2008 F1 World Champion???

[Willy]

As it stands going into the last two races of the season we are within inches of having either Felipe Massa or Lewis Hamilton as F1 Champion.
This barring a surprise last ditch effort of a dark horse.

I can't seem to bring myself to speak of either of these two in the same breath as Jackie Stewart, Damon Hill, Nigel Mansell or even, dare I say it, Michael Schumacher. Proper champions all.

Massa and Hamilton have made so many dumb rookie like errors that neither has earned the status of champion in my mind and I will have a hard time thinking of them that way.
A sad state for F1.

And after the immature comments of Alonso recently I don't find it easy to believe he won the championship two years running. 

A great car will put you on the podium many times in a season but it takes more then just the vehicle to make a champion.

[Dare]

Willy I have a easier time accepting Alonso
than Hamilton or Massa.

At least he beat Schumacher with a car that
was equal to the Ferrari or maybe a little
less of a car,remember the FIA banning the
damping systems back then

[John S]

 Come on Willy, Lewis is still only in his 2nd season so can be excused a little more for acting like a rookie than Massa who has a lot of experience under his belt. I recall one Michael Schumacer causing quite a bit of controversy on the way to his WDCs.

Both contenders have been making a bit of a pigs ear out of it, but we can't say it's dull and as neither has won the WDC before I think they are both trying to hard. I think we all really prefer to see them trying to much instead of just playing a safe percentage game.

[Chameleon]

But the car does count, Willy.  Neither Mansell nor Damon would have been champions had they not been in the best car.  Some do it in lesser cars and it is for this reason that I rate Keke Rosberg higher than many others who won it more than once.

I think what you're really objecting to is how young the contenders are this year.  Massa has been in the game a while, it's true, but he still behaves like a kid.  And the other two are in what is really only their second year of F1.  Naturally, they don't have the maturity of some of the older drivers.

But it's a young man's sport and it's getting younger, thanks to the stress the cars put on the drivers these days.  I doubt that we'll see many of the present crop of young drivers continuing until their mid-thirties - they'll be done by the time they're 30.  And that means their first championship will come at an earlier age than we're used to.  Alonso set the pattern and the rest are following.  New seasons, new champions and none of them of the character of some of the greats from yesteryear - but they'll get there in time and, by the time Hamilton and Kubica retire, they will be just as statesmanlike as Stewart or Lauda.

And let's not forget that the greatest of them all, Ayrton, made mistakes all the way through his career.  He did so because he drove to win every time.  Those are the great drivers, the real racers, and each one of them is worth more than ten of the careful calculators of a point here and a point there.  Hamilton will make a good champion even though he may not have matured fully yet.

[johnbull]

I agree with most of what you say.

I never really considered Massa to be championship material, so the fact that he is right up there with a very real chance speaks volumes for his car.

Lewis. What can I say that's not already been said a million times. I would love to be able to compare him with Clark and Senna, but have to be content with comparing him with Gilles Villeneuve.

Clark and Senna drove with both their hearts and their heads. Gilles drove only with his heart, and that doesn't win you championships, i'm afraid.

On a very different scale, my son was in the same situation as Lewis last Sunday, though on a very much smaller scale. With 2 rounds of the Malta Hill Climb championship to run he could make his chances much better last Sunday, or much worse. He drove well within his limits for 3 of the 4 runs. At the time he was 2nd overall in the event, exactly 9 points ahead of his rival who was first. They had quite a gap to the third placed driver, but he was just 1 point short of clinching the championship. On that last round he could afford to risk and close the championship or settle for second and carry the championship fight to the next round. He pushed it and won overall, thus also winning the championship.

I was very pleased to see that he had remained calm and used his head. When he realised the worst he could be last Sunday was 2nd overall and would still be leading the championship, he pushed a bit harder on that last run. And he made it.

[Dare]

Congradulations to your son John you
must be proud very proud of him!

