Nice race win there at Monaco putting Lewis in a clear championship lead. Could be a crucial Hamilton/Piquet battle at Silverstone coming up which if Hamilton wins will set himself up for the rest of the season and affect Piquet psychologically.

Encouraging words from Ron Dennis who doesn't rule Hamilton out for driving in F1 next season, even for McLaren

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/51954


These words are a significant change from Dennis' position prior to starting this GP2 season where he was a lot more guarded about Hamilton's prospects.


So overall an exciting time for Hamilton fans!

Should be exciting time for anyone.

I mean, Rosberg drover the same car against the same people when they where learning last year, and won convincingly...

If Hamilton continues like this, he's going to win embarrassingly and that's in spite of his schoolboy errors.

I think it might be time to arrange F1 into talent order and kick out the chaff. Ability is back in vogue.

That's the only worrying thing about him. He seems to forget things like the rules at times. On sheer pace he is decimating a generally much more experienced field.

Care to explain that comment?

Lewis seems to be getting better, race by race. At least in Monaco he got a good start. Up to now his starts have been abysmal. I also haven't noticed him making the same mistakes over and over again. He is learning from them thats for sure.

I don't think he means in a Schumacher way, but in an Ide way.

The Schumacher part is already covered by his teammate.

Sorry, I just don't see how Lewis forgets the rules.

If we're talking about him overtaking the safety car in Imola, it was a simple mistake caused by the fact the lights were still on for two other cars to pass and Lewis assumed he was already a lap down.

Lewis' intellect and fairness is one of his standout features - to say he doesn't know or heed rules seems to me to be a misinformed and unfair criticism.

And relax, I think we're all pretty impressed with Hamilton, when we say forgot the rules, we are referring to a string of incidents where he and the rules weren't in the same place at the same time.

Totally agree with Tidytracks, Lewis is a young driver who's already learned a few harsh lessons in GP2 this year but I've seen nothing yet to suggest he's ever intentionally ignored any rules. In fact he seems to be a tough but fair racer.

Couldn't agree more - and now that he's not found himself caught out by his own speed (which in one way or another was cause for all of his FIAltercations) he's simply proving himself head and shoulders the class of the field.

Yes. Odd situations but given that F1 has so many stupid rules he needs to know these things.

Don't care if the dude is a Brit or Black. He's damn fast and deserves a good chance in F1.

Seems like this is one investment that will give Uncle Ron a great deal of pleasure and a BIG return sometime soon . I think its about time the likes of Hamilton and other young guns came in to replace some of the aging war-horses ... I think if McLaren don't snap him up ...there is the chance for BMW - who have been non commital about Jacques - to hire him . They certainly could do with a quick young gun .

If McLaren can't produce a winning car I really don't think McLaren would be the right place for Hamilton to start his career.. he would rather get into a reliable team like BMW and learn the trade for a season before coming to a winning team . I am sure we will see some new faces in F1 - Hamilton , Heikki , etc .

I'd sooner put a rookie in an unreliable race winning car than a reliable mid pack car. Even if he only lead 5 laps and the motor went, atleast he has a taste for blood. You know if he can hack it with the big boys. Massa vs. Raikkonen. Frustration isn't always a bad thing if you can control it. A good driver should only need a full season within a team to get up to speed. This piddling around getting use to things I think is crap. These are the best of the best.

An Alonso-Hamilton pairing at McLaren in 07 would look pretty darn good, IMO. Montoya is looking sooo ordinary, Bourdais must hate him.

It would be great to see an experienced champion against a raw, fast driver. I think if Kimi goes to Ferrari Ron will take the chance on Lewis. He comes across as very mature and level headed and he would be cheap. He could save a good $10 million for 2 years or so. He could easily pay Lewis $2 mill plus point incentives vs paying Kimi or JPM $12-15 mill.

Heh Kimi would not be that cheap.

I think Hamilton will be driving Mclaren next year if tests go well.
Champion and rookie, there's some balance in it.

