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    #51
    F1 - 2011

    They really should hold three GPs a year in Canada. One for the English, one for the French and one for the Pequistes.

    Brilliant drives from Button and Schumacher, but especially Button.

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      #52
      F1 - 2011

      That was quite a race.

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        #53
        F1 - 2011

        Most exciting sporting event I've seen in years.

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          #54
          F1 - 2011

          That was quite remarkable. I could pick holes in some of the minutiae, but I'm not going to, because in the end we had one of the most memorable grands prix ever. When was the last time we had a race decided on the last lap? Hamilton's championship win?

          For the record, although driver safety is most important, I'm all for races in different conditions, as you then get a better idea of who is the best all-round driver.

          Now, if only there were more circuits with proper climbs and descents in them!

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            #55
            F1 - 2011

            I missed the first 20 minutes because i'd gone to seen Senna.
            Remarkable race. I'm a Vettel fan, but i'm very pleased for Button that was extraordinary.

            Praise too, for Coulthard and Brundle. I thought they did a magnificent job during the red flag, it was almost like listening to Test Match Special at times. The bit about the 'red shouldered blackbird' and 'did you know that race car backwards, is race car?' was priceless.

            Oh Lord, I forgot about that race marshal who fell over, not once, but twice in front of oncoming cars. English cricketer Graeme Swann LOVED that http://yfrog.com/jx5hwrz

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              #56
              F1 - 2011

              A lot of the people from the teams went up in my estimation during that 2-hour hiatus. By which I mean that I was pleasantly surprised how affable Horner, Whitmarsh and several of the drivers were, considering they were, essentially, still in the middle of a race.

              On the other hand, although the banter between Coulthard and Brundle was good, I thought I could sense them getting a bit tetchy with each other towards the end of the downtime, with a few catty comments creeping in. Sometimes Coulthard seems to have a rod up his arse the size of a Cleopatra's needle. I reckon that's why they shifted him to the booth - I think he and Jordan weren't getting on very well toward the end of last year's calendar.

              Anyway... loads of good driving on show - that's the main thing.

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                #57
                F1 - 2011

                Nothing quite as catty as Brundle saying 'bad hair day for Rihanna', haha.

                It was a red-winged blackbird out on the circuit. There is a red-shouldered blackbird, but it appears to be endemic to Cuba.

                Lauda has really been sticking it to Lewis post-race,

                "What Hamilton did there goes beyond all boundaries. He is completely mad," the three-time world champion said. "If the FIA does not punish him, I do not understand the world any more. At some point there has to be an end to all the jokes. You cannot drive like this – as it will result in someone getting killed."

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                  #58
                  F1 - 2011

                  Two incredibly close finishes in one day, after Audi's win at Le Mans earlier. Think criticism of Hamilton is off the mark here - he was reckless at Monaco, no question - but the tap on Webber was a racing incident, and although his move on Button was impetuous (especially so given the conditions) it wasn't outrageous, given the arse Button had made of the previous corner.

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                    #59
                    F1 - 2011

                    Yeah, I think Lauda is overstating the case there, for sure. However, there is little doubt that Hamilton is more impetuous than previously and I have to wonder how much of this is due to him being under a new manager. That might sound weird, but it seems to have coincided with these various 'incidents'. Of course, the frustration he must be feeling at no longer being the 'bright young thing' on the circus must play about an equal part too.

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                      #60
                      F1 - 2011

                      The only way that race could have been more hilarious would have been if Vettel had beached his ludicrous drinks advert car the way Alonso did. Red Bull might give you wings, but it doesn't give you balls, does it Seb?

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                        #61
                        F1 - 2011

                        Personally I think that Hamilton has just always had a huge sense of entitlement that he should be leading races and winning grand prix's and he thinks that everyone else is just there to make up the numbers and should be impatiently shunted out of the way if they do not respectfully let him fulfil his personal destiny.

                        I dislike him thoroughly, his whole F1 career has been like this and when he fucks up then it's always someone else's fault, stewards, other drivers or his team. He's a dirty driver, the way that Schumacher was and he squeals much louder then the German ever did about it too.

                        He deserved what he got yesterday, not because he was at fault in the Button incident but because he was certainly at fault with the Webber incident and was pretty iffy in the whole Schumacher incident too.

                        But yes, after he went then great race with Button showing the sort of resolve you don't always associate with him to hunt down and spook Vettel. Schumacher showed just how good he remains in wet conditions too.

