Does Lewis Hamilton deserve to be leading the WDC standings?

Dux · Jul 22, 2014

There is an article, interesting one about did Hamilton deserved to lead the 2014 Championship?

This season began with DNF for Hamilton for no fault of his, which put Nico in clear lead with 25 points.
In the next 4 Grand Prix's he finished ahead of Nico and Nico was right behind him, apart from Malaysia. Hat of to Hamilton he destroyed Rosberg. In the following he was not that dominant, if he was at all.

Came Monaco and Nico won, who and what happened for real on the quals, we can argue till tomorrow.
But came Canada and when all thought that it's time for Hamilton to win just because Canada it seems to be "Hamilton's track" Nico got the pole (because Hamilton did mistake) and went ahead with the lead, until late in the race that Hamilton succeed in passing him, but late because he had overheated his brakes from running in hot air behind and due to had problems with his MGU-K, laps later that struck Rosberg too (it seemed more of a problem with brakes that running behind hot air) After months have past and now i see different at the events i wonder why Hamilton was pulled of and Nico continued. I might missed something.

People speak about Nico being favorite cause he is a german driving for german team. Nonsense!
Although it's team has german name-brand "Mercedes" and engine too and top people, some people, happen to be german, doesn't change the fact that most of the staff are brits. If they were asked to prevent Hamilton from victory or some strategy, i think they won't play the ball!

So, Canadian GP past and we saw the pattern that said - whoever got the pole, was ahead kept the lead and won. Mercedes will favorite for best strategy option whoever is in the lead, not other way around. When Hamilton was ahead he got better strategy, entering earlier etc. Other time it was Nico.

Came Red Bull Ring, Hamilton made mistake he is not allowed to, in qualifying and cost him the race. Nico took the victory by a second. Some argue Hamilton would have won if he started from front row, but we won't know that and he didn't made sure he was there, he made mistake.

Came Silverstone, he once again made mistake and was chasing Rosberg. Rosberg again was in the lead, and would have stayed and won that too if his gearbox didn't failed.

Some say Nico was luckier than Hamilton. I don't think that way.
When Hamilton retired (apart Australia) Nico won 18 points
When Nico was the case, Hamilton won 25 (Silverstone Grand Prix)

Now, we had Germany GP, home race for Nico and Hamilton AGAIN has problems, but look at Vettel? He has them too. Ricciardo is all fine. To think that they sabotage Hamilton on purpose is just stupid. So, bad luck this time, yeah.

But, did Hamilton deserved to lead the 2014?
NO!
What do you think?

Shane Butler · Jul 22, 2014

Dusko Avramovski said:
Some say Nico was luckier than Hamilton. I don't think that way.
When Hamilton retired (apart Australia) Nico won 18 points
When Nico was the case, Hamilton won 25 (Silverstone Grand Prix)

You're missing the points Hamilton lost to his retirement in Canada, and his brake failure in qualifying last Saturday, without which he would have surely been on the front row with a second or first place almost certain. So yes he does deserve to lead the championship.

Dux · Jul 22, 2014

Shane Butler said:
You're missing the points Hamilton lost to his retirement in Canada, and his brake failure in qualifying last Saturday, without which he would have surely been on the front row with a second or first place almost certain. So yes he does deserve to lead the championship.

You missed the point friend i haven't missed anything. Nico did won 18 points when Ham retired in Canada, which i already mentioned them and Hamilton did made mistake in Silverstone but won because Nico was DNF and i did count that he had problems in Germany.

But he made too much mistakes on his own (canada - silverstone - red bull ring)

And remember, this is not about giving the points to whomever you believe they would end up if this or that happened but how both acted all over the season...Nico consistency and Hamilton problems and mistakes but yet faster on occasions which is not enough

Bram Hengeveld · Jul 22, 2014

The driver that collects the most points during a season deserves to be in the lead (imo)

Shane Butler · Jul 22, 2014

Listen, Hamilton is behind by 14 points currently. Without his car failing in Australia and Canada he should have had at least 36 more points. His qualifying failure last Sunday ruined what undoubtedly would have been at the very least (again) a second place. That's another three points so without misfortune give or take, he would be leading the standings by 22 points. This was roughly calculated but without misfortune he would definately be leading the championship.

Edit - Forgot to add in Rosberg's retirement in Silverstone. But nevertheless, Hamilton would still be leading.

