Nico Rosberg to retire from F1 (!)

[The_table]

I almost always have an aversion to "the guy who is always winning", "the guy who is dominating" and i guess a lot of people have the same feeling.

[Phil]

Personally, I think Hamilton is not done just by how he is often represented by the media. There are many people, mainly outside F1 or who casually watch it, who form their opinion of him by what he is portrayed to be. That being, arrogant, ruthless and diva-esque, gangsta type personality. This probably isn't helped by the fact that he is English and many in the German speaking countries like Germany watch the sport using their own broadcast which isn't always favorable to the native english speaking ones. My experience is that the english broadcasts are much more neutral since many cover all drivers (and all of them speak english). The German broadcasts, mainly RTL, focus on their own German drivers of which there are many. Hamilton of course is covered too, but a translated interview doesn't always convey the message in the same way, especially when the topic is of the usual sensationalist nature. A German driver speaking German is conveyed completely different and more level with their fellow country men and viewers.

This is from me, coming from a German speaking country (Switzerland), having spoken to various people who follow regularly down to seldom F1. Some, only read the (sensationalist) news column and form their opinion from there. But it does illustrate how a large portion of people are influenced heavily by how certain people portrayed by the media.

I also follow a lot of Tennis - and it is also interesting to see how various players convey they themselves differently in post-match interviews. You have the likes of Federer, who are more analytical in what they say. When being asked 'why he lost the match', he would often give a very analytical, yet absolutely objective run down, mostly referring to his own short-comings of how he played. This didn't always come across well and sometimes would be labeled as 'arrogant' - as some would undoubtedly expect or appreciate a more "humble" answer, simply giving credit to the other player for beating him. There are other players who did that quite well, most often Nadal. He wouldn't analyze, he wouldn't go into details about his own mistakes during the match - he'd just give all the credit to the other player and refuse to talk about himself. This is very noteworthy, especially in matches where it was clear where Nadal simply lost because he was far off his best, especially when battling an injury. Big marks for conducting himself in interviews the way he has, even if it was clear he was just putting on a brave face.

Watching Hamilton conduct himself in interviews - I honestly can't understand why he is often criticized to the extend he is. In most interviews, especially the ones on Sky and Channel 4 (before that on the BBC), he always strikes me as a talkative, honest and sincere person giving straight answer. This might sometimes be his "downfall" - as sometimes, when asked about topics that ensure a lot of sensationalism (Monaco, Barcelona, Spa, Austria etc), he would probably say too much for his own good. On the other hand, drivers like Rosberg seem to be way more diplomatic or know what to say at the right time, giving relative little fuel for the media to highlight or rub their hands over. Vettel is another driver who conducts himself very well in interviews.

Now, imagine a driver as Hamilton, as talkative as he is, being translated into another language (e.g.: German) and perhaps singular sentences highlighted that would exaggerate the meaning without the proper context. Then mix that up with twitter pictures, ads or commercials that portray Hamilton as the person with the tattoos, the ear-rings, the "bling", gangsta, sunglases etc. This immediately causes many people to dislike him. Rosberg, Vettel, Schumacher, they all portray the typical racer persona much better: Quiet, ruthless, calculated, intelligent and analytical, hard working etc. Hamilton, in many areas, seems and is portrayed quite the opposite. Then there is also the point that people prefer to relate to the ethos 'that one who works hard, will gain and eventually succeed'. Schumacher, even Rosberg is probably the best example of exactly that: A driver who perhaps isn't as naturally gifted as often Senna is referred to, but still got there by working hard and putting in the effort. Then you have a driver like Hamilton who goes out, parties, seems to have a lot of time to sit out testing, time for ads with lots of bling but still shows up and even on a bad day still gets the maximum (or close to) out of the car, by sheer natural ability. This must be a smack in the face to all those that follow a more analytical approach to get the most out of a car and still end up falling short. This creates possibly creates an aura of arrogance - e.g. "they're better because he is". It's easier to appreciate the hard-working mentality, as Vettel, Rosberg and Schumacher used to portray, which maybe makes them come across as more sympathetic to us.


IMO, this is an interview where I thought shows well who Lewis Hamilton is, behind the bling, behind the ads, behind the persona that the media often conveys to us: https://twitter.com/Unlimitedasks/statu ... 9900595200 Having said all that - I used to absolutely loathe Lewis Hamilton when he joined F1 in 2007. Later, I realized, it wasn't him the racer or the personality that I disliked - it was the (British) media that raved on about him in a way that simply resulted in a very strong dislike. What made me a fan and supporter? I watched him race. And to this day, I still think on that level, he is one of the most gifted and exciting drivers to watch. Max Verstappen - don't like him - but he's on his way for the same reason (even if I personally prefer Dan as a driver and personality - what is not to like about him?).