It should not be a big thing at all. At least not with the drivers.


The only potentially real issue that have the most potential, from my perspective, are the sponsors. Can a "Black" guy sell your wares and bits to Europeans?


------

Okay, I'm an African American. I've been "sold" lots of stuff by personages that don't resemble me in any way and may not give me the time of day on the street, so that, too, shouldn't be an issue.

As far as the drivers are concerned, I've played football, judo, track & field with and against personages who have no racial similarities with myself. I've never had an issue with it. Not everyone felt the same.

But we must be realistic, here. Europe is no "melting pot" (neither is the USA) of various races and the current issues in the soccer league is pretty disgusting and appalling. I'd venture to say that any mistakes will be played upon a bit more than most - just as if he wins the championship the media will play upon it a bit more than most. It's a double-edged sword that he already knows about better than most posting here. The bottom line is that race, unfortunately, does enter the equations and estimations of men when the character and actions of an individual should be all that matters.

I just don't see why his colour has to come into it at all. We've had an Indian in F1 and all manner of nationalities so why a big issue about a Black person? Its just crazy. If he's good enough then bring him on I say.

Windsor' wisdom





I wonder why is the reason Mclaren doesn't give him some test sessions next week and replace any of the racing drivers for the rest of season. McLaren seems really to be losing big time with his current racing drivers. Give him a race seat now and he will be winning races *for sure*.

To his defense, he's talking about giving Hamilton a MP4-20, a last year's car. That certainly was at least a race winning car. So perhaps even today he'd win races with it.

If after two good testing sesions and a bit of talk, Hamilton is capable to win races even in a winning car, I don't know what Ron is waiting for. Just give him, say 10 good test sesions and some more talking and this guy will be wiping the floor with anyone.

Why waiting if he is so good? Give him the MP4-21 now and he will develop it into a winning car when he will use his open eyes, of course. With his eyes shut, that will be even more amazing, don't you reckon?

Another 18 points from Hamilton at Silverstone- (2 wins, 2 fastest laps, only 0.004s away from the maximum of 20) with great overtaking in both races, particularly the second one since the reverse grid meant he started from 8th. Now 22 points ahead of Piquet and 31 ahead of Premat and has definitely the psychological upper hand over both of them having beaten Piquet in a race he expected to fight back on and consistently beating Premat in the same car. Given that the other contendors tend to not be consistent enough on different tracks he really has a good opportunity to build on his lead and turn the screw since the earlier he manages to win the championship the earlier he can do some F1 testing and greater his chance of getting a good drive in F1 next season.

I remember Nigel Roebuck once saying about 10 years ago that it was now impossible for a driver to win his first Grand Prix. Then Jacques Villeneuve nearly proved him wrong instantlybut since then no-one has really looked likely. If Hamilton gets a McLaren drive next year it is a definite, definite possibility.

Today he was fucking mesmeric. The 3 wide pass was epic. And the way he danced around behind Porteiro before passing him was sheer joy, it was like watching Maradona or Pele against an average defence, now you see me, now you don't, I can pass you whenever and however I want...poor Porteiro was like Billy Wright against Puskas at Wembley 1953...despite that Felix was still the 2nd best today. Hamilton made the others look like amateurs. And the little things seem to be sorted now...no pit-lane speeding or safety snafus, indeed he snookered Pantano after one of the restarts.

I agree. Never seen anything more impressive in professional racing.

Ron still being somewhat cautious about Lewis' future although I think that Ron's main objective is to manage the inevitable hype.

well itv have already started the hyping up of hamilton

And why not?

It's worked so well for Button hasn't it?

However Hamilton's perfomances in GP2 are more dominant than Button's at the moment- I would say that the level at the moment is more recognition of his achievements than out of proportion publicity.

Yes the colour of Lewis Hamilltons skin will have a huge secondary if not primary impact. Are you blind? How many black drivers ever in the history of F1?

