After the drama that unfolded in Fuji, we now firmly have three drivers fighting for the title. Lewis Hamilton for McLaren, Felipe Massa for Ferrari, and Robert Kubica for BMW Sauber.
In this series of articles, I will look at our three title contenders, and assess whether they truly deserve to win the title this season.
Lewis Hamilton
The young Briton was denied the championship last season after his team, McLaren, failed to call him into the pits in China when he was running on the cambers of his tyres. That, coupled with the pit limiter been pressed in a scramble by Hamilton and a gearbox problem, and Kimi Raikkonen took the title.
This season started in fine fashion with a brilliant victory in Australia, one of few drivers who stayed out of trouble all day long. His season then looked as if it would fall apart early on when he and his team-mate, Heikki Kovalainen, were given very harsh grid penalties for blocking Nick Heidfeld in Malaysia.
This was despite the fact that Heidfeld was quoted as saying that they were, in fact, a beneficiary in him gaining time in the first sector, using their cars for slipstream. This was the first in a very long line of moves from the FIA to benefit Ferrari.
Hamilton struggled home to finish in fifth position, and fans around the world, except in Italy of course, protested the bias towards Ferrari.
In Bahrain, he started in third place behind Robert Kubica and the inconsistent Felipe Massa, and looked to get back on form with a good finish. However, Hamilton had a very poor getaway and fell down the order, finishing the first lap in ninth place.
On lap two, Hamilton was approaching Fernando Alonso when his front wing suddenly failed, giving him an unexpected burst of speed and sending him into the rear wing of Alonso's Renault.
This destroyed all hope of a points finish, and he eventually finished in 13th place, a whole lap down on Massa, who finally got his first win of the season.
After Bahrain, Hamilton was under a lot of pressure from the British press, who questioned his desire to win the race with what they called "silly mistakes," ignoring the facts that surrounded the previous grand prix.
He went to the Spanish Grand Prix hoping to get back on the podium, and that he did by finishing third behind Kimi Raikkonen and Massa. The race itself was heavily disrupted when Hamilton's team-mate, Kovalainen, suffered a front-right tyre failure due to a wheel rim fault in production.
Hamilton was still heavily criticized, as he only finished close to the Ferrari's because of Kovalainen's crash, among other safety car-spawning incidents. At this point, he had to go to Turkey and produce a phenomenal performance.
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about 1 month ago
I just think Hamiltons driving is disrespectful to others, and it has been displayed several times, most recently at Fuji.I know you say we see it many times, but I think it was uncalled for as he left Kimi with nowhere to go. I mean not only did he nearly take out Räikkönen, he nearly took out Kovalainen too.
My view; Robert Kubica deserves to win the championship. To do it in an inferior car would be incredible, even though I know this is unlikely.
from about 1 month ago
Oh I forgot to write, great article, it obviously took you a long time to do it.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks Jane, took me about two hours, worth it though, got to do my Massa and Kubica ones next.
He was incredibly stupid into turn one, and right now Kubica is easily the most deserving as he hasn't really put a foot wrong at all. I still think it is likely, because Massa and Hamilton are starting to crack under the pressure now.
To do it in a car that has had zero development since Canada would absolutely shove it to Ferrari and McLaren.
Thanks for the pick too.
from about 1 month ago
agree with you. Kubica or Massa shud win this year title. hamiltons shud learn more before he deserves winning championship...wat a unsafe driver!
from about 1 month ago
Not really in regards to your post. But Hamilton's win in Brazil, and the way Glock just put his car in reverse on the last corner, is IMHO just a load of crap.
about 1 month ago
Fantastic article Michael, really well written and thought out.
Lewis does deserve to win, your quite right, Anyone who can still lead the WDC after the blatant FIA bias, is a winner in my books.
I look forward to your other 2 articles, and the verdicts. I think I can guess them now.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks a lot mate, lots of effort into this.
He does deserve it after all the bias, and to still lead is phenomenal.
The other two will be interesting, but we all know what I think of Massa.
about 1 month ago
Great article but a little too much Lewis lovin
Very subjective and obvious that you're a massive golden boy hamilton supporter...