On another note if Alonso would have learned
to keep his trap shut I wonder how that would
have changed peoples feeling on him?

[johnbull]

Congradulations to your son John you
must be proud very proud of him!

On another note if Alonso would have learned
to keep his trap shut I wonder how that would
have changed peoples feeling on him?

Thanks for the congrats.

Re Alonso, I couldn't agree more. I quite like him till he opens his mouth.

[John S]

I never really considered Massa to be championship material, so the fact that he is right up there with a very real chance speaks volumes for his car.

Massa is still beating his teamate who is considered by most to be capable of another championship, so although the car may be good Felippe is certainly showing he's capable of winning a WDC.

[cosworth151]

One of the few things Bernie and Max have left us to look forward to in F1 right now is a few years on Hamilton, Vettel & Kubica going at it for the championship.

[FW14B]

I am alarmed by the regularity the three main favourites for this season have performed.  Hamilton started okay but has looked increasingly brittle and prone to hot headed mistakes.  Massa seems to have regressed back to his eratic form, and someone seems to have abducted Raikkonen this year and replaced him with a poor quality clone. 

I know Alonso has certain issues when it comes to connecting his brain with his mouth, but he is one of the only drivers on the grid who I believe is a worthy champion.  I would also lump Kubica in that category and would love to see him have a proper shot at the championship.  Look how he has done in the BMW which has gradually slipped off the pace this year.  I know Hamilton has time on his side, but I think the two Ferrari drivers are losing the plot somewhere.

[Ian]

We keep hearing Hamilton and Massa, but don't forget Kubica is only 12 pts behind Hamilton, if they both wipe out in the final 2 races, Kubica with his regular scoring of points could lift the cup.

[greener_09]

As much as i would like to see Lewis Hamilton win the championship this year i have to agree that he hasnt driven or acted like a world champion. I would love to see Vettel drive for one of the bigger teams as he has raw talent and will be a champion in the near future. Driving for redball next year is a big mistake as the torro rosso has out shone in almost every race.

[John S]

New season new cars, no one quite knows how the new regs are going to effect the order on the grid. Vettel may be as well off in the Red Bull as in anything else and with Renault now able to sqeeze some more out of their engine we shall have to wait and see.

[Dare]

With the nre rulesnext year and Renault being
allowed upgrades on their engine I'm touting
Alonso for WDC next year

Mums the word to Ian in the GG

[Warmwater]

There always seems to be a bit of confusion amongst fans regarding skill vs personality.

Through all the discussions there consistantly are folks who talk about the skill of Senna, Clarke, Mansell, etal. And there are other folks who concentrate on the personalities of drivers like Schumaker, Alesi, Villenueve, and  Hill.

Take your pick, do you like skill or do you like personality.

Unfortunately, a lot of skilled drivers are jerks that you probably would not invite to a family dinner, while those that you might want to associate with may not have the killer instinct.

When we are discussing World Championship drivers, you cannot taint your favoritism with personal preferences.
I do not care if you like the way L Hamilton handles his media presentation or not, he is a top driver with a top rated car. The same goes with the other drivers.

My (biased) opinion of the current Primadonnas and their chances for the Championship are as follows:

Hamilton: Is in the favored position obviously and has the car and skill. But he is still in his early years and makes a lot of amateur mistakes. 50% chance that he will throw it away. His team, however, makes few mistakes which gives him a slight advantage. His team-mate could help out a bit.

Massa: Has the experience with winning and losing teams, which should give him good balance. His team does tend to screw up, which ultimately may make the difference. A big equalizer is the input from M. Schumaker. His team-mate will not assist him.

Kubica: I grudgingly give him much credit, if Ferrari and Hamilton make their usual mistakes he can upset the applecart and I might actually cheer. If BMW have been developing nex tyears car properly, 2009 may see them on top.

Alonso: Possibly the best driver and car-tuner overall, but the car in it's present state is 2nd rate. Maybe next year.

If it was a popularity contest, Vettle would win.