Drivers not happy with Hamilton's on-track behaviour

[wesley123]

Drivers not happy with Hamilton's on-track behaviour

Lewis Hamilton's driving style is back under fire after yesterday's Italian Grand Prix. The McLaren driver did some 'unnecessary movements' as some of his victims declared. Among them are Timo Glock, Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber.

Not only the drivers disagreed with Hamilton's on-track behaviour, but also some of the fans believe that the Briton deserved a punishment. While overtaking Timo Glock, Hamilton almost pushed the German's Toyota in the grass and he repeated the manoeuvre when he was fighting with Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber.

Timo Glock said: "I do not know what he was thinking. I was right next to him but he left me no room. Sometimes he drives as though he is completely alone on the track. The next time I am with him, I will behave with him in exactly the same way."

Alonso agreed with Glock: "There was some unnecessary movements he made. It is his way of racing."

While fighting with Mark Webber, Hamilton made a manoeuvre which deserved a penalty. The McLaren driver pushed Red Bull's Webber so far to the side before one of the corners that he made contact with the Australian. The stewards decided not to take action against Hamilton.

I find this a bit b******, hamiltons action were complete fair and i dont saw the problems with it. That he blocked glock was a bit unfair yes, but the action on webber is complete b*******, if you looked good you saw that hamilton gave him enough space, more then massa did or raikkonen last week. As you could see, webber lost his balance on braking and then hit hamilton.
I also dont know why alonso has to start saying things about things he didnt even see, i dont know what hamilton did wrong at alonso. Since alonso left he always has to complain something about hamilton, i guess it is just that alonso is jaleous of hamiltons no1 position. I havent seen hamilton making an unfair move (except on glock) in his f1 career so i dont know what they are complaining about.

[timbo]

I havent seen hamilton making an unfair move (except on glock) in his f1 career so i dont know what they are complaining about.

Huh? German GP, anyone? Hamilton's overtacking is clearly on the edge of what's acceptable. I also think that with such moves he won't impress FIA counsil...

[Ray]

I also dont know why alonso has to start saying things about things he didnt even see, i dont know what hamilton did wrong at alonso.

If you watched the Bahrain GP, Hamilton very stupidly rear-ended Alonso and could have taken him out of the race. So yeah, Alonso has every right to complain about him any time he sees fit. So does any other driver for that matter.

He also rear-ended Kimi in Canada, very conveniently taking out his main rival for the championship, instead of Kubica. The guy drives like everyone owes it to him to move over. I can't pinpoint where it was but he was waving at Fisi I think for not moving over even though they were fighting for position. It was such blatant arrogance that David Hobbs on SpeedTV was dumbfounded why he was acting like Fisi owed it to him to get out of his way because he was the faster car. The kids arrogance is really annoying. But I guess when everyone makes your head as big as his that tends to happen.

He's a damn good driver though, and I'll give credit where credit is due.

[mx_tifoso]

I think that there should be a single thread for any issue related to Lewis Hamilton . Whether it be controversial or simply commentative. So in case anyone has a thought about him and wants to convey such message to the rest of the world via the internet message boards, he or she has the medium to accomplish such desire. And since there would be no specific issue being discussed, simply the human being that is Lewis Hamilton, any sort of message would be acceptable and not be considered off-topic.


On-topic; the drivers that have a problem with how Hamilton conducts on track should have a private meeting with him and discuss it face to face. Instead of relying on the press to relay the message to the world and Hamilton himself.

[Ciro Pabón]

I havent seen hamilton making an unfair move (except on glock) in his f1 career so i dont know what they are complaining about.

Yes, I have a friend with the same problem. While he was being interned he kept yelling: "Why everybody is calling me crazy?". Maybe those comments are unfair to Lulumacher, erm, I mean, Lulu.

I'm not sure about the idea of a meeting, mx_tifosi. Isn't enough to make him drive through another chicane in the following race, NASCAR-style?

[RacingManiac]

from the horse's mouth:
http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=43979

blah blah

The Australian drafted Hamilton down the pits straight with four laps remaining, but as Lewis defended the racing line, there was brief wheel to wheel contact between them and the Red Bull had to go down the escape road.


Hamilton said he had to move slightly left to avoid braking on the still-damp inside line.



"I had to put up a fight to stop him coming by," he was quoted as saying by Reuters.


"There was only one dry line and I made sure I covered my inside spot, but I didn't want to stay there on the wet patch or I wouldn't have made the corner.


"He just clipped my front wheel and went on."

Bold part for those who said Webber turned into him....

[modbaraban]

blah blah

"There was only one dry line and I made sure I covered my inside spot, but I didn't want to stay there on the wet patch or I wouldn't have made the corner.

I liked this part most of all. You see when you try to overtake, sometimes you have to compromise your driving lines and use dirty or wet parts of the track avoid hitting people. That's life, Lucy.

[woohoo]

Exactly.
We can all talk and talk, but the drivers, are, I would say, the best judges of what goes on on the track. after all they have the best view, and the skill to understand whether that is doable/possible or not.