I'm a big fan of the way Ron runs his business, however if Mclaren are being treated slightly differently (or unfairly as you put it) it's becaise they cheated in the past and all eyes are now upon them.
Hamilton is a great driver but let's face it, he's got the attitude of a snotty pre-pubescant little cowboy. I still think the double world champion Alonso is all class as shown in his ability to make this years car get such amazing results..
BTW - Kubica is by far the most deserved to win the title.
from about 1 month ago
Haha, Lewis loving, I'm not a fan.....ooooh bad one there mate.
If you had any knowledge of my history of articles, I have attacked him multiple times. Please check the facts first.
If he has the attitude of a snotty pre-pubescant little cowboy, then what does that say for Alonso, a man who has publicly declared his desire to do ANYTHING to stop Hamilton from winning the title?
Oh and wait for my Kubica article, but I do agree with you there.
about 1 month ago
once this forum was infested by hamiltonians, fair enough site operates in english & naturally most happen to be from UK. but i am surprised to see the balance of power moving away now tnx to some objective thinking members. I love UK, I travel there often & love the people, I used to crazily support english rugby & soccer but their star driver seems to have some flaws & i don't like him. but he's got talent & might win many titles but in my book he's not my champion.
from about 1 month ago
What rubbish Hamilton seems to think because Im black it is my right to win and if people complain they are racist as some qne said he is a cowboy and is also dangerous to real drivers
from about 1 month ago
@d: i assume you did not mean to reply to my comment :)... mine has nothing to do with praising hamilton or racism in anyway & i see you having replied to my comment that prompt me to ask the question from you.
from about 1 month ago
He deserves it for me, but in the fourth one in this series I will ask who deserves it more, and Hammy won't be top of that. He has made a multitude of errors this year, so although he does deserve it on merit, not enough yet.
about 1 month ago
i see that the guys who wrote this article is a die hard hamilton and mclaren fan so he supports all the mistakes done by hami and deeply criticizes others... i agree with u that fia is inclined towards ferrari..
altough i am kimi fan i don't like ferrari for they completely dominate fia. dude i don't think that kimi broke any rules. coming to ur point of kimi parking illegaly beside kubica .. there is no such rule it was coincidence that they came out of pits side by side. the main culprit there was hami who made a blunder by not seeing the red light which is must for every driver to check before going on the track. u are just highlighting that its kimi fault and supproting hami...[:)]
i think kubica deserves the WDC.. more than the other 2 contender who doesn't show respect to other drivers on the track . they think as if they are space shuttles and others are mere cars and overtake them unlawfully...(hami in belgian and massa in fuji..)
from about 1 month ago
Check the facts, I'm not a McLaren or Lewis fan. In-fact, I am a BMW and Kubica fan, and I have attacked Hamilton many times this year. Oh and if you feel I attacked Kimi in anyway, I'm sorry, I have a massive amount of respect since his comeback last season.
I agree on the Kubica bit, Hammy and Massa do not have enough respect for their competitors
about 1 month ago
this is what - the lawyers call ... a moot point
the definition - Matter raised during a debate whose determination cannot have any effect on the controversy being debated.
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so - wats even the point of the this article? dont get me wrong, i cans ee you invested a lot of time and i appreciate that
why dont we go back to 1990 and speculate if Senna or Prost deserved to win the championship
the only thing that matters - if at the end of the year - someone wins the championship, he DESERVES to win it. period
does not matter a shred, if you me and 976 others think Lewis or Felipe deserve or not serve to win the c-ship
guess what - if he wins in the end, he deserves it
if he does not - he didn't
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nothing more - nothing less
i dont even get the core essence of this article, i have a problem in discussing whats deserved and whats not - when its pointless
from about 1 month ago
i am in complete agreement with your statement & i had said it in my own words in an earlier comment "every year the most derserving driver gets the championship"
so a fairer question would be "do you wish hamilton to win the tilte"? my answer is no.