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                          #62
                          F1 - 2011

                          He deserved what he got yesterday, not because he was at fault in the Button incident but because he was certainly at fault with the Webber incident and was pretty iffy in the whole Schumacher incident too
                          Webber turned across him. It was at the very worst a 5050 racing incident. As the Stewards decided, you'll note.
                          As for the Schumacher incident, you mean the one where Shuey forced him off the track?
                          I think you're letting your dislike of Hamilton cloud your judgement a bit. Hamilton was definitely at fault last week. But none of the incidents this week were his fault at all.

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                            #63
                            F1 - 2011

                            hobbes wrote:
                            He deserved what he got yesterday, not because he was at fault in the Button incident but because he was certainly at fault with the Webber incident and was pretty iffy in the whole Schumacher incident too
                            Webber turned across him. It was at the very worst a 5050 racing incident. As the Stewards decided, you'll note.
                            As for the Schumacher incident, you mean the one where Shuey forced him off the track?
                            I think you're letting your dislike of Hamilton cloud your judgement a bit. Hamilton was definitely at fault last week. But none of the incidents this week were his fault at all.
                            Don't agree with you in regards to passing Webber. Webber moved across to give Hamilton enough room and still Hamilton managed to hit into him.
                            The collison with Button was a racing incident. Button obviously fluffed the last corner but took the racing line. Hamilton should have shown more patience but that's easy for me to say sat here.
                            Schumacher's little move was 'clever', shall we say?

                            Would like to see the Button/Alonso incident again, was it Alonso passing Button or the other way round?

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                              #64
                              F1 - 2011

                              Agree with Dalliance, great post, except probably a touch harsh on the Schumacher incident.

                              With Webber, the Aussie gave him space and he just couldn't control his car. It wasn't a deliberate punt but it was reckless, and poor car control.

                              And while the Schumacher and Button incidents weren't necessarily dirty or his fault per se, they were big risks, in conditions where he could and should have been far more patient. He really seems to have lost his head lately.

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                                #65
                                F1 - 2011

                                dalliance wrote:
                                ....when he fucks up then it's always someone else's fault, stewards, other drivers or his team.
                                Words that could also be written about Alonso, although he's stopped blaming the team since he went to Maranello.

                                Hamilton has always been a racer, always tried to pull off the passing move, and sometimes he gets it wrong. Monaco aside, he's hardly guilty of being a crash magnet like Sutil, but yes, sometimes he's too impetuous or surprises the other driver with his move and they touch. Personally I'd rather have someone who tries that sort of move than a driver who sits on someones gearbox lap after lap, occasionally feinting but never making a serious attempt to make up a place on the track.

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                                  #66
                                  F1 - 2011

                                  bewaldeth wrote:
                                  dalliance wrote:
                                  ....when he fucks up then it's always someone else's fault, stewards, other drivers or his team.
                                  Words that could also be written about Alonso...
                                  ...Or Schumacher or Senna or... etc, etc.

                                  I think Dalliance is totally exercising selective judgment here. Yes, Hamilton has been too impetuous of late, but the only reason we might get the impression he whines or has a sense of entitlement is because he has a microphone shoved in his face by British media more than any other driver out there. Thus, he feels compelled to make statements, even when he would be better off keeping his mouth shut. He gets more airtime in this country than any other driver simply because he was seen as the next big British F1 champion.

                                  I think he is being pushed to become a 'character' or a celebrity by his manager and probably others around him simply because this is the era of big money in sport. I actually don't think I've ever seen another driver less well-suited to being in the spotlight. Even Hakkinen and (in rallying) Gronholm managed to turn their reticent and grumpy natures to their advantage. But Hamilton just reminds me of a kid on children's TV who gets asked what he thinks of something and immediately becomes tongue-tied. I frequently cringe during his interviews. Damon Hill was similar, actually, even though he was a lot older at the time. I think he just needs to learn to tell the media to back off sometimes. When he does this and truly learns to concentrate on his driving, I think he'll start once again fulfilling all his early promise.

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                                    #67
                                    F1 - 2011

                                    Incidentally, another aspect of this is that this year teams are allowed to nominate No.1 and No.2 drivers. If Button gets another win or two and Hamilton keeps on crashing out, then we could see Hamilton getting the designated No.2 status by the Autumn. If that happens, I reckon he could be off to Mercedes as soon as Schumacher indicates he really, really is retiring this time.

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                                      #68
                                      F1 - 2011

                                      evilC wrote:
                                      I actually don't think I've ever seen another driver less well-suited to being in the spotlight.
                                      Kimi.

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                                        #69
                                        F1 - 2011

                                        Personally, I think Lewis should ditch Nicole.

