F1 2007/2008 Winter Testing and Rumours
- Thread starter rpstewart
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Nothing. But Hamilton might have to be present at any interview as its him who seems to be picking and choosing the drivers at McLaren.
Nothing. But Hamilton might have to be present at any interview as its him who seems to be picking and choosing the drivers at McLaren.
Yep because Alonso will have had nothing top do with his team mate at renault. I think Hamilton has proved he can beat who ever they put him with. Alonso by contrast has proved he struggles unless he has a team mate with a concrete no2 agreement.
Soldato
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True, he got absolutely trashed... Tied for points with his team mate (some peoples second coming) and in the running to win right up until the end.
Find exactly where I said he got trashed. How about not making up or looking for words that aren't there.
I said he struggled against a team mate (hamilton) who wasnt cherry picked or contractually oblidged to move over.
Do you think he struggled against Hamilton, Yes or No.
Forget the second coming or whatever the media said, he was basically shown the way all season long by a team mate that hadn't driven in f1 before. He also made more mistakes this year than all his other years put together.
He was rattled and he struggled.
Its happened before with Hill and JV except hill wasnt a world champion. Lewis should not have got near him. As soon as Alonso realised he had to fight for it, he fell apart. Even when they stopped hamilton having a run at him at monaco wasn't it?
I think he struggled against the situation he believed he was in. He believed he was in a team that didnt want him to win or didnt want him to get the best result possible. He didnt really have a gripe with Hamilton (until the Hungary shenanigan), but more with Ron Denis who didnt appear to support Alonso, as he felt he should. This ate Alonso up inside and incensed him. It really got to him.
However, once he accepted that Ron Dennis and most of the team were not speaking to him, he got on with the job and outscored his younger team mate from there on in. By the last grand prix he had levelled with Hamilton and another few grand prix would almost certainly have seen him overtake Hamilton.
Another problem for Alonso was that he was new to the team, the car and the tyres, so it took a while for him to adapt. Once he got going though (like I stated above), he closed the gap on his team mate.
Although I believe that right now, Alonso is a superior driver to Hamilton (mainly due to experience), over the longer term I expect Hamilton to take over from where Schumacher left off. Alonso wont be able to compete with Hamilton once Hamilton is driving at that level. I doubt that many people couldve come into the team, brand new and beaten Hamilton with ease like you suggest. Perhaps Schumacher, Senna, Mansell and Prost could've, but we will never know.
Yep and I explained above why this was the case. He was new to the team, new to the car and tyres and had to learn a new way of working. Once he got going, he hauled Hamilton in.
Why not? Lewis isnt exactly a tortoise.
Nope. As soon as he realised that he wasnt fitting into the team, he started his off-track shenanigans. Once, he understood his place within the team (ie. equal status with Hamilton), he got on with the job and caught up Hamilton's points total.
Soldato
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I'm sat at my desk working away... Alonso is standing about 7 feet away from me right now - quite cool I have to admit! 
Soldato
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Nick, get an autograph for me, I'll give you half a double decker chocolate bar, a spare black button and a Coates Offshore mug. You know it's worth it...
You should tell him that a lot of fans wanted to see him compete head to head next year with Hamilton. And next year, having got used to the team and car, he probably wouldve been more competitive than Hamilton. Alas, now, we will never know.
Ask him about the no2 driver contract, tell him he's a big girly cowardy wuss
Double world champion, years of set up experience and speed. Someone that hasnt sat on the grid shouldn't have got near him. When he did he fell apart.
All the drivers of high repute have made immediate impact upon arriving in F1, in their first season. Prost, Senna and MS all made impact in their first season, just as Hamilton. None of these drivers gained much speed after their breakthrough season.
People think that drivers generally get faster with experience. I dont believe this to be the case. They carry speed into their very first race; from then on, the experience they gain helps them to finish races and make correct judgement calls as races progress. The more difficult races (such as wet races) should generally see the more experienced drivers punish the new boys. Hamilton is fast in all conditions. He just lacks the experience which ultimately cost him points in the last 2 races of the season. Going off the race track in the pit lane entrance is truly a rookie mistake.
Hamilton is faster than Alonso, but at this moment in time Alonso is a more complete driver, which is why he was able to close Hamilton's points total down in the 2nd half of the season, even though it seemed that Hamilton was a little quicker on the track.
You shouldnt think that Hamilton next year wouldve gained 0.5s per lap. He wouldnt. He would just be more weary of making silly mistakes. His judgement calls would be better, but his speed would've been very similar to what we saw this year. In Alonso's favour, had he stayed at McLaren, he wouldve known the car, the tyres, the people and above all he wouldve known his position in the team which wouldve allowed him to concentrate exclusively on the racing (which is what he started doing after Hungary, which coincidentally saw him close the gap on Hamilton in the championship).
