Why I Support Lewis Hamilton

I feel that a fantastic article from Alex Diamond deserves a response, and I believe I have the response required to fight Hamilton's corner and being, I believe,  roughly the same age as Alex, should make this a fair debate.  I also know that this article will receive criticism from many, but as always, we are all welcome to our views and opinions  so here goes...

Two words that you don't often hear in the same sentence are: English and Champion. 

In very few sports are the English in the same league as any of other competitors, so when Stevenage threw us a rope, we grabbed on to it and held on tight with both hands—at least this is how it started.

In very few sports is an Englishman (or woman) in any sort of position to fight for a win, never mind a championship.  However, in 2007, a 22 year old Stevenage boy got into a Formula One car and showed the World that Britain was back on the map.

It had been eleven years since England had won a World Championship, that Championship came in the form of Damon Hill in 1996, and eleven years on, we were only too happy that the Union Jack would, once again, float high above an F1 podium.

In 2007, the World watched in awe as this young Brit took the paddock by storm finishing his first five races in third, and four second places, and from there on in it just got better.

No-one can doubt that this guy has talent, although some would argue it defiantly isn't behind a microphone.  From his first few races Hamilton made it very obvious that his goal, every race, was to go out and win—he had the Schumacher attitude and the driving ability to do it, although he still lacked the maturity and experience needed to become a fan favourite.

As 2007 progressed, Hamilton continued to receive criticism for his comments and arrogance to the press and on camera, at one stage he got so caught up in himself that he completely forgot the people that were putting him where he was—the McLaren team.

It was at this point, I feel, that Hamilton lost his appeal and although we knew he could go out and win races, we didn't want to hear about how he had done it, or how he planned to continue doing it because we knew that all we would here was how fantastic he thought he was—and to be honest, we could see he was good and we didn't need him to tell us.

I have always, and still do put this down to a lack of maturity and in-experience in front of cameras and behind microphones. 

This season he has shown a little more decorum and a lot less arrogance, but because of how he was last season, people either turn off, ignore his, or pay more attention to  his comments about his driving and ignore what he says regarding the team and the car.

In my mind, there is no doubt this guy has grown up a lot over the last eighteen months, and although he still has a long way to go to be as media savvy as fellow Brit, David Coulthard, we need to remember than DC has had an extra 13 years experience in this game—this is still new to Lewis.

Last season also saw a lot of confrontation between "newbie" Lewis Hamilton and arguably one of the best pound-for-pound drivers on the circuit, teammate, Fernando Alonso.  This confrontation didn't score Lewis Hamilton any points with Alonso's fans and when the disagreements were taken away from the track and let out in the media, Hamilton was getting the brunt of the criticism and was made to look like the bad guy.

Since the confrontation however, Hamilton and Alonso have both publicly said that they hold no grudge over each other, and in fact, Alonso has stated that his problems lie with Ron Dennis and McLaren, not Hamilton personally.

Again, I believe that this shows Hamilton is maturing and growing up, a public and formal explanation of the situation was issued to the press by Hamilton which he finished by saying, "I have no problems with Fernando, and I respect him as a driver."

Alex Diamond also mentions an interesting point when he explains Lewis to be, "arrogant," "confrontational," and "selfish."

I will attempt now to give my reading into this situation.

The arrogant point first. Well, I touched on this earlier and filled you in on my belief as to why he came across that way and why he still appears that way to many fans and other drivers.

Confrontational. I would have to ask in what way this is meant.  If one refers to Hamilton as physically confrontational, I would beg to differ on this point.  Although the heated history between Hamilton and Alonso didn't bode well for the young man, he has since shown maturity and this is in the past, and to be honest Fernando did give as good as he got. 

If one is referring to his confrontation of on-track activities, then yes, I would have to agree.  However, I would say that it is this confrontation that gives him his presence on track, and is something that has made him a household name around the World.

Without presence within the field you work in, you get forgotten.  Many athletes, footballers and former drivers have been forgotten as they lacked presence in front of the cameras. 

For example, Wayne Rooney, another sportsman who started professionally at a very young age, will light up a playing field when he walks on, and everyone knows who he is, he is a household name—he could be classed as confrontational, but he is still amazing at what he does.  He also takes the spotlight off the lesser known players because of his presence on the field, he doesn't mean to do this, it is just the way he has been bought up.

It is the same for Lewis Hamilton, he is twenty-three years old, the last thing he wants is to end up like Jenson Button. 

With all due respect to Button, I have no doubt he is a good driver, but he lacks the media "spark" that Hamilton possesses and I feel this is all to do with the way Hamilton comes across and how he "attacks" the media with his presence which I believe is a result of on-track confidence and his ability to confront drivers about on-track activity.

As for selfish, I would have to agree that sometimes Hamilton does come across as selfish, I have sat there many-a-time during an interview and cringed at what he is saying, but I do firmly believe, and I know you're getting bored of hearing this, that this is down to his age and lack of experience in front of cameras. 

I have said it before, and I will say it again, he is twenty-three years of age and he is in the eye of millions of people every race weekend and has become a global name within the space of 18 months—he is on track to be the youngest ever World Drivers Champion.  That in itself is huge enough pressure for someone of his age.

He has been put in a very top seat in one of the most technically advanced sports in the World at such a young age, he still has a lot of growing up to do, and he is having to do this in front of millions of people, he is going to make mistakes, his mistake just happen to be in our tabloids.

Now, in complete contrast to Alex Diamond, I will have to say that I will be watching tomorrow, as I believe he will, but if Hamilton does win the Championship I will feel the triumph as Lewis will. 

I will be proud that someone from my country has succeeded in his sport, succeeded at something he knows he is good at, and most of all, I will be proud to say that I supported this very talented driver from his first race to his latest, no matter what mistakes he has made along the way—I never doubted him.

If tomorrow goes as planned for Lewis Hamilton, not only will he be the World Champion but he will be my Champion—a young man that has done amazingly well over the last two years.  Not only in his car, but out of it.

If tomorrow doesn't go as planned, Lewis will be right back in the working-based office on Tuesday morning ready to start his driving again, and to continue his maturing into a fantastic British ambassador in a sport that clearly runs through his veins.