with a stick
Golf: Walking around with sticks and a ball
Snooker: Poking balls with sticks

FTFY.

 

[LlcoolJ]

Am always very pleased when Hamilton wins. However because they all have such different equipment I would get far more pleasure when say Murray won a Grand Slam where all players are equal.

To each their own. But you clearly don't understand the sport. I too enjoyed Murray winning. Doesn't have to be mutually exclusive, or a competition between sports.

Apart from rugby. That's just shite.

 

[dangull]

Another thing I liked about Hamilton was for a few years he wore a yellow helmet in respect to the driver he looked up to growing up. Ayrton Senna. I remember watching that tragic race where he lost his life at Imola.

 

[Eeyore]

You could probably distill all sports down this kind of description, could be quite fun;
Cricket: just a load of people throwing and catching a ball
Running: running
Football: running and kicking
Rugby: running and catching
Hockey: running and hitting with a stick
Golf: Walking around with sticks and a ball
Snooker: Poking balls with sticks

Clearly just a load of people throwing and catching a ball, running and kicking, running and catching is my thing.

Cars going round and round a track isn't. I've had enough of that on the M25, only it's more a pedestrian sport there.

 

[Eeyore]

My Dad is a big fan so I've followed it on and off since I was a kid. It wasn't more exciting then and the coverage was completely rubbish in comparison to what we have now.

A niche sport. That millions of people round the world watch every week and that has its own Sky channel. Ok bro. FFS.

It's not a participant sport, I think that was my point (badly put).

 

[LlcoolJ]

It's not a participant sport, I think that was my point (badly put).

Well I guess there aren't many people who get to drive on a proper track in comparison to the millions who love cars and enjoy driving.

But the same could be said of those who get to play professional football in comparison to the millions who kick a ball about in a park.

Same difference. It's elite sport and that's why people like watching the best.

 

[Bodian]

Sportsman v achiever?

For sportsman in the sense I view it - Flintoff in the 2005 Ashes with Brett Lee, or Eddie the Eagle.

 

[HastingsSeagull]

If all the cars were the same then might have a shout. No F1 expert these days but guessing his is 'better' than most of the field?

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

That's right. Nobody watches it and there's no money in it whatsoever. God knows why they bother really. Why Sky have a dedicated channel to something so unpopular must be financial suicide.

I'm not even a big fan but I can still call out rubbish like this for what it is. Try engaging brain before keyboard perhaps.

Whoa! You are misreading what I wrote by quite a long way and sound a little angry? I wasn't deriding the sport either, my youngest son's good friend races for Porsche in the Ginetta Juniors, he is 17 years old, an amazing driver and I believe has to have 'guts' to do it.

I have no doubt it must be popular in some respect still, but recalling the 70's an 80's, it was generally higher in the public consciousness than it is now in my opinion. Whichever jobs I have had over the years, there were always people discussing it. But in my present job, where I've been for 12 years, there are around 50 staff, none of which, even with turnover, have ever uttered a word about it. I think [MENTION=16159]Bold Seagull[/MENTION] is probably correct in that once the racing went to Sky, like the cricket, it dropped a little in popularity.