from about 1 month ago
Well that is your opinion and you are entitled to it, but I think that when you look at last season, Hamilton and Alonso battling all season, both deserving to win the title and neither did, so that is the point of this. Assessing the season and looking to see on merit whether they deserve it, and it looks like it is a solid no from our community so far.
from about 1 month ago
first I must confess that I voted no in this poll on subjective grounds. if lewis wins this year he'd be the most deserving, so my objective answer to your poll would be "not decided yet" by virtue of the fact that title race isn't over. you might find my way of thinking riduculous but i honestly do feel like that :) although i tend to talk about lot of what if's in my comments when it comes to final results i accept them, all excuses & what if's are plain bull shit.
on the solid NO to your poll: itz clear that hamster has turned off lot of previous fans of him as well. not so long ago when i came to this forum this was predominantly pro hamilton.
from about 1 month ago
SO - WHAT are you trying to tell me here Mike -
that Kimster did not deserve the c-ship last year, that would be kind of pointless to even discuss
+ again - like the same thing with the polls which you and i disagreed with
so - what of the community agrees with it - does it mean its right
who cares if hamilton and alonson fought until the cows came home, Kimster stole it through the back door and hence - DESERVED it
everything else - its pointless
about 1 month ago
Why does Lewis have to blow his own trumpet so much when there are so many lining up behind him to blow for him?
An article like this clearly shows a pro-Hamilton/McLaren bias, and a much stronger bias toward them than the pro-Ferrari bias that is alleged against the FIA.
from about 1 month ago
Again, check your facts, I am not a McLaren or Lewis fan, I'm a BMW and Kubica fan. Use facts for your comments before commenting, it does help gain respect from the community.
Lewis does blow his own trumpet far too much, I remember waiting in the wings to interview him at Silverstone and it sounded far too much like it was all about him.
from about 1 month ago
Actually you don't have to have facts to form an opinion. Your article is full of pointlessly obvious non-subjective partisan politics concerning the FIA and Ferrari and Max and so on. You have done much better Michael.
from about 1 month ago
Quote any part of thi article where I mention Max Mosley. Again, facts are essential to an opinion rather than lies.
from about 1 month ago
I didn't sugguest you were a Hammilton/McLaren fan, i sugguested that you're article showed bias towards them.
about 1 month ago
Alonso.
After what he has done this year with that Renault, Fernando deserves it!
Hey I know he's not going to win, but you got to admire his driving!
from about 1 month ago
Tying for Driver of the season for me, without a freaking doubt!
about 1 month ago
AFTER READING ABOUT HOW HAMILTON "KNOWS HE IS AS GOOD AS SENNA" I DONT THINK THAT DISRESPECTFUL LITTLE PUNK DESERVES MUCH OF ANYTHING, MUCH LESS A WORLD CHAMPOINSHIP. I HOPE HE FINISHES 2ND EVERY SEASON OF HIS CAREER AND SH!T CAN HIM AND RON DENNIS BECAUSE OF IT. AND I DO AGREE IF SOMEONE "DESERVES" IT, IT WOULD BE KUBICA. HES SHOWN GOOD CONSISTENT RACING, IF HE WERE IN A FERRARI OR MCLAREN I THINK HE'D BE LEADING, AND HE'S NOT AROGANT, DISRESPECTFUL OR A STUPID DECISION MAKER. HAMILTON WAS SUCH A LITTLE BABY ABOUT LETTING RAIKONNEN PASS (WHO CARES IF RAIKONNEN PASSED HIM, HES STILL UP IN POINTS) THAT HE JEPORDIZED HIS TITLE SHOT, ONCE AGAIN.
from about 1 month ago
There is a lower case too you know.