[TAG]

I almost always have an aversion to "the guy who is always winning", "the guy who is dominating" and i guess a lot of people have the same feeling.

Don't be so hard on Rosberg man.

[Unc1eM0nty]

To my eyes, despite what some would have you believe, Hamilton IS hard on his cars.

Hamilton was always said to be hard on tyres by 'observers' on this forum, turned out to be complete horseshit.

There's very little a driver can do to screw up the car himself since most of it is flybywire.

Couldn't agree more, I've not seen anything to suggest Hamilton is harder on the car then anyone else.

[Just_a_fan]

The whole "don't like his partying lifestyle" is quite funny really. No one can party as hard as he is alleged to do and still be fit enough to drive a Formula 1 car for 1.5-2 hours in 40+deg C and high humidity. He goes out a lot but I don't think he's drinking himself silly. He does a lot of personal stuff and he does the sponsor stuff too. Little time for much else other than training after that.

What's also funny is that one of the favourite drivers from yester-year is James Hunt. This was a guy who used to party hard - women, alcohol and drugs. He also used to throw up before races because the nerves got the better of him. The same people who today say "oh, don't like Hamilton because he parties and has a show-biz lifestyle" are often the same old guys who back in the day idolised Hunt because his life was considered so glamorous.

Funny things, people.

[ClarkBT11]

To my eyes, despite what some would have you believe, Hamilton IS hard on his cars.

Hamilton was always said to be hard on tyres by 'observers' on this forum, turned out to be complete horseshit.

There's very little a driver can do to screw up the car himself since most of it is flybywire.

Your right if you watch onboards Hamilton IS by far the more smoother driver. Hamilton makes one input into a corner were Rosberg makes three or four inputs into the same corner. The only thing I could say Hamilton would be harder on occasionally would be the brakes.

Edit

He would also be harder on Rita ora and Nicole sherzinger.

[NL_Fer]

Lewis is just building an social media image, in fact he probably is one the biggest f1 nerds behind the scenes. Sure he has enormous talent, but you must study really hard to drive and and setup the car to be that fast and smooth.

[NathanOlder]

Im amazed at the amount of sense people are talking in the last 24 hours. I thought I was the only one who saw Lewis for who is really is,
If the media didnt spend so much time criticising Lewis, they would have so much spare time on their hands

[Schuttelberg]

Watching Hamilton conduct himself in interviews - I honestly can't understand why he is often criticized to the extend he is. In most interviews, especially the ones on Sky and Channel 4 (before that on the BBC), he always strikes me as a talkative, honest and sincere person giving straight answer. This might sometimes be his "downfall" - as sometimes, when asked about topics that ensure a lot of sensationalism (Monaco, Barcelona, Spa, Austria etc), he would probably say too much for his own good. On the other hand, drivers like Rosberg seem to be way more diplomatic or know what to say at the right time, giving relative little fuel for the media to highlight or rub their hands over. Vettel is another driver who conducts himself very well in interviews.

Now, imagine a driver as Hamilton, as talkative as he is, being translated into another language (e.g.: German) and perhaps singular sentences highlighted that would exaggerate the meaning without the proper context. Then mix that up with twitter pictures, ads or commercials that portray Hamilton as the person with the tattoos, the ear-rings, the "bling", gangsta, sunglases etc. This immediately causes many people to dislike him. Rosberg, Vettel, Schumacher, they all portray the typical racer persona much better: Quiet, ruthless, calculated, intelligent and analytical, hard working etc. Hamilton, in many areas, seems and is portrayed quite the opposite. Then there is also the point that people prefer to relate to the ethos 'that one who works hard, will gain and eventually succeed'. Schumacher, even Rosberg is probably the best example of exactly that: A driver who perhaps isn't as naturally gifted as often Senna is referred to, but still got there by working hard and putting in the effort. Then you have a driver like Hamilton who goes out, parties, seems to have a lot of time to sit out testing, time for ads with lots of bling but still shows up and even on a bad day still gets the maximum (or close to) out of the car, by sheer natural ability. This must be a smack in the face to all those that follow a more analytical approach to get the most out of a car and still end up falling short. This creates possibly creates an aura of arrogance - e.g. "they're better because he is". It's easier to appreciate the hard-working mentality, as Vettel, Rosberg and Schumacher used to portray, which maybe makes them come across as more sympathetic to us.


