[Politics] Should Lewis Hamilton be knighted?

[rogersix]

No, until he starts paying tax

lots of knights swerve tax, and more; like philip green

 

[Icy Gull]

Given the Merc WAS a championship winning Brawn, for Button, who's worthy but no great/legend, and Schumacher did diddly squat in it . . . . a little simplistic, but

Double diffuser helped Brawn I think but yes awesome fairytale season. Then Mercedes took over and did nothing of consequence for 3 years (?) until Hamilton joined them. It was the first year of the hybrid season that they came good, arguable how much Hamilton had to do with the car set up but it wasn’t until he arrived that the dominance started. At the same time McLaren who he left went backwards...at pace!

 

[Deleted member 2719]

Would they not agree he is the most talented, successful driver of any nationality the sport has ever had? Because he is!

Not really, he is good alright and excellent at understanding how to make his car go quicker.


But with the sort of budget Merc has had, it makes it difficult for him not to win races. It is a bit like Man Utd budget against Brighton's..............oh yeah forgot they're s**t this season.


Come on mate, Hamilton has had every thing handed to him with a silver spoon since getting into Mc Claren as a kid.

Mc Claren were determined to make it work for him.

I liked the fact he had calmed his gob down and done the talking on the track in recent years and then he opens it up with more political statements.

He could have been the most loved ever sportsman in Britain, if he had been likable like, Button, Coulthard etc. Even Mansell with his dull drone is more admired IMO.

I can even put golden balls Beckham above him..........just.

 

[FatSuperman]

I voted yes. He's earned it, if he wants it. For both sporting and non-sporting reasons.

Having said that, there were non-sporting reasons I would have been against it in the past. Thankfully, his attitude has moved in a positive direction since that infamous Monaco incident when he played the race card while complaining about being penalised for multiple incidents during the weekend. He handled it well after the fact, but the fact he even went there was revealing. In the near decade since then he's channeled whatever it was in him that made him think that was acceptable in a far more positive direction, and unlike others I am happy to support his support for BLM (the movement, not the political group that twists what BLM is meant to be - and the two should never be conflated).

I think it's quite understandable that he might think like that, especially after the amount of times he'd been in front of the stewards that year., and the fact that every single day he goes into work and is the only black face. Like I said earlier, how would you feel if you were the only person of your skin colour, every day. And every day you are faced with prejudice and racism? Surely it is understandable that his thinking is going to be affected. And frankly, on the basis of the things I read from the British public about Hamilton, I wouldn't be that surprised if there wasn't a kernel of truth.

Lewis' team over the years... pretty white!

 

[FatSuperman]

Double diffuser helped Brawn I think but yes awesome fairytale season. Then Mercedes took over and did nothing of consequence for 3 years (?) until Hamilton joined them. It was the first year of the hybrid season that they came good, arguable how much Hamilton had to do with the car set up but it wasn’t until he arrived that the dominance started. At the same time McLaren who he left went backwards...at pace!

You can go and read lots of accounts from his ex-engineers, who state that he had an enormous impact on the development of the car. There is actually a very interesting article on the BBC at the moment. With quite a lot of comments from people that have worked with him over the years. All positive. I mean, I'm incensed that they didn't ask a bunch of people on Twitter for their opinion of Hamilton's personality... maaaan we'd get some truth then eh? eh?

 

[FatSuperman]

Not really, he is good alright and excellent at understanding how to make his car go quicker.


But with the sort of budget Merc has had, it makes it difficult for him not to win races. It is a bit like Man Utd budget against Brighton's..............oh yeah forgot they're s**t this season.


Come on mate, Hamilton has had every thing handed to him with a silver spoon since getting into Mc Claren as a kid.

Mc Claren were determined to make it work for him.

I liked the fact he had calmed his gob down and done the talking on the track in recent years and then he opens it up with more political statements.

He could have been the most loved ever sportsman in Britain, if he had been likable like, Button, Coulthard etc. Even Mansell with his dull drone is more admired IMO.

I can even put golden balls Beckham above him..........just.

Is there any topic in the world where you actually have an ounce of reason, or empathy?

You almost certainly don't follow or watch F1, and yet feel educated to suggest Lewis has had everything handed to him. Forgetting Lewis, that insults every other team and driver on the grid. They are all chasing for the same prize. It's like saying Man Utd didn't do anything during their dominant year because they had the best players. Utter crap. There were a load of other teams trying to beat them at the game. Man Utd just played it better. That's the same with Mercedes-Hamilton.

Of every single person on the grid, of all the spoilt kids from rich families, all the state-backed drivers, all the children of F1 'royalty', you think it is the black kid from a council estate that has had it all just handed to him? The one that had to fight up from the absolute bottom, with no help that he didn't engineer out of his own hard work and ability. He is the one you call out as having it handed to him? The only one that has had to ignore racist taunting and abuse from all corners, that has had to wonder and doubt whether he should be there, he's the one? This is a rags to riches British success story, and I think if Lewis wasn't black, then the people of Britain would be cheering in the streets that we've got the best that has ever lived.

