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Nico, you are all at fault for not taking it to Lewis more.

You also have to factor in all the technical glitches Lewis had in his McLaren years which also cost him at least one more world championship. Add to that all the technical problems of 2014 where he started the season on the back foot already. Nico it seems lives with the innocent image, I wonder hot it looks inside the team. What I do know is that Nico started the shenanigans in 2014 when he used a more aggressive engine program instead of fighting fair in race 3 or 4 in 2014, after he was given an 80 page dossier that explained what Hamilton did in Malaysia that gave him such an edge in saving fuel and tyres and still going very fast, since he couldn't explain it himself. Then they raced in Barcelona where Lewis used a higher engine program in turn to defend from Nico, and Nico made that public and the media picked up on it, unlike the instance before that when Hamilton just swallowed it. Monaco was another drop where the team will be able to judge much better if Nico really made a mistake or not, etc. They have an interesting relationship and we barely get to notice any of that. I'm just so curious about the real inner workings. Clearly they don't get along despite the whole PR from the team, but I'm interested in what really happened

Lewis's tremendous pace makes his arrogant, entitled, and douchebag driving all the more aggravating to watch. I don't doubt his skill and performance for a second, but it's hard to care or get excited about it considering the way he tends to treat his opponents.

If only this forum had been online in the era of Senna

(no, I don't want to say that Hamilton = Senna, just that he's considered to be 'the' greatest driver despite pulling dirty tricks and moaning all the time)

It's only when British drivers in dominant cars who have completely broken their teammates does this forum say the world championship is unworthy.

When Germans do it, it's completely fine

Lewis can only beat what's put in front of him in any given year. He worked on his one weakness from 2014, which was qualifying, and Rosberg had no answer.

He's one of the most aggressive drivers on the track but has also learnt restraint when necessary.
And yes in years like this you realise an unheralded skill in the makeup of a world champion is not just on track but also at the negotiating table.
Back in 2012 we thought leaving mclaren was a risky choice but now it seems to be one of the wisest decisions in f1 history.

Congratulations Lewis, world champion 2015.

Now let's hope vettel and ferrari take a step up for 2016 so if you win that one too then at least it'll be little closer

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RIP Birmingham Wheels: here's some of the crash videos I recorded when it was there:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIaKIE ... 5t9d5PvoHA

Twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/paulhadsley

Every driver is the same, even the best ones. Hamilton's worst tendencies come out when the car isn't at its best same as they did for Schumacher, for Vettel, for Alonso, for Senna. And the majority of F1 titles have been won by the best car driven by the better of its two drivers. I know we all want to see every season finish up like 2008 but you're watching the wrong sport.

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Just watched the race. Man, Nico was so fucking salty. It was awesome

You have to be a douche to win the Championship - it doesn't earn you many fans outside of your fanatical support but look at almost every F1 Champion in the last 25 years - from Senna all the way to Hamilton, all could be considered to be dicks in their own way. It's the sort of personality that seems to bring success when added to raw pace.

But also, fuck Rosberg. What a little girl.

I can see why Nico was so pissed about the start. Upon watching it live I thought it was a tough and ruthless move by Lewis. One that any champion would make. But after watching the onboard replay from Lewis' car...yeah. He had no intention of turning into the apex. His only goal seemed to be to shove Nico off. In fact he didn't bother to turn in until he'd whacked Nico off the track hah!

Lol some of you did. I remember saying that it could potentially be like Schumacher going to Ferrari. Merc had the resources and they'd always made quick cars.

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Lewis Hamilton has the best raw pace of anyone on the grid, Vettel included. Those of you saying that Rosberg would have just walked the championships had Lewis not been there are completely losing sight of the effect that having the fastest guy in the sport across the garage from him has done for him. What we're seeing now is the fatigue of a driver who has been at the edge of his abilities for so long. Only Vettel, Alonso and maybe Ricciardo have the ability to challenge him over the course of the season in a dominant car like that. Add to that the fact that at a certain point, the team has to acknowledge one driver as the superior title challenger and you have a broken driver. Without Hamilton, how are we even sure that Mercedes is so dominant in 2014 and 2015? Say he's paired with Paul Di Resta or someone like that. A solid driver, maybe capable of a win here and there. Two drivers with good pace, good experience, good racers, but winning a championship takes so much more, and once the summer comes around and there's infighting and stuff like that, you have two drivers who know nothing of championship pressure, and that can go south very quickly. Then 2015, without the momentum, and with Vettel and Ferrari closing the gap, how do they handle that pressure? Lewis is the team leader for more than his raw pace. He's shown that he has the mettle for winning championships. Once you start competing for championships in F1, you lose your innocence. Either you're a champion or you're broken.

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This is a great post full of good points, but the very first sentence holds it back from winning the thread. I don't think Lewis can match Vettel or hold a candle to Alonso when it comes to raw pace unless he has a perfect car under him. His drives in the sub-standard McLarens didn't really stand out like the latter pair have managed in poor cars.

Hamilton is definitely one the very best drivers of his generation, but I don't think he has ever pulled off a 'miraculous' drive like Senna in a Toleman, Lotus or McLaren Ford, or Alonso in 2012, or some of the drives Vettel has pulled out this year.

Lewis definitely knows how to win championships, but the only time he has ever really had to *work* for one was 2008. That year, he came within a whisker of losing it to Felipe Massa.

Yes, nobody complained about Vettel in 2010-2013.

Most of the people cheer for the underdog. The man who is winning everything is always the bad guy.

I wonder if anyone was passing the same sort of judgement on Jackie Stewart or Niki Lauda when they won their championships. Each of Stewart's championships wouldn't have been so definitive if he didn't have the best car in the field on both pace and reliability, and in his Tyrell years Cevert was a very obedient #2, but you don't hear anyone suggesting Stewart never truly proved himself as he didn't win a championship in a BRM. The same can be said for Lauda; it's not like he kicked ass when he moved to Brabham. People expect waaaaay too much Hollywood story in their motorsport these days.

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I see a questionable move when there is one.

I didn't see anything wrong with Hamilton 'pushing Rosberg' wide at the start.
More to do with the nature (and incline) of the track than anything.

If Rosberg hadn't made his customary snail start the 'problem' would not have ocurred in the first place.

Thank you for this. I always hate it when people moan about a driver who wins "just because he has a good car".

The 1973 Tyrrell wasn't the fastest car - it was Fittipaldi's Lotus.

So, my DVR decided to crash while I wasn't home yesterday, so the race didn't record. Anywhere I can find a copy of the race? Or at least highlights? Sounds like I missed a good one for a change.

Actually 1973's fastest car was the McLaren, but it wasn't reliable. Lotus was both not as reliable as Tyrell and tripped up by its own team politics. Thus why I mentioned Cevert's obedience.

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