IMO, this is an interview where I thought shows well who Lewis Hamilton is, behind the bling, behind the ads, behind the persona that the media often conveys to us:
https://twitter.com/Unlimitedasks/statu ... 9900595200

Having said all that - I used to absolutely loathe Lewis Hamilton when he joined F1 in 2007. Later, I realized, it wasn't him the racer or the personality that I disliked - it was the (British) media that raved on about him in a way that simply resulted in a very strong dislike. What made me a fan and supporter? I watched him race. And to this day, I still think on that level, he is one of the most gifted and exciting drivers to watch. Max Verstappen - don't like him - but he's on his way for the same reason (even if I personally prefer Dan as a driver and personality - what is not to like about him?).

There is a lot of truth in what you say, yet a lot of things I disagree on. I think, if people have an issue with the way Lewis lives then they need to take a trip. Also, you don't get to where he has without working hard. The guy has worked his nuts off and he has a right to live how he likes. My issue with Hamilton arises when he tries to be all "PR." It's not him and he comes across as very fake. There is also a VAST difference between Schumacher, Vettel and Rosberg. Rosberg is not averse to social media, the other two were. Michael and Seb are/were fiercely private, Sebastian perhaps even more than Michael. The reason Michael and Sebastian have the popularity compared to Nico is because of the sense of humour and of course outright ability to race against the best and win.

Coming back to Hamilton. He's gone about congratulating Nico, yet there is the 'oh, it's the first time he's won in 18 years?' I mean, that only a jerk says in my opinion. There is also the 'let us race' and the 'I can't thank this team enough.' There is also the 'I'll tell you what happened in Spain one day' and the 'it's all solved internally.'

Lewis isn't someone who has a grip over his emotions outside the cockpit. He should just let that go and be himself because when things don't go his way he comes across as a serious hypocrite and this comes from someone who has no doubt that Hamilton is by far the better driver and the more 'personality' between the two.

Rosberg in my opinion is very lucky to have a WDC on his CV. But, it is what it is. One thing I do know is that he is a better team man than Hamilton and by far the more classy individual. He might be boring, but you can just see his humility and love for the people he cares for. Pure class!

[Schuttelberg]

Watching Hamilton conduct himself in interviews - I honestly can't understand why he is often criticized to the extend he is. In most interviews, especially the ones on Sky and Channel 4 (before that on the BBC), he always strikes me as a talkative, honest and sincere person giving straight answer. This might sometimes be his "downfall" - as sometimes, when asked about topics that ensure a lot of sensationalism (Monaco, Barcelona, Spa, Austria etc), he would probably say too much for his own good. On the other hand, drivers like Rosberg seem to be way more diplomatic or know what to say at the right time, giving relative little fuel for the media to highlight or rub their hands over. Vettel is another driver who conducts himself very well in interviews.

Now, imagine a driver as Hamilton, as talkative as he is, being translated into another language (e.g.: German) and perhaps singular sentences highlighted that would exaggerate the meaning without the proper context. Then mix that up with twitter pictures, ads or commercials that portray Hamilton as the person with the tattoos, the ear-rings, the "bling", gangsta, sunglases etc. This immediately causes many people to dislike him. Rosberg, Vettel, Schumacher, they all portray the typical racer persona much better: Quiet, ruthless, calculated, intelligent and analytical, hard working etc. Hamilton, in many areas, seems and is portrayed quite the opposite. Then there is also the point that people prefer to relate to the ethos 'that one who works hard, will gain and eventually succeed'. Schumacher, even Rosberg is probably the best example of exactly that: A driver who perhaps isn't as naturally gifted as often Senna is referred to, but still got there by working hard and putting in the effort. Then you have a driver like Hamilton who goes out, parties, seems to have a lot of time to sit out testing, time for ads with lots of bling but still shows up and even on a bad day still gets the maximum (or close to) out of the car, by sheer natural ability. This must be a smack in the face to all those that follow a more analytical approach to get the most out of a car and still end up falling short. This creates possibly creates an aura of arrogance - e.g. "they're better because he is". It's easier to appreciate the hard-working mentality, as Vettel, Rosberg and Schumacher used to portray, which maybe makes them come across as more sympathetic to us.


