Many will say, as they did with Vettel and Schumacher before, that it was all car. Yes, but it's not really Hamilton's fault everyone else was slow. Nico was not slow and in the end Lewis beat him fair and square.
Given Mercedes' crushing domination it was always going to be between Hamilton and Rosberg for the win. In fact Rosberg proved to be a more tenacious competition than anyone would have imagined at the beginning of the season, he came close and surprised everyone by out qualifying Hamilton.
For Lewis, he did not have it all his way, he made a number of mistakes and fell short in qualifying but he always fought back on Sundays. He had bad luck but also good luck, sometimes in the same race. Hungary, for example, where an engine fire forced him to start from pit lane and a safety car helped him finish on the podium. Or Brazil, where he spun off while chasing Rosberg but managed to keep it away from any barriers and with the engine running.
If I had any recriminations, it would be with the way the (mostly) British media followed Hamilton's lead and demonized Rosberg for presumed dirty tricks. What was ridiculous in Monaco just became lousy after Spa. Mercedes as a team were wrong to come down hard as they did on Rosberg, even Toto Wolff in hindsight admitted as much to the BBC, ahead of the last race. It was a blotch in an otherwise very well managed, complicated season for the Germans. Was Hamilton wrong in whining about Nico's behavior, using his contract renewal and even his background in the media/psych war? It's F1, win at all cost, no holds barred, that's the way it is.
So well done Lewis, congratulations and get a nice rest, hopefully next season you will have more than just Nico chasing you. It will be much more fun for us to watch and for you to race!.
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I can't help but sense the bitterness in AC's voice lol. I'm glad it's finally official and the best driver won the title. We all knew it was Lewis's title all year. The only thing keeping Rosberg in the game was Hamilton's misfortune and the dodgy incidents in Monaco and Spa. If you think about it, Rosberg's first win would not have come until Austria. That's a whooping 8 races into the season!! He kept Hamilton honest, but was always finishing 2nd when both cars ran without problems. Crucially, he never passed Hamilton on track to take a win.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, that's all ifs and buts and in the past. Its all about number 44. From a $2 part DNF, car catching on fire, and being taken out by your own teammate, he kept his head down and fought to the end. Legendary driver, legendary season! Time to just enjoy it and look forward to 2015 :). What a year! Great racing all year throughout the field. I can't help but feel those that are critical of F1s current racing are just mad their team or driver is not winning. The racing has never been better, the cars are getting faster and faster and more emphasis is being placed on the drivers on Sundays. There's always room for improvement and the sport is working to fix things, although very clumsy at the times. Can't wait for winter testing to see what Honda has to offer and what 2015 driver line will be. Get in there Lewis! double world champ...hopefully many more to come.
"Legendary driver, legendary season"? My my
ReplyDeleteBelieve it buddy! The sooner you come to grips with it, the better it will be for you. I know this is a tough moment for you so I won't beat you up too much. I noticed it took you a while to publish a piece on the final race, normally you're pretty quick to report on the races. I understand, though...must be hard to take in the fact that a couch rider is the King of F1.
ReplyDeleteRosberg won the Pole position title, Hamilton the racing title. Couldn't be more fitting.
ReplyDeleteDid you hear LW on the radio on the formation lap? Last minute adjustments to launch/clutch control made him blast to the lead.
Yeah... Not a 100% Endorsment from Axis. But what the Hey ! ;)
ReplyDeleteEven the German Media acknowledged that the Fans got behind Hamilton from early on in the season.
In a Senna-esque way, he managed to develop some kind of righteousness that Nico never managed to counter.
It was a competitive season in terms of 2 team-mates Duke-ing it out... but will it go down as a classic like an Senna vs Prost (Team mates) or Hunt vs Lauda? DEFINITELY NOT. Media-savy F1 is too sanitised these days :/
Think he's got a lock of Hammy's hair?
ReplyDelete:) I see you're just as miserable as the rest of the haters. You can expect more Mercedes domination and another Hamilton title next year. You lot are going to be so miserable...Love it!
ReplyDeleteThis is what happens when you're motivated by what you hate rather than being a true fan of a team or driver. Enjoy the misery...haha!
No hate here... Just not blindly obsessed with a driver. It's cute though, like puppy love. Keep that shrine lit.
ReplyDeleteHeard that as well and Hamilton got the holeshot for sure. Nailed that launch with the rpm level and he was off like a rocket.
ReplyDeleteI feel that was quite possibly one of the main things that cost Mark Webber a chance at winning the drivers championship. He was always bogging that thing off the line or not getting good launches. If he had been able to do monster launches like Alonso, he could have slammed the door on the wunderkind Vettell right off the bat.
Hamilton had the better overall season and deserved the WDC over his teammate. I just can't help but think he's miserable to deal with behind the scenes and the graciousness and starry eyed outlook on the season was a PR push for the media. No way he would've shown Rosberg the same level of respect in defeat. I don't see Mercedes dominating in this fashion next season. The other teams will catch up and the picture up front will look a lot more diverse.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, can NBCSN please send Leigh Diffey off to Access Hollywood where he belongs? His inability to stop yapping and feigned enthusiasm have made it nearly impossible to sit through an F1 broadcast.
True. May times conspiracy theories have arisen on how could Vettel blast out of the line and Webber not. It has always been an "odd" coincidence that Webber was always a slow starter, when we all know that, besides the reaction time, it's all electronics doing the work...
ReplyDelete