I think that everyone will be a great pains on the surface to deny the colour of LH's skin is newsworthy, but that will simply spur the media on.

I have been watching LH race for so long now, it does not cross my mind that he is anything other than a very fast, very focused guy who should be in F1 sooner rather that later. But the media will focus on much more superficial issues and F1 will be there to gain from that.

If I was Ron I would put Lewis in one of the cars at every opportunity, which would mean decreasing car time for, and then dropping altogther, Pedro DLR. If Montoya goes to RedBull I would pay him off and then bring LH in for the last two races.

Whilst I do not rate Ron Dennis that highly, in this instance I do believe his team to be a good place for Lewis to thrive and that the black 'issue' will be handled well. I agree it should not come up but it will just as it would if a woman got a top line drive.


dw

Dropping DeLaRosa? McLaren needs a good test driver and that won't change if Hamilton gets a race seat at McLaren. And if that doesn't happen it will likely be a (McLaren-sponsored) race drive elsewhere, on loan with a midfield team.

I really hate them at the moment. If there is ever a backlash against Lewis at some stage for sure they will have played a part, although it seems as if Lewis and his handlers are giving ITV enough rope to hang him with!

I do wish they would stop giving away the GP2 results, seems to me if they cannot put togther a 20 minute GP2 feature to be shown as part of the F1 build-up they should keep their gobs shut so that those that wish to try can watch the GP2 highlights without knowing what will happen.

ITV sucks and Lewis should stay well away from them. They need him far more than he needs them, it seems to me.


dw

I think there is evidence that Lewis could be another Kimi and should be fastracked into the team ASAP, although I concur that the loan option has merits too Wouter. As for DLR, I think that a gradual cutting back on his track time to ease Lewis in is the best thing to do. They have Paffett and could pick up an extra test driver quite easily.

Another option would be to give DLR a one-year deal in the race seat with Lewis taking over his job. I'm pretty sure that method is about to pay dividends at Renault for the second time, although I think the team as a whole is about to slump unless they get KR.


dw

After this mornings race, Silverstone Tv/Radio the circuit commentators, interviewed Anthony Hamilton (Lewis's dad).

I'm para-phrasing but he said word to the effect of:-

"Lewis's stock if very high at the moment, maybe we don't have to wait for someone to make up his mind, and we should take up the offer we have"

Now I could be wrong, but it sounded to me like he was saying that maybe they shouldn't wait for Ron Dennis to make up his mind, and they should take the offer that they already have. It might have been offers I'm not quite sure. So it seems that Lewis already has F1 offers for next year.

Did any one else who was there hear this ? I'd be interested if anyone else thought the same as I did.

Any vids on the net about that pass?

Good tactics! Could be complete bullshit, the real deal or just embellishing a 'toe-in-water' approach from someone like BMW or Torro Rosso. I know that it is possible to rush something but I get the same buzz watching Lewis that I got from Senna in his F3 days, and I feel he IS special enough to jump straight in at Mclaren and get the job done.

I actually placed a bet back in 2002 that Lewis would win a F1 race by 2006 so time is running out for me, but stranger things have happened!!


dw

Isn't Hamilton on a longterm contract with Mclaren anyway? If so, he could probably not take up any offer unless Dennis agrees with it?

I have long since lost faith in any contract I have either seen or heard about. I do believe that Lewis is the hottest item in single seaters anywhere in the world right now so people will be taking their positions. The thing for me that I love about Lewis, and I have seem him all over Europe, is that he always gives 100%.

Putting him alongside Alonso next year would probably make McLaren the only team that would have that edge, perhaps Williams too but they will be midfielders.


dw

Watching Lewis was fab this weekend. His racecraft is absolutely top drawer and assuming he wins the GP2 championship this year, he has to be pushing hard to get into F1. I listened to a bit of that interview with dad Hamilton on Silverstone TV and I definitely heard words to the effect that Lewis's stock is high at the moment and there was a definite big hint at interest in him from parties other than the obvious Ron.