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                                          #70
                                          F1 - 2011

                                          Given that he presumably does most of the driving when they go out, it's surely only a matter of time before she indeed ends up in a ditch.

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                                            #71
                                            F1 - 2011

                                            I have to admit, my natural dislike of the tricked-up-to-the-hilt F1 championship had to take a back seat in the end last night when I turned BBC back on last night and realised they'd not only got the race back on, but it had turned into such a fantastic race, and got the finish it deserved.

                                            They go into the European stretch bit of the season now, don't they, so you've got to expect a few of those races will be similarly rain-affected, especially the British and Belgian ones.

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                                              #72
                                              F1 - 2011

                                              Webber turned across him. It was at the very worst a 5050 racing incident. As the Stewards decided, you'll note.
                                              As others have noted Webber did nothing wrong, he allowed him space to get through and Hamilton ran wide from the corner apex and nailed him. It was overly impatient driving as it was last weekend with Alonso and Maldonado.

                                              As for the Schumacher incident, you mean the one where Shuey forced him off the track?
                                              Schumacher was clever I think. Hamilton was being overly aggressive considering the conditions and I think Schumacher thought he would teach him a bit of a lesson. They were both a bit to blame I think it's fair to say.

                                              Words that could also be written about Alonso...
                                              ...Or Schumacher or Senna or... etc, etc.
                                              Alonso was a big baby when he was at McLaren with his off the track whining but I have never really thought of him as a hazard to other drivers on the track the way Hamilton is. Schumacher, yes. As I said in my previous post, for all his undoubted genius he was a win at all cost dirty driver who should have had 2 of his titles taken off him, one for driving an illegal Benetton for an entire season and the other for the Hill crash.

                                              He would have won world titles anyway but being who he was, coming from the country he did and driving for the team he mostly did all meant he was not punished the way he should have been for his multiple transgressions. The marketability of Hamilton makes me think the same thing will happen there.

                                              And Senna too. Paul Hayward wrote a horrible article in The Observer yesterday where he was romanticising F1 back in the days of Senna and before, days before the sport was taken over by money. that made me laugh, especially after watching that fabulous documentary The Killer Years where drivers lived were expendable because circuit owners would not spend any of their race profits on basic safety provision.

                                              And Senna was a cheat too, the worst kind and an over romanticised cheat because he died young.

                                              I think Dalliance is totally exercising selective judgment here. Yes, Hamilton has been too impetuous of late, but the only reason we might get the impression he whines or has a sense of entitlement is because he has a microphone shoved in his face by British media more than any other driver out there. Thus, he feels compelled to make statements, even when he would be better off keeping his mouth shut. He gets more airtime in this country than any other driver simply because he was seen as the next big British F1 champion.
                                              This is a little like Wayne Rooney selling pictures of his wedding to Hello magazine and then complaining when the press write other stuff about him that he is not so keen on.

                                              The whole career of Louis hamilton has been marketing driven because of his skin colour and looks and the markets for the sport this can open up in new territories around the world. No British driver has flogged his image as extensively and as widely as Hamilton, he has been happy to be seen as the glamorous superstar racing driver in the way Button never really has and he has to live with this self promoted lifestyle.

                                              I think he is being pushed to become a 'character' or a celebrity by his manager and probably others around him simply because this is the era of big money in sport. I actually don't think I've ever seen another driver less well-suited to being in the spotlight.
                                              I disagree totally with the above. He has been groomed to be this since a young age, his image was important at an earlier age than it is for most drivers. His manager is pretty new, he's always been like this in similar forms when he was being managed by his father.

                                              For the record I have had some past association with F1 through the video game licences and still talk to some of the people there. Hamilton is seen in the paddock and beyond as being aloof and arrogant and is thoroughly unpopular with the rest of the drivers.

                                              But Hamilton just reminds me of a kid on children's TV who gets asked what he thinks of something and immediately becomes tongue-tied. I frequently cringe during his interviews. Damon Hill was similar, actually, even though he was a lot older at the time. I think he just needs to learn to tell the media to back off sometimes. When he does this and truly learns to concentrate on his driving, I think he'll start once again fulfilling all his early promise.
                                              Sorry, I can't go with this at all. All of these drivers are media trained from an early age, the media side should be a lot harder for the foreign drivers who have to learn to not only be fluent in English but come across as open and friendly and expressive like Vettel.

                                              How do you get tongue tied when you are asked the same questions race in and race out? Why should he tell the media to back off, they are asking the questions that they are entitled to ask as part of their contractual rights and the questions are not provocative. Asking him what he thought about his repeated encounters with the stewards at Monaco was not a challenging question, his puerile race driven answer was certainly a provocative answer.

