Lewis Hamilton Is The Champion

[Frank_White]

He is champion with a massive 10 wins, 10 poles and there are still 2 races left.

His accomplishment is especially significant when you consider the strength of the FR field.

I personaly think that he will certainly begin intense f3 testing to contest the last F3 round at Brands hatch and then finally Macau in november.

Look for Lewis in F1 in 2004 at least as a tester for Mclaren and definately as a racer in 2005.

[Dr Venom]

I agree 100% Frank, the guy is class.
Head and shoulders above the rest.
Well done Lewis.

[Mr Jinxx]

Yep, the boy done good. No matter how good the car or the setup, much of that is down to Lewis's driving the car really well and consistently now. He will be tough to beat at Oulton, if he chooses to do it.

[Bobie]

I dis agree with Dr Venom, Hamilton is not head and shoulders above the rest (well maybe most)he just happens to have a great setup and car, yes he is a great driver no dispute there but you have drivers like Lloyd and Sissley who is no longer racing in this series)put them in the same car and Hamilton would not shine as much.

I can't see him in a race seat in 2005 for F1, maybe a test drive with McLaren (MAYBE) but Mclaren already have a great team of drivers and testers, especially if Montoya replaces Coulthard in 2005 so where would Hamilton fit in, he wont!

That as side yes the guy is good and well done on his results who only Pizzonia has doen better.

[pb btcc]

it did take him a while to get the first win but when he got at Silverstone he has never looked back since.

will we see him in a F3 car in 2004 i wonder

[Bobie]

He will more than likely be with Manor if he does got to British F3 as I've heard they will be using a Merc engine next year so a strong link with Mclaren but will they want to put him this more highly competative series where I think he will get shown as not as good as people think he is.

He lacks that something extra!!!

[carbontub]

Lewis is pretty good but isnt head and shoulders above the rest. Give that car to any of the front runners and they will do the same job for sure.

[Paul Rayner]

Congratulations to Lewis, and to Manor Motorsport who, it's got to be admitted, have prepared a damn good car for him this year, which he's driven damn well.

[Jensen]

Originally posted by Paul Rayner
Congratulations to Lewis, and to Manor Motorsport who, it's got to be admitted, have prepared a damn good car for him this year, which he's driven damn well.

WELL SAID.

[Nina]

I have a lot of respect for Lewis Hamilton and think his championship is well deserved. Through hard work and determination he has turned a mediocre start into a dream ending.

I would imagine rather than F1 testing in 2004 he will be given the task of proving himself in F3, continue maturing as a driver and as a person before has the challenge of an F1 test role perhaps in 2005.
Having said that though, anything is possible a la Marko Asmer's Williams test role, so who knows what will happen in a sport where anything can happen.... and usually does

Three cheers for Lewis! Hip Hip........

[chezza]

Well done to lewis!

He has deserved his win, lets hope we see him go very far.

[andy_b]

very well deserved. Was massively impressed when he drove in Champions of the future Kart championship all those years ago.

Seems the title of that series was correct.

Well done Lewis!

[Mak]

"Lewis is pretty good but isnt head and shoulders above the rest. Give that car to any of the front runners and they will do the same job for sure."
I thought Manor fielded four cars, one for the current Fran Am championship leading driver. You could also say that put Hamilton in any of the top teams and he would win. SIC>>>

[Tom Horley]

i think some people will just try to make someone look bad how ever well they have done. i think that anyone that wins 10 races HAS that something extra bobie.

[Bobie]

10 wons yes but when you look at how far ahead he was from the pack at the start of most of the races it proves the car had more grunt. The others just did not have a chance as it ws Manor who got it right mainly and Lewis just did was needed to be done, keeping it on the road.

[Mr Jinxx]

Lewis has done well here.

I have been doing a lot of thinking, whilst watching Alex Lloyd swinging wildly from one extreme setup to another, in search of that mid-corner hairpin grip! The grip that Hamilton's car has and the Fortec cars have, and to a slightly lesser extent, Sisley's Eurotek car had. The incredible run of good weather over the past 2 years race meetings (excl Knockhill) has masked a couple of Motaworld's lack-of-grip problems, which I have voiced my dismay about several times on here, and which, incidentally, I think he/they may ultimately have found, although it was masked at Donington by a new engine which didn't loosen up. Bit late for this year, but it will be very rewarding for Alex and for Motaworld to have identified the problem, isolated it and dealt with it.

Lewis has the best set up car, straight out of the box, wherever it goes. Actually I think it is maybe the equally-best-setup car, as I think the Fortec cars are possibly as good. Close run thing. But I don't think Manor or Fortec cars are forgiving, whereas I think Motaworld's cars are, although the price to be paid for this is that they are/were ultimately not the quickest. So Motaworld have got 3 out of their 4 drivers on the podium this year, but Manor and Fortec have only got 1 and 2 respectively.

