So he refused to talk to Kimi and he pushed a camera out of his face........that's a tantrum?

And how long have you watched F1? That is mild compared to some other "tantrums" I have seen. I thought Lewis was behaving rather well for having screwed up as badly as he did on a world-wide feed.

I think we need to start calling you Gumbler801.........

 

Absolutely agree! After all, Gromit, it was YOUR hero who punched in the door of the McLaren trailer, not Lewis. As a mother of 2, I'd say THAT qualifies as a tantrum.

 

That is sunday F1 picture ...and yes he push the cammm..i was there

 

That's also what I saw.....no knocking Kimis' arm away. Kimi said "look...that's called a traffic light" and LH said..."ah, yes - thanks"!

And kudo's to FOX for using the SpeedTV announcers this year, a whole lot better than the others.

 

+1
This year's production was much better than previous showings. We actually saw a great deal of fighting for positions as to always seeing the lead pack. I guess when they saw Bob walking away with it, the decided to focus on the middle runners. Like Massa's insane 2 car/1 turn pass.

 

I just which the feed was in HD!!!

 

The feed was really good. At least it was wide screen.

I think Fox and CBS have used the SpeedTV crew the last few years plus Derek Daly and maybe some other folks.

 

For all the horror stories y'all were preparing me for, I was also pretty happy with the Fox crew and camera work (whatever sway they held over it). And I thought the explanations we got -- about tires, about points, about other basic stuff -- was not done in a condescending way. A lot of it was pretty useful.

Not to forget: Second very exciting and fun race to watch in a row, and given Hamilton's penalty for France, we have the makings for at least one interesting storyline there. (No. 2 -- how does BMW run with Ferrari? No. 3 -- can HK finally earn some points again? No. 4 -- Sutil. No. 5 -- Will Piquet be behind the wheel...?)

 

I had no big issues with the race being on Fox. The lack of a pre-race show meant the grid presentation was rushed, which I didn't like because I forgot to record and watch qualifying. I also missed seeing the on-board camera from the pole-setting lap.

Other than that, the excessive explanations of how F1 works throughout the race were tiresome. I know the Speed guys were hoping to catch new viewers so I'm okay with it (I'm not all okay with all 3 hosts talking over every on-board shot during the race!). Hopefully they'll tone it down over the next 3 races.

As for Hamilton's post-collision behavior, I found it perfectly reasonable. Kimi gently, humorously pointed Lewis toward the big blinking red light, Lewis looked and you could see him saying to himself, "Yeah, I f-ed that one up bad and there's nothing to be said that will make me feel worse." I thought both drivers handled it as well as anyone could - certainly better than Danica Patrick or Paul Tracy would have!

 

I missed getting to see Peter Windsor's walk down the line and it's always good to see the polesitter's lap. It did get kind of annoying as they explained the race but I still watched and listened. The last I heard, the V8's were making 750-800HP, I didn't know they were pushing 900 by now. And because of the RPM gap, I never thought of what they could be spinning this year (22k by estimate). Plus, I was reminded of the return of slicks for the 2009 season.

 

Many WDC have had tantrums: Hunt, Senna, Piquet, Mansell, Alonso.... but what separates them from The Brat are those three letters W D C. Many other drivers have also done so, that have driven for many years like Cris Amon for example. Hamilton has 1.5 F1 seasons under his belt. The Boy Wonder who has acted and has been protrayed as the greatest thing since the internal combustion engine. The "nicest" guy since Mark Donahue! Bollocks. He's a decent driver in one of the best cars on the grid. Without McLaren, he'd get no more press or notice than Jenson Button these days.

And Deb? My "hero" in F1 retired at the end of the 1973 season.

 

Geez Grumble what is your problem with Lewis.....?

It's too bad you can't realize that he has an extrodinary talent and a very mature nature.

Again I would suggest that we try and keep this thread about the season and not about slamming any particular driver.

 

Agreed, once more.

As for the Fox coverage, given that the commentators were the same as Speed's, and given that the feed comes from the track, not the station, my only objection was that they started the race as soon as the program started--no time to get

 

I, too, was surprised the race up and started almost immediately, although I think a post on here had half prepared me.

Someone above -- I know, I should be quoting -- mentioned how all three commentators talked over each other. True. But at one point that was absolutely hysterical. It was one of the passes -- not Massa's double, I think, but I can't recall which -- and all three simultaneously lost the ability to speak and they all kinda grunted/yelled/mumbled their enthusiasm at once. I had to replay it to make sure I'd just heard it correctly.

As for the season: a great one. Hamilton looked to have all the momentum and pieces coming together, and now he's got a big challenge in France. And BMW is a legit third top team. Imagine if Renault or some other could inch up a bit more, too...

 

That would make for some very serious racing!

 

Who wants to bet that LH uses a one-stop strategy or at least a one fewer stop strategy than the other front runners in France? With a heavier fuel load he'll qualify about 4th or so, start 14th or so, and come thru the pack...

 

I won't take that bet - I expect your are correct about where he'll finish, although I think he could be starting farther back. If BMW, Renault, Toyota figure Lewis will go for a long first stint they may go a little lighter in Q3 to move themselves up the grid, and therefore push Lewis farther back after his penalty.