I'm just not quite sure where Lewis could go. Ideally I'd like to see him in a Maclaren (obviously thats where he wants to go too), but with Alonso being new to the team for 2007, it would be a big gamble putting Lewis alongside him. Teams like continuity with race drivers so surely Maclaren would prefer to retain one of their current race drivers ideally (obviously Kimi is the preferred choice).

The hype thing is hard to ignore I agree, but actually I think the Hamiltons are dealing with it incredibly well so far.

Even if both drivers were new to the team, it would be no where near tha gamble two rookies would be. I think Alonso will be experienced enough and confident enough to step into the McLaren team and be getting the most out of the car after Winter testing. If Kimi moves elsewhere (which seems to be looking likely), I think Hamilton would be less of a gamble than sticking with Montoya.

I have liked Montoya a lot in the past, but he just hasn't clicked at McLaren. Except for a few strong performances last year, JPM just hasn't looked even half as combative or quick as his years at Williams. He needs to move on as much as McLaren need to let him go. De la Rosa has never looked more than competent, so McLaren should put a highly rated rookie with Alonso.

I think either Paffett or Hamilton deserve the chance, although Paffett's career route has been less conventional and a little of the excitment surrounding him has faded. Ron has a world champion contracted and two very talented rookie drivers to choose from for next year, so it must be a nice problem to have to deal with. The problem of building a fast and reliable car to make the most of his driver line-up must loose him a lot more sleep.

Obviously, if Kimi decides to stick around for a match up against Alonso, then Ron has the problem of finding a seat elsewhere for Hamilton and Paffett. Hamilton may accept a years testing with McLaren but Paffett may not want another year on the sidelines, as his DTM championship winning performances are quickly beoming history. McLaren have stated that their preferred race driver lineup would be to keep Kimi alongside Alonso, but maybe there comes a time when Kimi is told to shit or get off the pot. If Hamilton continues to show amazing performances in GP2, Ron may make Kimi's decision for him.

Article about Hamilton in The Independent, where he talks about his background and what he stands for.

Good read!

$2 mil a season seems a bit steep for a rookie, the Jaguar drivers Webber and Pizzonia were on $500,000 less than the most eading touring car pilots I guess, so Ron should definetely be able to save even more than what you suggest for the first say 2 year contract! Taking him on as one of their F1 race drivers might work out cheaper than what McLaren needs to tip into the GP2 money jar plus the learning value for sure would be better in F1 than GP2, so Ron would definately be keen on that I guess.

Hamilton definately deserves a McLaren race drive. But it is a sought after McLaren race drive, so surely Ron should be able to name the price if he instead opts for a Massa, Klien, Liuzzi, Trulli or what not.

I think that if facts are facts and the Mc line up is either KR & FA or FA & LH, it'll be pretty obvious Dennis will at very least be all but guaranteed the hen fight out on track that KR & JPM never offered.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=1zIp3hrSC48&sea...ewis%20hamilton

Does Dennis need a henfight, or another WC? McLaren profited greatly from the Senna Prost fights, but I think Dennis will 'need' that kind of exposure only after he wins another worldchampionship. Just like Ferrari could have used such a henfight after Schumacher won the WC the first two times (but Barrichello just could not keep up).

My five cents.

Congratulations on Lewis Hamilton becoming GP2 champion so no need to stay in GP2 for a second year!

It's good that he's getting a McLaren test soon. His recent words seem to imply that he is probably going to get a year of testing at McLaren, although if he blows the field straight away in testing he may even be racing in McLaren next year!

Hopefully he will drive at McLaren next season with Fernando Alonso, it would also cut wings from those very silly rumour like McLaren would want to hire JVi.

A well deserved championship victory for Lewis. Really, the minimum he can expect now is a McLaren test driver's seat next year. I have no doubt he could jump straight into the race seat and cut the mustard though.

Please Ron, don't give the drive to the insipid PDLR