IMO, this is an interview where I thought shows well who Lewis Hamilton is, behind the bling, behind the ads, behind the persona that the media often conveys to us:
https://twitter.com/Unlimitedasks/statu ... 9900595200

Having said all that - I used to absolutely loathe Lewis Hamilton when he joined F1 in 2007. Later, I realized, it wasn't him the racer or the personality that I disliked - it was the (British) media that raved on about him in a way that simply resulted in a very strong dislike. What made me a fan and supporter? I watched him race. And to this day, I still think on that level, he is one of the most gifted and exciting drivers to watch. Max Verstappen - don't like him - but he's on his way for the same reason (even if I personally prefer Dan as a driver and personality - what is not to like about him?).

There is a lot of truth in what you say, yet a lot of things I disagree on. I think, if people have an issue with the way Lewis lives then they need to take a trip. Also, you don't get to where he has without working hard. The guy has worked his nuts off and he has a right to live how he likes. My issue with Hamilton arises when he tries to be all "PR." It's not him and he comes across as very fake. There is also a VAST difference between Schumacher, Vettel and Rosberg. Rosberg is not averse to social media, the other two were. Michael and Seb are/were fiercely private, Sebastian perhaps even more than Michael. The reason Michael and Sebastian have the popularity compared to Nico is because of the sense of humour and of course outright ability to race against the best and win. Also, while I agree that all 3 are very analytical and excellent work ethics, both Michael and Sebastian were instantly recognised as champions for their sheer speed. Nico has gradually had a growth as a driver.

Coming back to Hamilton. He's gone about congratulating Nico, yet there is the 'oh, it's the first time he's won in 18 years?' I mean, that only a jerk says in my opinion. There is also the 'let us race' and the 'I can't thank this team enough.' There is also the 'I'll tell you what happened in Spain one day' and the 'it's all solved internally.'

Lewis isn't someone who has a grip over his emotions outside the cockpit. He should just let that go and be himself because when things don't go his way he comes across as a serious hypocrite and this comes from someone who has no doubt that Hamilton is by far the better driver and the more 'personality' between the two.

In a nutshell- If someone told me Jenson Button is Lewis Hamilton in an F1 car, he would be my all time favourite F1 driver.

Rosberg in my opinion is very lucky to have a WDC on his CV. But, it is what it is. One thing I do know is that he is a better team man than Hamilton and by far the more classy individual. He might be boring, but you can just see his humility and love for the people he cares for. Pure class!

[nevill3]

Reading most of the media hype around Hamilton is like reading some posts on this forum. Short snapshots that highlight anything that can be sensationalized, excerpts from interviews with quotes taken out of context.

e.g. Toto Wolf says that they are considering Alonso headlines that should have been Mercedes have to consider Alonso. which is what he actually said in his Sky Interview, because they would be fools to not consider a driver of his caliber and would be failing the Mercedes board too.

I have often read posts on here and interpreted the posters intentions incorrectly, often pre-judging a post before actually completely reading it properly. That is what the press expect us to do and are very good at generating "news" out of nothing.

Nico has retired for his own reasons, I think they are much the same reasons as Jenson Button has expressed. It took a lot of effort both mentally, physically and emotionally to achieve his lifes goal, and he wasn't prepared to continue sacrificing his precious family life once he had climbed his mountain. To continue at the top and win another WDC would have required another 100% focused, to the exclusion of everything else, year, which he obviously felt was too much to ask of his wife and he was unwilling to miss the important first years of his new child.

Well done Nico, your hard work and dedication paid off, now enjoy your new life and remember to stop occasionally and thank the "Universe" for all it has provided for you.

[Jolle]

Why is a topic about Nico quitting while he's ahead suddenly hyjacked about general opinions about the "Hamilton" brand him and his team are building?

Thought this forum was about the fiddly bits on cars, not the drivers bling.

[jurinius]

Personally, I think Hamilton is not done just by how he is often represented by the media. There are many people, mainly outside F1 or who casually watch it, who form their opinion of him by what he is portrayed to be. That being, arrogant, ruthless and diva-esque, gangsta type personality. This probably isn't helped by the fact that he is English and many in the German speaking countries like Germany watch the sport using their own broadcast which isn't always favorable to the native english speaking ones. My experience is that the english broadcasts are much more neutral since many cover all drivers (and all of them speak english). The German broadcasts, mainly RTL, focus on their own German drivers of which there are many. Hamilton of course is covered too, but a translated interview doesn't always convey the message in the same way, especially when the topic is of the usual sensationalist nature. A German driver speaking German is conveyed completely different and more level with their fellow country men and viewers.