 

It's sort of a sign of the changing times... Makes you remember Montoya and his "energy"...

 

I guess I'll jump in the pool here......I'm a Lewis fan too and cannot understand the bad attitudes towards the guy. Yeah, he's screwed up, but all F-1 drivers screw up at some point or another, that's learning. Funny, that freaking light has caught quite a few, why is it that Massa doesn't get bashed for last year's "red light" ?

Back to Lewis, the guy is young, he's on top of the world being an F1 driver, ego....well yeah, that's part of the deal. Class will come with time and age.

He unlike most of the others (Red car drivers in particular) thanks his team and his fans everytime he is on the podium and blames himself if he's not. That fact alone makes him #1 in my book.

At one time, I hated Mclaren, especially the Hakkinen/Coulthard days, they always had such a "cold" look and feel to them. Lewis has changed that image in a big way.

I like all the drivers and the teams, it really sucks when one car or driver dominates the whole year. The last 2 years have been a breath of fresh air.

 

Here's the you tube clip, I don't see any hits on Kimi except a "I'm sorry" pat on the back. I would bet that he was thinking what he needed to do to get in front of those guys and as with the other drivers in the past, wasn't even thinking about the light, add in he was up to full pit lane speed and cold brakes....and whoops.



Watch the timer, there is just little more than one second to react to the guys stopping. I wonder when the red light was turned on ? before Hamilton left the pit ? Too bad the crew didn't give him a heads up.

 

and one last tidbit....remember this one ?

 

One act (questionable at best after viewing the video) of "poor sportsmanship" does not make for a brat.

We live in a world where some athletes have an "I'm Entitled" attitude. If things don't go their way, then throwing a great big hissy-fit is just fine with them. When it comes to racing drivers, these "gentlemen" are not averse to throwing helmets, attempting to punch-out fellow drivers or even retribution on the track.

There are drivers who are not in the least bit ashamed of manifesting this type of behavior, repeatedly, amongst their peers and the media, fans, etc. When this type of behavior becomes the norm, then they have crossed the line, and are displaying poor sportsmanship.

Now, does throwing a tantrum, regardless of wether they are a World Champion or not make them a poor sportsman? Some would say that a tantrum is a tantrum regardless, and that throwing one is undoubtedly in poor taste. Some would even argue that because some drivers have those three letters ( W.D.C.) associated with their name, that tantrums are totally unacceptable behavior. Is this how a Champion should behave?

Personally, I like to see my heroes act like heroes... icons of virtue, as it were, but I also understand that my heroes are simply human and therefore subject to the emotions that we all feel. I believe that it is inevitable, given the circumstances, that emotion can easily overwhelm any driver.

Consider the following... You're car is in ruins, the adrenaline is flowing freely being fresh out of the heat of battle, you're mentally chastising yourself for your mistake, and now you face the possiblity of having to face the victim of your error, and add to the fact that a camera is thrust before you... One can easily see that this can rattle even the most even tempered soul.

Now, I do not condone poor sportsmanship and having a driver manifest such behavior is to me unacceptable. I feel that all drivers should hold themselves to a higher standard and behave accordingly, though I can comprehend a lapse here and there as long as it does not become commonplace behavior.

In the case of Lewis Hamilton, it was not that bad an incident. His actions, to me, showed someone who was (most probably) upset with himself at:

1) Having caused such a preventable accident.

2) The repercussions of that pitlane incident (out of the race, loss of valuable points, having to explain to Ron Dennis, his team, and others, what you were thinking).

I believe that ScottinBend is correct in his assesment of Mr. Hamilton's talent.

Yes Gromit, it is true that Lewis Hamilton has one of the best cars on the grid but after having watched him drive, I believe he has the makings of a world champion. And I dare say that Ron Dennis, a more experienced and astute judge of driving ability than myself, feels the same way too.

SpitfireMkI sums it up the best. Time will tell the tale and I believe that Lewis Hamilton will add his name to that illustrious list of World Driving Champions. He's already got class and time will only allow more of it to shine through.

 

Thanks for the clip, Spit--that's EXACTLY how I remember it. Unless there was an additional flare-up with Kimi off camera, I haven't a clue why this particular action should bring such scorn. And with the cameras in his face as he walks into the pits--well, wouldn't you?

I think he probably kept his face shield down to hide his tears--I know I would have!

Someone mentioned Danica Patrick--I remember a real contretemps recently--FAR in excess of anything Lewis (or anyone else) did at Montreal!

 

FWIW ~ my son and I had a fantastic time in Montreal at the race.
Those cars are awesome! The weather was kind to us. Montreal is a wonderful city.

Brian

 

You're right--Montreal is great. We were there a few years ago as the starting city (Quebec, actually) of a "Fall Colors" cruise on QE2. We also rented a car and went into the Laurentian Mountains north of Montreal. Stopped for dinner at an inn, and somehow got roped into a 5-course dinner. We were cringing at the thought of the bill when it come. Turned out to be about $8.00 Canadian dollars--and that was when the exchange rate was about $.80 on the U.S. dollar! Good dinner, too. And the trees were fantastic!

If anyone ever gets a chance to go, Fall is great, especially for the Southerners among us who never get pretty trees!

Only thing better than Fall would be F1 time...