So if they complain there is something to it.

[shotzski]

On-topic; the drivers that have a problem with how Hamilton conducts on track should have a private meeting with him and discuss it face to face. Instead of relying on the press to relay the message to the world and Hamilton himself.

For me, in a way, that would be a good thing to do. Or in a drivers' meeting, rather than talk to different journalists, press, etc. and complain about everything. But when they're with him(Hamilton), They're just all smiles and handshakes. Talk to him man to man. They're not strangers to one another. All fairness to Fisi for not bickering on Lewis's move on him at the first corner.

[freedom_honda]

Hamilton couldnt possibly see Glock in his mirror in those conditions.
i think Hamilton is driving fair and square so far this season.

people often makes the evidence to fit their theory. not the other way round.

[Crabbia]

I share woohoo's view... i think the drivers are the best judge, and their collective standards form what is acceptable on track.

Where lewis has to be careful is that sooner or later (and its looking like sooner) the drivers will start reacting to his style. Particularly the drivers lower down in the order will be more aggressive when he next approaches them to overtake, and they'll feel less and less about taking him out of the race. his conduct on track will only serve in their defense if he lodges a compliant about it after.

[Vasco]

I don't get it...why should he be doing the other drivers any favours.....hell its his right to take the best line into and out of corner.

Alonso quite clearly drove lewis of the race track last year at spa and also the last lap battle he had with Massa, so he should not complain too much. He commits the same "crimes" and yet he always tries to act like the victim.

[myurr]

blah blah

"There was only one dry line and I made sure I covered my inside spot, but I didn't want to stay there on the wet patch or I wouldn't have made the corner.

I liked this part most of all. You see when you try to overtake, sometimes you have to compromise your driving lines and use dirty or wet parts of the track avoid hitting people. That's life, Lucy.

Yet again going to have to pull you up for a silly comment.

In this case he was defending his track position, not overtaking. He had the inside line and just as Raikonnen had every right to take the racing line through the corner in Spa, Lewis had every right to do so in this race. It's typical of the incredibly hypocritical Webber that in Spa he thought Lewis was wrong to expect Kimi to not take the racing line, but in this case thinks that Lewis should have moved out of his way and let him past.

Maybe now he will appreciate why Lewis had to take to the escape road in Spa.

[Steven]

Yet again going to have to pull you up for a silly comment.

Actually nothing silly about it. Hamilton first went to the right of the track, trying to defend his inside line, as he says. Unfortunately for him, Webber was clearly faster and could come aside on the outside.
Hamilton then quickly decided he was going to lose a place, so moved back to the outside, instead of keeping his line. We have seen such moves before, and it's ok as long as you leave your competitor room.
However now (and the same happened with Glock), he just moved like being the only one on track, forcing the competitor to choose either to hit him (as Webber did) or move off the track (like Glock did).

Maybe now he will appreciate why Lewis had to take to the escape road in Spa.

At Spa, Lewis could easily have braked a little more after the corner and make the chicane, instead of moving off the track.

I'm with the drivers here, and frankly I think that if you think otherwise, you're pretty biased.

[myurr]

Yet again going to have to pull you up for a silly comment.

Actually nothing silly about it. Hamilton first went to the right of the track, trying to defend his inside line, as he says. Unfortunately for him, Webber was clearly faster and could come aside on the outside.
Hamilton then quickly decided he was going to lose a place, so moved back to the outside, instead of keeping his line. We have seen such moves before, and it's ok as long as you leave your competitor room.
However now (and the same happened with Glock), he just moved like being the only one on track, forcing the competitor to choose either to hit him (as Webber did) or move off the track (like Glock did).

Maybe now he will appreciate why Lewis had to take to the escape road in Spa.

At Spa, Lewis could easily have braked a little more after the corner and make the chicane, instead of moving off the track.

I'm with the drivers here, and frankly I think that if you think otherwise, you're pretty biased.

Fair enough - but I think otherwise and feel that you are biased.

He left Webber room - watch the replay again there was a cars width there, Webber looked like, if anything, he turned into Lewis. Also if you look again Webber hadn't even made it up to alongside Hamilton, he was still only half way alongside.

In Spa Hamilton was half a car in front of Kimi yet Kimi still came across the track - and it's pure speculation on your part that he could have easily braked a little harder. You could easily say the same thing about Webber in Monza - both Lewis in Spa and Webber in Monza had locked up trying to slow down for the corner. In Monza it even looked like Webber turned in to Lewis causing the contact, rather than Lewis pushing Webber off the track.

Frankly there was nothing wrong with what Kimi did in Spa, and likewise there's nothing wrong with Lewis's move in Monza. It's called racing.

The only at all dodgy move that Hamilton made in Monza was the one on Glock, and it looked pretty clear to me in the replays that he simply did not know he was there. Again it could be argued that he was ahead, had the racing line, and Glock should have yielded. That is after all what you believe Lewis should have done in Spa.