 

[Iggle Piggle]

Come on mate, Hamilton has had every thing handed to him with a silver spoon since getting into Mc Claren as a kid.

Quite possibly the most ridiculous comment I've ever read on here.

Here are some current drivers in F1/F2. Stroll (Dad owns the company) Sainz (Ex World Rally Champion father), Verstappen (Ex F1 driver father), Scuhmacher (I'm sure we all know), Perez (Bankrolled by half of Mexico) and Hamilton (funded by his dad working multiple jobs until he got into the Mclaren drivers academy with no appreciable motor racing background from the shite area of Stevenage)

I mean, Really? Out of all them, Hamilton is the one where "It was handed to him on a plate"

 

[FatSuperman]

Quite possibly the most ridiculous comment I've ever read on here.

Here are some current drivers in F1/F2. Stroll (Dad owns the company) Sainz (Ex World Rally Champion father), Verstappen (Ex F1 driver father), Scuhmacher (I'm sure we all know), Perez (Bankrolled by half of Mexico) and Hamilton (funded by his dad working multiple jobs until he got into the Mclaren drivers academy with no appreciable motor racing background from the shite area of Stevenage)

I mean, Really? Out of all them, Hamilton is the one where "It was handed to him on a plate"

I also liked this comment from Mouldy;

"He could have been the most loved ever sportsman in Britain, if he had been likable like, Button, Coulthard etc. Even Mansell with his dull drone is more admired IMO."

Which frankly is not far away from reading
"He could have been the most loved ever sportsman in Britain, if he had been white like, Button, Coulthard etc. Even Mansell with his dull drone is more admired IMO."

 

[dangull]

Just to say to the people wanting his OBE being delayed until he has retired, formula 1 has many tragic deaths to its name, and although safety is the best its ever been there is always a risk with cars racing at 150mph

 

[Weststander]

Not really, he is good alright and excellent at understanding how to make his car go quicker.


But with the sort of budget Merc has had, it makes it difficult for him not to win races. It is a bit like Man Utd budget against Brighton's..............oh yeah forgot they're s**t this season.


Come on mate, Hamilton has had every thing handed to him with a silver spoon since getting into Mc Claren as a kid.

Mc Claren were determined to make it work for him.

I liked the fact he had calmed his gob down and done the talking on the track in recent years and then he opens it up with more political statements.

He could have been the most loved ever sportsman in Britain, if he had been likable like, Button, Coulthard etc. Even Mansell with his dull drone is more admired IMO.

I can even put golden balls Beckham above him..........just.

Ferrari have the same budget. Every time Vettel got close in Ferraris with better speed, Hamilton outclassed him.

 

[Hampster Gull]

Not really, he is good alright and excellent at understanding how to make his car go quicker.


But with the sort of budget Merc has had, it makes it difficult for him not to win races. It is a bit like Man Utd budget against Brighton's..............oh yeah forgot they're s**t this season.


Come on mate, Hamilton has had every thing handed to him with a silver spoon since getting into Mc Claren as a kid.

Mc Claren were determined to make it work for him.

I liked the fact he had calmed his gob down and done the talking on the track in recent years and then he opens it up with more political statements.

He could have been the most loved ever sportsman in Britain, if he had been likable like, Button, Coulthard etc. Even Mansell with his dull drone is more admired IMO.

I can even put golden balls Beckham above him..........just.

For sure Mercedes have the best car, and will probably now continue until the regs change. But Hamilton is in the best car because, well, he's the best. And the team know he makes them better, just as they make him better. And he has a team mate who is desperate to win, but can rarely do so. They could pick pretty well any driver for his seat but they choose to pay Hamilton a fortune for a reason.

Everything handed to him misunderstands the brutality of the sport. He was put on an academy programme because he was exceptional. But there are loads of exceptional kids put on F1 academy programmes, Ferarri and Red Bull have extensive ones, but so do others. There are far more who get nowhere near F1 from an academy programme, despite the teams desperate for it to work. Some get to F1 and flop, too numerous to name. But the best of the best are superb, Hamilton, Verstappen (Red Bull academy), Leclerc (Ferrari academy).

I don’t want to descend into criticising other greats but i will have a little nibble given the theme of this thread and your comments. Mansell has some of the biggest balls ever to grace F1, what a driver, and he lived in the Isle of Man during his F1 career. I wonder why. And he was a right pain in the neck to work with, famous for outstaying his welcome in the States in Indy. The thing is it doesn't matter, this is an honours list not a personality list. Hamilton is more earnest than Button and the others, but why should he change his personality, he is what he is, and exceptional at what he does.

 

[*Gullsworth*]

Not really, he is good alright and excellent at understanding how to make his car go quicker.


But with the sort of budget Merc has had, it makes it difficult for him not to win races. It is a bit like Man Utd budget against Brighton's..............oh yeah forgot they're s**t this season.


Come on mate, Hamilton has had every thing handed to him with a silver spoon since getting into Mc Claren as a kid.