Martin Maaskant · Jul 23, 2014

+1 Bram. This is another topic about who deserves to win. And yes Hamilton does deserve to be on top of the 2014 championship but so does Rosberg and, in my opinion, all of the other drivers. Fact is he isn't on top so he has to work really hard to get there.

Jose Navarro · Jul 23, 2014

Im a Hamilton fan I see Rosberg winning the championship. Its clearly seen that Mercedes,FIA want Rosberg win the champ. Hamilton pit stop is slower and then the safety car not going out...There u have the prove. I think Hamilton is paying all this for what happened in Monaco. Comment,Behavior and Comparing Mercedes with McLaren.

Deleted member 161052 · Jul 23, 2014

i'm goin' for Rosberg

Andrew Ford · Jul 23, 2014

Dusko, I don't understand this at all lol
I don't agree that the guy who is best over the season always wins. If that was the case, there would always be equal retirements etc. There is a certain number of things such as reliability which is out of drivers hands.

I would say that Rosberg has maximised his ability and performance where Hamilton has made mistakes...quite a few actually. Even so, the Australia and Silverstone 25pts loss cancel each other out. Rosberg gained 18 from Canada where Hamilton lost them. So you could say, Hamilton would be 4 pts ahead if Rosberg had poor reliability in Canada. Hamilton certainly had the pace inspite of slower pits stops and slower pit stops all season.
Hamilton would still be 4 pts ahead inspite of making too many mistakes for my liking (as a Hamilton fan). So i wonder where hamilton would be if he didn't make any mistakes !

Nox · Jul 23, 2014

I will probably sound like a downer and garner some dislikes, but "what-ifs" never really interested me. So what if Hamilton would lead or not? He isn't, and that's that.

Jordi Casademunt · Jul 24, 2014

Why does everyone asume Hamilton would have won in Melbourne?

I don't care about who deserves what, because every driver thinks he deserves to win the championship. Maybe Ricciardo deserves to be leading the championship. Maybe Hulkenberg deserves to be leading the championship. Maybe Bianchi deserves to be leading the championship. Certainly not Chilton, but who cares?

Oh, and also #lolconspiracies. Mercedes is paying Hamilton a kidney and a half just to sabotage him. And the FIA obviously want another german to win the champiosnhip because Jean Todt is obviously german.

Joel · Jul 24, 2014

Disclaimer: I am a huge Rosberg fan (along Bottas) and even though I want to like Hamilton I just can't.

So. First of all, I definitely think that he does not deserve to lead the championship. To lead the championship when past the halfway mark, you have to be the fastest driver on track. You have to be capable of winning even in the worst scenario. This is what Hamilton is good at, and this is one reason why I want to like him. He never gives up. BUT. This is why I absolutely don't like him. It's what he says off-track. Canada - He said that he shouldn't even be fighting Rosberg, he should already be first. And I absolutely LOATHE this. You should never ever be underestimating another racer. You can never know if they are going to be good or not as good. Racing is full of surprises, and you should always be prepared for someone being faster.

Let's look at Canada again. I don't even care how many times he is going to blame Rosberg. I will never accept it. The brakes issue. Yes, it was because he was behind another car. But let me ask you a question. Why was he behind even at the first place? He wasn't fast enough. Being the best driver requires you to be able to overtake, and clearly they were either equally paced or Rosberg was faster. Being slower always means problems. If it's technical or if it's just points-wise. It's problems.

And yes. I am going to say this. Rosberg's so said "trick" in Monaco looks set up. I just cannot make out why people complain about it being in purpose??? That is a difficult downhill entry which means that weight is loaded off the car = lock-up. He definitely broke too late = lock-up. Well, you could say that he was braking too late. He had a lap in, Hamilton was slower on that lap, and Hamilton was also on a lap. What does that mean? The only way to beat him is to give it all. You have a fast lap, which means the lowest you will end up is 2nd. Push hard, and get the pole position. He just went a little over the edge. This is normal and often seen in racing.

Okay. I'm sounding like a crazy Rosberg fan, but just look at it. I truly want to like Hamilton. I love his driving style, but I am blinded by what kind of a person he is in the interviews. I dunno. If he matures, I will for sure like him. I like fast people. I like Vettel, why? He didn't complain in a way that was wrong. I don't mind people being disappointed, but to be always blaming it on the other person, that I don't accept.