This is from me, coming from a German speaking country (Switzerland), having spoken to various people who follow regularly down to seldom F1. Some, only read the (sensationalist) news column and form their opinion from there. But it does illustrate how a large portion of people are influenced heavily by how certain people portrayed by the media.

I also follow a lot of Tennis - and it is also interesting to see how various players convey they themselves differently in post-match interviews. You have the likes of Federer, who are more analytical in what they say. When being asked 'why he lost the match', he would often give a very analytical, yet absolutely objective run down, mostly referring to his own short-comings of how he played. This didn't always come across well and sometimes would be labeled as 'arrogant' - as some would undoubtedly expect or appreciate a more "humble" answer, simply giving credit to the other player for beating him. There are other players who did that quite well, most often Nadal. He wouldn't analyze, he wouldn't go into details about his own mistakes during the match - he'd just give all the credit to the other player and refuse to talk about himself. This is very noteworthy, especially in matches where it was clear where Nadal simply lost because he was far off his best, especially when battling an injury. Big marks for conducting himself in interviews the way he has, even if it was clear he was just putting on a brave face.

Watching Hamilton conduct himself in interviews - I honestly can't understand why he is often criticized to the extend he is. In most interviews, especially the ones on Sky and Channel 4 (before that on the BBC), he always strikes me as a talkative, honest and sincere person giving straight answer. This might sometimes be his "downfall" - as sometimes, when asked about topics that ensure a lot of sensationalism (Monaco, Barcelona, Spa, Austria etc), he would probably say too much for his own good. On the other hand, drivers like Rosberg seem to be way more diplomatic or know what to say at the right time, giving relative little fuel for the media to highlight or rub their hands over. Vettel is another driver who conducts himself very well in interviews.

Now, imagine a driver as Hamilton, as talkative as he is, being translated into another language (e.g.: German) and perhaps singular sentences highlighted that would exaggerate the meaning without the proper context. Then mix that up with twitter pictures, ads or commercials that portray Hamilton as the person with the tattoos, the ear-rings, the "bling", gangsta, sunglases etc. This immediately causes many people to dislike him. Rosberg, Vettel, Schumacher, they all portray the typical racer persona much better: Quiet, ruthless, calculated, intelligent and analytical, hard working etc. Hamilton, in many areas, seems and is portrayed quite the opposite. Then there is also the point that people prefer to relate to the ethos 'that one who works hard, will gain and eventually succeed'. Schumacher, even Rosberg is probably the best example of exactly that: A driver who perhaps isn't as naturally gifted as often Senna is referred to, but still got there by working hard and putting in the effort. Then you have a driver like Hamilton who goes out, parties, seems to have a lot of time to sit out testing, time for ads with lots of bling but still shows up and even on a bad day still gets the maximum (or close to) out of the car, by sheer natural ability. This must be a smack in the face to all those that follow a more analytical approach to get the most out of a car and still end up falling short. This creates possibly creates an aura of arrogance - e.g. "they're better because he is". It's easier to appreciate the hard-working mentality, as Vettel, Rosberg and Schumacher used to portray, which maybe makes them come across as more sympathetic to us.


IMO, this is an interview where I thought shows well who Lewis Hamilton is, behind the bling, behind the ads, behind the persona that the media often conveys to us:
https://twitter.com/Unlimitedasks/statu ... 9900595200

Having said all that - I used to absolutely loathe Lewis Hamilton when he joined F1 in 2007. Later, I realized, it wasn't him the racer or the personality that I disliked - it was the (British) media that raved on about him in a way that simply resulted in a very strong dislike. What made me a fan and supporter? I watched him race. And to this day, I still think on that level, he is one of the most gifted and exciting drivers to watch. Max Verstappen - don't like him - but he's on his way for the same reason (even if I personally prefer Dan as a driver and personality - what is not to like about him?).

I am also a Tennis fan (Federer, Nishikori...) and that's the big point. One thing I saw and I hope someone else saw that following Nico and Lewis twitter's respective accounts, they are more haters words on Hamilton board than on Nico's one. Big question's why ?
An answer : On subjective aspects Nico and Lewis fans are equals but the difference comes when LH fan is talking about stats or driving skill, then u will see something like he's arrogant disrespectful, Senna wanabe, bad living style ... coming out from the other side. Peace guys Peace

[Shrieker]

If the media didnt spend so much time criticising Lewis, they would have so much spare time on their hands

To do what with

[NathanOlder]

If the media didnt spend so much time criticising Lewis, they would have so much spare time on their hands

To do what with

Criticise Wayne Rooney obviously