Mc Claren were determined to make it work for him.

I liked the fact he had calmed his gob down and done the talking on the track in recent years and then he opens it up with more political statements.

He could have been the most loved ever sportsman in Britain, if he had been likable like, Button, Coulthard etc. Even Mansell with his dull drone is more admired IMO.

I can even put golden balls Beckham above him..........just.

Its not that simple though is it mate. Not only can Hamilton make his car go quicker, he can make it go quicker than his teammate, all other cars he has competed against, even when behind he can out manouevre them in any conditions. That my friend is not all about making your car go faster but pushing everything to the limit & that is mechanical & human skill.
Some may suggest putting him in an inferior car and seeing his success decline, that of course could be true but the flip side of that argument is could the other drivers achieve the dominance in Hamilton's car, very very doubtful. His skill has been evident for all to see.
Like i said in another post, he should be knighted for his success in his sport, not for his popularity. He has achieved more success than any of the drivers you mentioned and Button, Coultard Mansell ect were popular and successful drivers but being popular doesnt gain you more F1 titles.
He is an enigma and he is far from finished yet, surely being a success in your sport, F1 starts at the decisions you make of who you work with to achieve that success. An aspiring world champion is hardly going to drive a skoda when he can drive a Mercedes is he?

You like your comparisons

Its a bit like Jurgen Klopp wanting to manage Brighton instead of Liverpool to gain European success......not going to happen is it. And yet although Liverpool has a budget far exceeding Brightons and he wins the European Cup will fans say he is not a good manager because he was handed success on a silver platter?

 

[*Gullsworth*]

For sure Mercedes have the best car, and will probably now continue until the regs change. But Hamilton is in the best car because, well, he's the best. And the team know he makes them better, just as they make him better. And he has a team mate who is desperate to win, but can rarely do so. They could pick pretty well any driver for his seat but they choose to pay Hamilton a fortune for a reason.

Everything handed to him misunderstands the brutality of the sport. He was put on an academy programme because he was exceptional. But there are loads of exceptional kids put on F1 academy programmes, Ferarri and Red Bull have extensive ones, but so do others. There are far more who get nowhere near F1 from an academy programme, despite the teams desperate for it to work. Some get to F1 and flop, too numerous to name. But the best of the best are superb, Hamilton, Verstappen (Red Bull academy), Leclerc (Ferrari academy).

I don’t want to descend into criticising other greats but i will have a little nibble given the theme of this thread and your comments. Mansell has some of the biggest balls ever to grace F1, what a driver, and he lived in the Isle of Man during his F1 career. I wonder why. And he was a right pain in the neck to work with, famous for outstaying his welcome in the States in Indy. The thing is it doesn't matter, this is an honours list not a personality list. Hamilton is more earnest than Button and the others, but why should he change his personality, he is what he is, and exceptional at what he does.

Really wished i could put across an opinion as you have in this post.....excellent.

 

[Icy Gull]

Ferrari have the same budget. Every time Vettel got close in Ferraris with better speed, Hamilton outclassed him.

Ferrari were cheating with their engine modes last season and were considerably faster on quite a few circuits too. But guess who won the Championship. Clue, it wasn’t Bottas in the “ best car”

 

[BluesRockDJ]

In every era, revered Brits (many knighted) live in the low/no tax territories of Florida or The Bahamas, Monaco or Switzerland. To name just a few: Connery, Roger Moore, Jackie Stewart, Coulthard, Button, Phil Collins, Faldo, Poulter, Mansell.

But I’ve only ever seen Hamilton criticised for this on NSC, it crops up every time.

What sets him apart from the others?

Probably why Government sources are checking on his tax status ?

 

[midnight_rendezvous]

I liked the fact he had calmed his gob down and done the talking on the track in recent years and then he opens it up with more political statements.

Bloody famous people! When will they learn that they can’t say anything about *checks notes* racial equality because it makes fragile white people uncomfortable

 

[Hugo Rune]

Part of the ‘skill’ of being a World Champion is getting yourself in the best car.

Alonso, for example, has not been great at doing this in his career (even in Indy Car) but Hamilton is supreme at it. Another driver who made sure he had the best car was Schumacher. His other talent was making sure that the driver in the other seat in his team was the number ‘2’, he would control many aspects of that drivers schedule (including the amount of testing) to ensure that his teammate was helping him rather than himself. The only team he couldn’t do this in was at Mercedes, his results compared to his teammate (Rosberg) were very poor.

Hamilton has never insisted on a number 2. He wants to test himself against a driver with the same equipment, he usually wins.

 

[drew]

Oh you poor sad deluded people.

Sent from my SM-A505FN using Tapatalk

Bizarre comment! You might not like him but why do you not think he is the best driver?

Also, what is your problem with BLM?

 

[Weststander]

Bizarre comment! You might not like him but why do you not think he is the best driver?

Also, what is your problem with BLM?

The “B” bit.

 

[RossyG]

No. No-one should be. It's a load of bollocks.