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Little question to all fans, would you rather see Hamilton retire at the top or after a season failing to win the title?
I hope his love for racing keeps him into F1 for quite some time, just like guys like Rossi, Raikkonen and Schumacher.
I don't know what I'd want tbh. I would hate him to leave on top with a good car because I would want him to earn more victories and titles but I think I would hate even more seeing a youngster come in and kill the King.
I don't know what I'd want tbh. I would hate him to leave on top with a good car because I would want him to earn more victories and titles but I think I would hate even more seeing a youngster come in and kill the King.
I'd say we'll leave that up to him.
As far as more victories and titles; Excluding the transitional 2013 year at Mercedes and the 2009 dog of a McLaren where he got 1 and 2 wins, he's got a minimum of 3 race wins a year and an average of 6.3. Just an couple of post peak years would put the total over 100.
Here's Hamilton talking about some masterpiece plan though, which says a lot about what he may be targeting from a career standpoint.
So it would seem. The 1 reason I hear most people in the UK wouldn't want him knighted, is always the fact he moved abroad.
And the 1 thing that annoys me the most is the country seems to live Jenson, Coulthard and Co. yet they all did exactly the same. Such bad double standards. Another great example is SIR Jackie Stewart. He moved to Switzerland in 1968, and has never lived in the UK since. won 3 championships after moving, and was Knighted.
Lewis has doubled his championships and more than trebled the number of wins!
I guess it wasn't until long after he retired that he was knighted, but its just annoying that the resons people say Lewis won't or shouldn't be are reason that were ignored in Stewarts case.
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So it would seem. The 1 reason I hear most people in the UK wouldn't want him knighted, is always the fact he moved abroad.
And the 1 thing that annoys me the most is the country seems to live Jenson, Coulthard and Co. yet they all did exactly the same. Such bad double standards. Another great example is SIR Jackie Stewart. He moved to Switzerland in 1968, and has never lived in the UK since. won 3 championships after moving, and was Knighted.
Lewis has doubled his championships and more than trebled the number of wins!
I guess it wasn't until long after he retired that he was knighted, but its just annoying that the resons people say Lewis won't or shouldn't be are reason that were ignored in Stewarts case.
personally i hope they wait till he retires. He might even have said that to them, but of course he can't come out and say that!
I doubt he'll be that worried about a knighthood, compared to thinking about what he's going to do once he retires from F1. He might, at some point in his dotage, look back and think "it would have been cool" but I'm betting it's not on his to-do list for the future.
If you are more fortunate than others, build a larger table not a taller fence.
It would be epic fun to have the whole paddock having to refer to him as Sir Lewis. Just for that I would like him to get knighted. He already has an MBE.
F1 benefits from having great drivers. I'd like to see Hamilton continue until he's consistently beaten. The same for Vettel and, if he was still in F1, Alonso. The Old Guard provide an important standard for the other drivers to develop towards.
The next tier of drivers seem to be reasonably close to each other (it'd be nice to see Russel in a better car and it's so hard to tell with Albon given he's only had a handful of hours in the car and no preseason with the team). That's fine for a relative battle but they are all undeniably at least one step down from the generation of drivers they aspire to replace and F1 should be a place that strives for more than just relative performance.
I've been a huge Hamilton supporter since 2008. Back then, I thought he'll easily win a couple of championships, but then came the RedBull domination period and I didn't think he'd get to 2 championships, let alone the 6 he now has, when he abandoned the McLaren ship (best ever decision, obviously).
While the number of championships is a product of the team and environment he is in, I do think Hamilton is easily one of the very best F1 drivers in a very long time and I am happy that he is being rewarded with the titles I think he and the team deserve. It's hard to compare his achievements with other drivers across different periods... they all have their strengths and weaknesses. Having said that, achieving 7 is going to be really tough. I am inclined to think he'll beat Michaels number of wins, but am less convinced on the number of championships. Not that he doesn't lack the talent, but if it's achievable or not, will come down to the team, the car and the competition. The Ferrari has been hugely competitive since the summer break and if this strong form continues into next, it'll be exciting to see if Mercedes can step up to the challenge. I also think Leclerc will prove to be perhaps a stronger opponent to Lewis than Seb has been while being in a competitive car (just IMO). RedBull will also be very strong contenders in my book and Max is proving time and time again what a ridiculous talent he is... the question for me, is will RB be up there at the beginning of the year and how consistent and calm will Max be able to perform, when a championship is at steak?
All interesting thoughts going into next year. It's going to be quite a season I think. I also wouldn't discount Bottas, though I think he may be a more fierce competitor if Mercedes end up with a dominant package once again. If it's a more level playing field between multiple teams, I think he'll suffer more which might hurt his championship ambitions. A very good start into a new season (like this year) could however be a powerful motivator and confidence boost that may yield a stronger competitor across the entire season...
Not for nothing, Rosberg's Championship is the only thing that lends credibility to Hamilton's recent success. Otherwise, he'd just be the guy who's had the best car. — bhall II #Team44 supporter
