Oh no he didn't just say that, did he?
In a spectacular case of NOT STFU and drive, Lewis Hamilton compares himself to Nelson Mandela. That raises so many issues I'm not sure I even want to go there so, here is the quote, decide for yourself:
"A few people have questioned my commitment, my ability to drive. I’m not Superman but I believe I have the ability to win a world championship. Everybody makes mistakes. I'm sure Nelson Mandela, at 90-odd, still makes mistakes. That's life."
Sounds like another chapter for his next autobiography, likely to be published in July, titled "My life since last October".
Only Honda's stunningly bad choices can top that. You can read extensively about the Super Aguri fiasco elsewhere, I just wanted to share the words of Giancarlo Minardi to Racingworld.it:"Sadly in such a competitive Formula 1 environment there is little interest for a small team with funding issues.
It happened in the past with Minardi and other teams. They use you when they need to fill in the grid or to create interest and promotion. This happened last year when Super Aguri was born to mask Honda's choices when that team found itself without a Japanese driver and at odds with the home fans.
Perhaps now that marketing operation is obsolete and the team principal is not interested in a satellite team any longer.
Presently Formula 1 does not show the fights at the back of the grid and as the level of reliability of cars has become so great, the need for survival of little teams becomes secondary"
What's wrong with comparing yourself to someone great?
ReplyDeleteHe didn't liken himself to him, he didn't say he did a similar amount of humanitarian work as Nelson, or that his driving was as important as Mandela’s accomplishments, he stated that he made mistakes, just as Mandela made mistakes.
If anything that's stating that someone greater than him is also only human.
It also suggests that Hamilton, in his relatively trivial profession, takes solace from the tribulations of Mandela, who makes efforts to free oppressed people and further peace.
I'm assuming this is just another case of people trying to be hip by soiling a glorified celebrities reputation. A book this early in his career and certainly the suspended in air stunt are both ill-advised but I don't see the news-worthiness of an inflating ego.
To be honest I'm just glad a racecar driver knows who Nelson Mandela is...
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI fully agree - every little thing that Lewis Hamilton says and doe is taken totally out of context. I am from South Africa and am a avid Hamilton supporter and it is great that he is acutally making the effort to meet Nelson Mandela. He is right, even someone like Mandela has made mistakes and he is just trying to say that he is human. We all make mistakes and we learn from them...this also applied to Hamilton. I think that he is the best thing to happen to Formula 1 - with out him it would not be as exciting as it is. He is a great driver and i think that he will be better then Shumacher. He is only driving in F1 for 15 months and people expect too much for him - he is human after all.