You shouldn't make Hamilton out to be a mug. He isnt. The speed you saw from him in 2007 is what you should see from him in the next 10yrs or so. In future, Alonso will have to deal with a more mature Hamilton who is as fast as he was in 2007, but not necessarily faster.
People think that drivers generally get faster with experience. I dont believe this to be the case. They carry speed into their very first race; from then on, the experience they gain helps them to finish races and make correct judgement calls as races progress. The more difficult races (such as wet races) should generally see the more experienced drivers punish the new boys. Hamilton is fast in all conditions. He just lacks the experience which ultimately cost him points in the last 2 races of the season. Going off the race track in the pit lane entrance is truly a rookie mistake.
Hamilton is faster than Alonso, but at this moment in time Alonso is a more complete driver, which is why he was able to close Hamilton's points total down in the 2nd half of the season, even though it seemed that Hamilton was a little quicker on the track.
You shouldnt think that Hamilton next year wouldve gained 0.5s per lap. He wouldnt. He would just be more weary of making silly mistakes. His judgement calls would be better, but his speed would've been very similar to what we saw this year. In Alonso's favour, had he stayed at McLaren, he wouldve known the car, the tyres, the people and above all he wouldve known his position in the team which wouldve allowed him to concentrate exclusively on the racing (which is what he started doing after Hungary, which coincidentally saw him close the gap on Hamilton in the championship).
You shouldn't make Hamilton out to be a mug. He isnt. The speed you saw from him in 2007 is what you should see from him in the next 10yrs or so. In future, Alonso will have to deal with a more mature Hamilton who is as fast as he was in 2007, but not necessarily faster.
I'm sat at my desk working away... Alonso is standing about 7 feet away from me right now - quite cool I have to admit!
Any pics?
I agree it is cool, however I would have told him that im a Kimi fan. Might of lost me my job though. would have been a picture though to see the sight on his face
Soldato
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I agree. As long as he stays in the fastest car he will be fast. The simple fact of the matter is that if you put him in a Honda and he will be at least 1 second slower per lap than he is now.
As would most drivers. The difference is that Hamilton is just a little bit quicker where it matters. Just as Senna, Mansell, Prost and MS were before him.
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You quite simply don't know if this is this case, nor does anyone. Granted, we know he is fast in other series, but he has only every driven one F1 car.
The car is just about everything in modern F1. I would like to see the mclaren back in the 6-8 position pace to see how he gets on.
If you take JV's first season or even two in F1 it's no different to Hamiltons. Look how that turned out with a renault pull out of the engine. The next year he drove the wheels off the williams for a podium or two, then it was all downhill.
Hamilton would be no different if he was slapped in a car 2 seconds off the pace.
Sadly I dont see the Mclaren falling back much next year to see what he really has got. As I've said before what I find most interesting about Hamiltons pace is how he lost time to the car he was chasing when he pitted, despite running longer he would exit the pits with a larger gap. He rarerly threatened the car he was chasing.
If you take JV's first season or even two in F1 it's no different to Hamiltons. Look how that turned out with a renault pull out of the engine. The next year he drove the wheels off the williams for a podium or two, then it was all downhill.
Hamilton would be no different if he was slapped in a car 2 seconds off the pace.
Sadly I dont see the Mclaren falling back much next year to see what he really has got. As I've said before what I find most interesting about Hamiltons pace is how he lost time to the car he was chasing when he pitted, despite running longer he would exit the pits with a larger gap. He rarerly threatened the car he was chasing.
Yeah I do.
On average he was as fast as Alonso was in 2007. Perhaps even a little faster. This would tell me that he has above average speed as Alonso is definitely faster than the average driver currently in F1.
I do. In 2007, McLaren could compete against the Ferrari for wins. On some tracks the McLaren would be quicker, while on others the Ferrari would be dominant. I dont believe this will be the case in 2008. I think Ferrari should be able to win the constructors title (unlike in 2007, where they won it, only by political assistance). Another reason why Ferrari should have it slightly easier is due to the Alonso factor - McLaren wont have him helping them.
I noticed this. He isnt very quick in/out of the pits. We even saw him drive off the pitlane and retire, so clearly this is a BIG weak point for him. MS on the other hand would gain time in/out of the pit, 99% of the time. I'm sure Hamilton has identified this weakness and will work on it.
Can you elaborate on this please?