                                              Hamilton is charm personified when things are going his way, he is an easy interviewee and has absolutely no problems with his communication. When he is frustrated and feels others are getting in his way then he is as obnoxious off the track as off.

                                              When he does this and truly learns to concentrate on his driving, I think he'll start once again fulfilling all his early promise.
                                              Again this is a moot point. I don't doubt he concentrates on driving now, it's just his concentration is tempered by his anger at his inability to compete. He might never drive again for a team with the best car so he has the choice of making the best of his lot like a more mellow and rounded professional might, or being a petulant child and taking out his frustrations on everyone else.

                                              Ironically had he been more of the former yesterday then he could have won that race, but even if Button hadn't broken his wheel there looked little chance that Hamilton was going to finish in one piece with the mood he was in.

                                              Potential is only a small amount of the battle anyway. I dealt much more in rallying than F1 and for years I heard the mantra that Colin McRae was the best driver in the world and if only he could concentrate on not being quite so reckless and having big crashes then he would dominate the sport.

                                              But he couldn't be less reckless, that was not his nature and the only reason he was fast in bursts at all was because he was reckless. So it was pretty useless really with just a single world title to show for it. Christ, even his death it transpires came about through needless recklessness.

                                              Hamilton is one of a number of naturally gifted F1 drivers at the moment but most of the others seem mentally better equipped for the long haul to be honest.

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                                                #73
                                                F1 - 2011

                                                dalliance wrote:
                                                Alonso was a big baby when he was at McLaren with his off the track whining but I have never really thought of him as a hazard to other drivers on the track the way Hamilton is.
                                                He's not grown up much in my eyes - look at his reaction when Petrov bottled him up at Abu Dhabi. Yes, Hamilton would probably have lost it and taken them both off with an ill-judged and desperate attempt to pass, but Alonso is still sour and graceless and it's always someone else's fault when things don't go his way.

                                                Potential is only a small amount of the battle anyway. I dealt much more in rallying than F1 and for years I heard the mantra that Colin McRae was the best driver in the world and if only he could concentrate on not being quite so reckless and having big crashes then he would dominate the sport.

                                                But he couldn't be less reckless, that was not his nature and the only reason he was fast in bursts at all was because he was reckless. So it was pretty useless really with just a single world title to show for it. Christ, even his death it transpires came about through needless recklessness.
                                                Well, his death apart, I'd suggest that you could argue that another way. Was it recklessness, or was it just that his fine line, his absolute limit was closer to the edge than most other drivers?

                                                Like Toivonen before him, he was never a percentage driver, hardly ever throttled back to drive for points, almost seemed to need to be fastest on every single stage. But is that reckless, or just single minded determination?

                                                For sure, he wasn't a thinking driver like Burns, but who knows whether his personal goals were the same. He never struck me as someone who would measure his life by the no. of titles he won, but by how much fun he'd had, how much faster he'd been than his competitors. I'm just not sure that I'd qualify recklessness as the same thing as driving on the limit and occasionally slipping over it. I mean, Latvala has had a similarly crash-strewn early WRC career, but it seems that his problem is a lack of concentration rather than overconfidence or impetuousity.

                                                Will be interesting to judge Hamilton by his legacy in 10 years time, I think. He has many of the traits associated with Senna, Villeneuve, Schumacher - and all of them divided opinion too.

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                                                  #74
                                                  F1 - 2011

                                                  Like Toivonen before him, he was never a percentage driver, hardly ever throttled back to drive for points, almost seemed to need to be fastest on every single stage. But is that reckless, or just single minded determination?

                                                  For sure, he wasn't a thinking driver like Burns, but who knows whether his personal goals were the same. He never struck me as someone who would measure his life by the no. of titles he won, but by how much fun he'd had, how much faster he'd been than his competitors. I'm just not sure that I'd qualify recklessness as the same thing as driving on the limit and occasionally slipping over it
                                                  McRae was entitled to judge his rallying career on whatever terms he liked, the rest of the world will judge it by the titles he won because that's a fair way to do it and takes into account all of the disciplines you need to be judged a good rally driver.

                                                  Speed is just one of them, especially in rally which really is the proverbial marathon rather than just a sprint, decision making as to when to push and when not to are tantamount too. McRae was the driving equivalent of a footballer who insists on hitting Hollywood passes all the time when often there are better options - it makes for nice memories and YouTube clips but it is not ultimately especially useful or productive.

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                                                    #75
                                                    F1 - 2011

                                                    Who else is crossing their fingers for a soggy Sunday?

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