The reason for that is that the Manor/Fortec drivers have the best car setups generally, but also Hamilton Conway and Rossiter are better than their team mates. I think Hamilton has the best car, from the Fortec ones, but only just. The reason, I believe, that Hamilton was SO much better than them is that he settled into the right driving style for the Manor/Fortec setup by mid season, and is basically just better than Rossiter and Conway, although you have to ask questions about his mistakes in the early part of the year when the pressure WASN'T on. And once he'd got on a roll, the Fortec drivers simply weren't able to stop him. In fairness, I think it would have been a different story had Watts or Green (or maybe one or two other drivers) been in the Fortec cars this year.

I can't comment about what Alex may or may not have done in a Manor or Fortec car this year. But whatever results he may have achieved, he certainly wouldn't have learned as much about car setup and engineering as he has done this last couple of months with Motaworld, working so closely to overcome the setup difficulties they have had. I think that, between them, they have made giant strides just recently and the results will become apparent on the circuits/conditions where they have historically never been strong. A good winter testing and Motaworld will be right up there. They were always great at quick circuits - Thruxton, Snetterton - but I'm sure they have now got the hairpin low-grip problem sorted, and that will make them a fearsome opponent next year, I prophesy.

But that's next year, and my opinion and my point is that Lewis beat his team mates not because of different driving styles suiting different tracks or wildly different car setups or whatever, but because he was better. And Rossiter and Conway beat their team mates because, in the same car, THEY were better. And Lewis beat Rossiter and Conway because, in essentially the same car, Lewis was better.

Sure, there may be others on the grid, or in other classes, who could have taken the fight to Lewis this year in the right car, and beaten him, but at the end of the day, when he got his act together, Lewis performed, and did the job, and you can't knock that. Anything else is just conjecture.

[Paul Rayner]

Originally posted by Mr Jinxx
although you have to ask questions about his mistakes in the early part of the year when the pressure WASN'T on. And once he'd got on a roll, the Fortec drivers simply weren't able to stop him

Sorry, I have to disagree strongly with the first part of this quote. At the start of the year, SO much pressure was piled on Hamilton. Everyone who knew anything about Formula Renault (and wasn't related to one of the other championship hopefuls) expected him to run away with it, especially after his form in testing.

He had articles in MN & Autosport (and SingleSeaters.co.uk) putting him as the clear favourite, and I personally remember putting my first headline from Snetterton as "Conway takes pole" even though Lewis had got one pole, Mike had got the other, because Lewis was expected to walk it from day one, and him getting beaten was big news. The pressure was on then, and increased until he got his first win, then I think it gradually went down with every race (and win).

I agree with the second part though - since he got into a routine of how to win he's been unstoppable.

[Mr Jinxx]

If you think that's SO much pressure, then he'll really feel it when the pressure is truly on! Justin Wilson has pressure. Danny Watts has pressure right now. Loads of drivers have pressure. Lewis had expectation, I grant you, but with a monstrous fat budget and no pressure at the beginning of the season, I have to disagree with you, Paul, that really and truly wasn't proper pressure. That will come.

[Freddie]

If Lewis is simply better than Rossiter and Conway, is he not better than Alex? Or are you just putting that down to Alex's car?

[carbontub]

I wonder if Lewis/Manor got hold of some of those super dooper Michelin tyres like the rest of his mates have been using?????
That would sort your hairpin low grip problem out Jinxy.

[Paul Rayner]

What I was saying was that I think Lewis had pressure (expectation, call it what you want) on him at the start of the season, whereas you said he didn't.

Lewis is in a privileged position that he doesn't have to worry about his racing budget, unlike most young drivers. That's a weight off his shoulders, I agree, and he'll have more pressure in future. He might not be fighting to keep racing next year, but he's got more people watching him expecting him to do well than all the other FRenault drivers put together.

[Jonny Apex]

Originally posted by Freddie
If Lewis is simply better than Rossiter and Conway, is he not better than Alex? Or are you just putting that down to Alex's car?

It's always Alex's car ... maybe he should change teams.

[Freddie]

To Manor or Fortec as the cars are so good? Then we could see if he is any good. Wouldn't that be the way to go next year Jinxxy? Either that or F3 with Carlin. Then there no-one else to blame.

[JR Ewing]

No - he should do Scholarship F3 with Fred Goddard. Learn loads at marginally reduced cost and pressure and a good prize to go for...

[Freddie]

What with 5 cars in it? I think the Scholarship Class is a joke.