about 1 month ago
AFTER READING ABOUT HOW HAMILTON "KNOWS HE IS AS GOOD AS SENNA" I DONT THINK THAT DISRESPECTFUL LITTLE PUNK DESERVES MUCH OF ANYTHING, MUCH LESS A WORLD CHAMPOINSHIP. I HOPE HE FINISHES 2ND EVERY SEASON OF HIS CAREER AND THEY SH!T CAN HIM AND RON DENNIS BECAUSE OF IT. AND I DO AGREE IF SOMEONE "DESERVES" IT, IT WOULD BE KUBICA. HES SHOWN GOOD CONSISTENT RACING, IF HE WERE IN A FERRARI OR MCLAREN I THINK HE'D BE LEADING, AND HE'S NOT ARROGANT, DISRESPECTFUL OR A STUPID DECISION MAKER. HAMILTON WAS SUCH A LITTLE BABY ABOUT LETTING RAIKONNEN PASS (WHO CARES IF RAIKONNEN PASSED HIM, HES STILL UP IN POINTS) THAT HE JEPORDIZED HIS TITLE SHOT, ONCE AGAIN, AND ALMOST TOOK DOWN A HANDFUL OF DRIVERS, HIS TEAMMATE AMONGST THEM.
about 1 month ago
Absolutely fantastic article, and incredible attention to detail. I do think you were a little biased towards Hamilton, but that really isn't a problem. Everyone has a favoutite, and shouldn't be punished for that reason. I do feel the FIA have shown a little bias towards Ferrari, but let's face it, they lose a 1/3 of their fanbase if Ferrari leave the sport, so they have to keep them happy. What annoys me is the incosistency of the punishments given, and the constant ignoring of Charlie Whiting; who has done a fantastic job.
Now this opinion will be shot down instantly, but I think that if Hamilton was a white non-Briton, then there would be a lot less anger thrown in his direction. I'm not calling anyone racist, it's just a thought.
from about 1 month ago
Hamilton is not my favorite though, I am not even a fan of his. Alright I've interviewed him, and he was a nice guy, but Kubica is still my favorite though.
Thanks for the compliment, and on your last sentence, you could have a point there. Again, I'm not accusing anyone of being racist, but is it a coincidence that one of the most hated drivers in recent memory is Black?
Cheers for the pick too.
from about 1 month ago
No problem, and congrats on getting an Interview with Hamilton.
Kubica is one of my favourite drivers, I'm a Brit, thus a bit biased to all Brit drivers. Vettel and Sutil are the other 2 drivers I like, give them a good car, they will win.
about 1 month ago
Hey Michael! This is a first! You agreed with me! Wohoo!
from about 1 month ago
The day had to come eventually mate haha!
about 1 month ago
great article... good hard work there mate.
i think that if the good drives outweigh the bad then the driver deserves to be world champ.
good races: Australia, Turkey, Monaco, Britain, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Singapore
bad races: Malysia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Japan
neither good nor bad: Spain, Hungary, Europe
*all in terms of the championship and gaining/losing/maintaining lead over rivals
Hamilton deserves it. simple as
from about 1 month ago
Federer deserved to win the wimbledon 2008 too ?
does it mean rafa does not deserve it ? Billy ...
from about 1 month ago
Good point there Billy mate, and LJS, I am totally confused by that comment. I do know that you will never let my Federer bit go, never haha!
from about 1 month ago
I have to agree with Billy. It's been so easy to forget his good races as most of the negative press has been centred at Hamilton when he has had his bad one. Ironically his good races were those in which Lewis had recognised that his car wasn't the fastest and settles for 2nd/3rd place. But he likes to win at all costs whenever a chance arises, and I can only think that's good.
Nevertheless it's beginning to look quite scrappy from Hamilton as the pressure is mounting. But this type of season is actually the norm if you cast your minds back to over 10 years ago - i.e. lots of scrappy mistakes, lack of race wins etc.
I don't want Massa to win because of the negativity surrounding the FIA-Ferrari bias. This reminds me of the 1999 season when Eddie Irvine/Ferrari got reinstated after their disqualification from the Malaysian GP, meaning that they were in contention for both championships at the final race - of which they won the Constructors'. Just goes to show how significant this on-track stuff proves to be at the end of the day.
