Why Hamilton Will Never Be the Kind of Great Senna Was

[Shrieker]

I know this is going to be very, very controversial, and I wrote a whole goddamn page (and deleted it) and it hurts as a fan. But almost every word Paul has said about this topic is true. Hamilton's image management (or whatever the hell you wanna call it) has gone horrendously wrong, and I think that's the exact reason he's despised by many, despite certainly being one of the top 3 F1 drivers of all time, and possibly the best ever. This has gone on far too long now, and now is the time to address it here imo.



One could argue Senna was a M*rlb/r* man so there certainly is an ethical dilemma there too whether he was as great as he was made out to be. Maybe we should go back to someone like Clark, but in any case, you catch my drift.


Last time I started such a controversial thread here (it was years ago) about Senna's death and the subsequent cover up, accusing both Renault, Williams and the poison dwarf, I was in turn accused of libel and my thread was deleted. I can only hope the right to free speech will prevail this time and the discussion will stay civil.

[Big Tea]

What do you mean 'the kind of great?'. His records are there in black and white, He probably has a bigger fanbase than Senna ever had in both numbers and %. What more can he do?

[RZS10]

Did PJW run out of other menial bs to whine about?

[Jolle]

Attack the person so you don’t have to listen to the message? Of a big case of “whataboutism”?

My guess it’s easier to dismiss messages about the environment, racism and animal cruelty because they are very reflective on your own behaviour.

Hamilton is no saint, he doesn’t claims to be but his message does holds value.

By the way... if the message comes from a young vegan girl that travels the world on wind power, she gets dismissed in a similar way.

People just don’t like the message. Whoever it brings.

[Shrieker]

Attack the person so you don’t have to listen to the message? Of a big case of “whataboutism”?

Don't you see the contradiction in this ? How can you be someone who does the exact opposite of what you preach and be at peace ? This is true of fans in the same way. Time to sit back and reflect i say.

What do you mean 'the kind of great?'. His records are there in black and white, He probably has a bigger fanbase than Senna ever had in both numbers and %. What more can he do?

Senna's greatness didn't only stem from his race wins and 3 titles. And neither can you expect 'greatness' from just numbers.

[Big Tea]

Attack the person so you don’t have to listen to the message? Of a big case of “whataboutism”?

Don't you see the contradiction in this ? How can you be someone who does the exact opposite of what you preach and be at peace ? This is true of fans in the same way. Time to sit back and reflect i say.

What do you mean 'the kind of great?'. His records are there in black and white, He probably has a bigger fanbase than Senna ever had in both numbers and %. What more can he do?

Senna's greatness didn't only stem from his race wins and 3 titles. And neither can you expect 'greatness' from just numbers.

So what was his 'greatness' you are on about? I lived through the Senna years and apart from his PR machine in his own country, never noticed any greatness. It must have passed me by. He was a good racing driver, but no better than many before or since.

[WaikeCU]

An apple will never be a pear.

[Phil]

Do i actually have to listen to that Youtube video of some bloke i’ve never heard about to get some sense out of this topic? Really?

Oh and btw: i think Hamilton has already pretty much surpassed every marker to be remembered far beyond when the sport will have moved on and be considered to be among the greatest ever.

For one: Against most odds and despite not coming from a wealthy background, he is on the way to become the most successful driver. Ever.

Beyond that, he has transcended the sport and is fighting in causes he strongly believes in. Heck, i could care less about them and dont share his views on most of these, but IMO it deserves a lot of respect to do what he is doing. He could just as well concentrate on driving and he’d polarize less, but i guess i’d rather see hin putting his energy in causes he strongly believes in.

[Steven]

Everybody may have their opinion about Lewis Hamilton, but I don't see how this thread fits at F1Technical.
Whoever wants to discuss this should find themselves a Lewis Hamilton fansite (or the opposite I suppose).