So now. Lewis Hamilton does not deserve to lead the championship, as even if he is the fastest driver, he is not the best at managing possible problems. Done.

Nelson Ullinskey · Jul 25, 2014

The points system is what it is and it is up to the drivers to make the most of it. As much of a Hamilton fan that I am, he is not able to do this thus he should not be the points leader.

However, much of Hamilton's problems have been purely circumstantial failures. I am not even going to bother defending the fact that he was running well before the failures because frankly, it is where one finishes that counts.

Look at the IndyCar championship last year! Helio Castroneves was running great all year and even into the dual Houston races. He had a gearbox failure both races so he lost out on the championship.

If points were awarded to how well one ran before a failure, then Helio Castroneves would be the champion, not Scott Dixon.

In racing- oh hell, sports in general, effort is important, but in championships, effort does not matter, results do. That's the truth.

Also, I am not arguing with anyone or looking for an argument, this is merely my honest opinion on the matter

Terry Rock · Jul 25, 2014

I like both drivers and they're both doing an excellent job.
Nico is a great driver with lots of potential. It's good to see him finally in a car he can show that up with.
As to Lewis,...It's a bit silly to say he should not have led.
He's had a lot of bad luck this year...and throughout his career.
The new points system is a bitter pill to swallow for any driver with the most wins.
It doesn't really reflect true track performance as it should.
Given his misfortunes since 2007 and then 2009 onward, LH has proven he is the real deal.
Do you realize that had he not been kept out on 'dead' tires for so long at China, LH would have been the only guy ever to win the WDC as a rookie?
I hear people make the asinine comment that he had the best car and he 'lucked' into a WDC in 2008.
It's the most stupid thing you hear related to racing on the internet.
In 2007, it took a lot of talent (fast car or not) to stay ahead of a two time WDC with years of experience in the same car.
Alonso is overall, the most seasoned driver of this era.

Chris Jenkins · Jul 25, 2014

Firstly, let me say that I don't buy into this whole conspiracy theory crap, but I do believe that Hamilton would have at least another win under his belt if he hadn't lost time in some many slow pit stops.

Hamilton is 14 points behind.
Let's say Hamilton won in Australia and came 2nd in Canada.
That's another 43 points gained with Rosberg losing 7, so Hamilton now leads by 36 points.
Let's say Rosberg won Germany, gains 7 points over Lewis.
Hamilton now leads by 15 points.

I can't remember which race it was that Hamilton lost 0.9s over Rosberg in the pits and then finished 0.9s behind at the end, but let's factor it in both ways.

So all things considered, Hamilton theoretically should be between 15 and 22 points ahead, depending on if you factor in the above slow pit stop.

So clearly YES he deserves to be leading, but Rosberg has also had a DNF and is currently leading, so of course he also deserves it.

Joel · Jul 25, 2014

Well, a what I am kind of seeing here is people referring to the fact that Hamilton is only good at one position. When he is having good luck. I personally think to be a world champion, you have to be the best no matter what. If you have retirements? That doesn't matter. Look at the 90s and 80s. Cars retired so often, but one of them would bounce off to win the WDC.
This is what Hamilton should be good at. He never gives up. But with bad luck, that doesn't mean anything. But what you should do, is take it maturely so that you are prepared for the next race and always believe that you have to do the best you can to win. Otherwise there is no point in driving. If you don't have the best car? Tough luck. If you are a driver worthy enough of winning or at least leading the WDC you have to be able to cope with ALL SITUATIONS.
There is to things that make a driver the world champion. A car and a man. If the car is fast, you can win. Like Vettel has done in the past 4 years. But to be able to take advantage of a good car, you have to be a good driver. And I think both Hamilton and Rosberg are equal at this.
Now something that I don't understand is why people say that he should lead because of the fact that he has retired more often. Maybe this comes to his driving style? There is thousands of factors that can lead to a DNF. It can just be the car, but that is rarely the case, and I think Rosberg has managed the car better. But that's just what I think.

Alberto Casado · Jul 26, 2014

Joel Rautavaara said:
Now something that I don't understand is why people say that he should lead because of the fact that he has retired more often. Maybe this comes to his driving style? There is thousands of factors that can lead to a DNF. It can just be the car, but that is rarely the case, and I think Rosberg has managed the car better. But that's just what I think.

If the car would break on lap 50, maybe. But so far it went kaput at least twice before Q3. It is definitely the car.