As for Kubica... not sure. He's a feisty racer that's for sure, but we won't know if he'd still be in this position if he were to drive a Ferrari/McLaren. I mean I expected Heikki and Fisi to do better in their seasons with their top teams. In terms of consistency and outperforming the car, he'd be the driver of the season no doubt - but that's not the point.
about 1 month ago
F1 is very egoistic business but Hamilton has pushed that to another level without achieving anything. Senna, Prost, Schumacher had immense egos, but they had respect for others, call it "grace". They also had their own opinions. Hamilton lacks both. And unfortunatelly, that leaves a huge voide sitting next to his ego.
Hamilton had a chance to prove that he's not a primadona when he won in Monaco. That was 80 percent luck, nothing else, no driving skills. Crashing into a wall and come out with a puncture and then coming home on a slow puncture... He was pleased with himself, praising himself for emulating Senna. OK, fine, he won, but there was not a word about the luck he had during the race.
from about 1 month ago
If you had any sense at all, you would quote him praising himself for emulating Senna. Disgraceful.
Monaco? 80 Per cent luck, have you ever driven a Formula One car with no TC in Monaco? No, so what gives u the right to say that? I'm sick of people like you degrading this site with unsubstantiated comments, the kind of thing which stands up in court as slander.
Keep going, fool.
from about 1 month ago
I'm no fan of Lewis Hamilton. As a person, he's a spoilt attention seeker who published his autobiography aged, what - 21? He definitely does not have the composure of past great champions like Schumacher or Senna, but you have some inconsistencies there Kristian. Just remember Mika Hakkinen and Schumacher racing at Spa, when Schumacher closed the door on him while they were going 280 km/h. Did Schumacher have respect when he crashed his car into Damon Hill to become world champion? I doubt it. In my opinion, Schumacher was the greatest F1 driver of all time and I absolutely love him, and for him it was win at all costs.
I can't say I can criticise Lewis' driving though. For all his personality faults, he's a good driver. He'll never be the kind of F1 icon that Schumacher or Senna were, but he'll be here for a few seasons and I think he'll win a couple of championships. A lot of the drivers complain that his driving is erratic and dangerous. I cant comment because the cameras dont show every move he makes and I dont exactly have a database of every pass he has done in his F1 career. But i can comment on the penalties he has received because the FIA has been very inconsistent with them. For example, if Lewis really did push Kimi out of the race track in Turn 1 in Fuji, then by that reasoning, didnt Kimi push Lewis out of the race track in Belgium? Surely the situations are comparable, add to that the fact that it was the first turn of the race and I would actually say Lewis was treated unfairly at that point. Also, if you give someone a drive-through penalty for running a car off the track, then wouldnt you need to give a 10s stop-go penalty (the next one in line of harshness) if someone actually crashes onto you and spins you round the track? Surely thats a bigger offense.
To answer Michael's question: I think if people like Nigel Mansell and Jaques Vilneuve could become world champions, then Lewis definitely deserves to win one. Not sure if it has to be this particular one though...
about 1 month ago
Purely because on me been english i think hamilton deserves to win but however, i will agree with that he is a unsafe driver
Fantastic article though m8
about 1 month ago
Last year at this time LH was the good guy, and FA the evil. YET I keep hearing fans saying that after what has happened this year they have become FA fans, and see Hamilton in a new light.
Generally the best two teams end up with the best two drivers. However with all the mistakes made this season, it has allowed great drivers in midpack cars to outclass the "top two" at various points in the season.
Just think about Kubica in a Mclaren and Alonso in a Ferrari this season. Would they have blown it like Massa and LH have? LH is the favourite right now, but he is far from deserving it. This season will be remembered as, the one where the driver in the best car who made the least blunders won.
I want 2009 to start sooner than later.
But wait there more...LOL cars get fast when Alonso tests them. Switching to Renault paid off luckily to showcase talent in bringing a team up to speed, just as happened in the Maclaren last year.
about 1 month ago
theres nothing like deserving to win the championship if you do the business then you win it, it's that simple isn't it? well from an outsiders perspective at least!
about 1 month ago
Lou Tattrie's remarks about Alonso, "He came in as double world champion and got beaten by the TEAM, no wonder he's upset."
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