Lewis Hamilton in a no win situation?

Question

Leading the championship is what is expected of him after his stunning performance last year. Yes people are praising him, but it is controlled praise because he is simply doing what is expected.

Anything less is seen as a failure. Anything less than the world title at the end of the year will also be seen as a failure.

When I say what is expected, I'm referring to the expectations of the irrational British media and the casual F1 fans who only watch F1 because of Hamilton. These people don't think about how good his car is; all they know is that he should have won the title last year, and that he quite simply has to win it this year, no excuses.

Answer 1

Hamilton's win yhis year is far from a given, as Messrs Massa, Räikkönen and even his own team mate Kovalainen look strong, and they'll give him a run for it. The rise and fall of Alonso show the importance of taking it race by race, and not get too cocky.

Answer 2

he doesn't HAVE to win this year.

he did far more than what was expected of him last year, but this year i think the Ferrari's are a bit stronger than they were last year and the McLaren hasn't kept up, i see McLaren and BMW having a bigger fight for second than First.

which is also the reason why he might not win, it doesn't matter how strong his car is if the opponents are better, i can see if he doesn't win a championship in his next 3-4 years after what he's done so far then he could be called a failure but that won't necessarily be just his fault if McLaren don't keep on giving him the car to challenge for the title.

That's though to say since i don't like the Ferrari team one bit.

Answer 3

I agree with you about the expectations from the british media. He is still young, and just giving that much pressure will only destroy his future potential. He is a fantastic driver, although I am an Alonso fan.

He is good enough to win championships. But he needs to learn things in stages, the media is forcing him to win everything and be everything. I really do pity him, but I do believe he is mentally strrong enough to get by it.

I do expect to see him as a champion in one to two years time, depending on how each team evolves.

Answer 4

Well, expectations are really high here. From the fans, the team, Britain and himself. People expect him to win because he had a very stunning rookie year, almost winning the title too. And it didn't help he was in a frontrunner team, McLaren. Britain have not won the world title since 1996 with Damon Hill and their hopes rest on him. McLaren haven't won a title since Mika Hakkinen in 1999. loads of pressure....

True,some people forget that F1 is a man and machine sport. Both have to be in optimum condition to win titles. They forget that he is still young and only in his second year. They'll have to learn that and patience (all f1 fans should) or else they could be very disappointed

Answer 5

I think Lewis's time is still to come.  Although there is a lot of expectation, there's not as much belief.  You can hear it in the commentator's voices as soon as he makes, what they think is a mistake.  Lewis Hamilton is a sublime talent and I believe he will win more titles than Schumacher and have an equally long career.  But he will have to share (I mean heed) some title wins with Alonso, Raikkonen and possibly Massa or Kubica along the way.  I think his first title victory will come in '09 or '10 depending on what car Alonso gets into in '09.  I think amongst true F1 fans he is in a win win situation as he never fails to impress with his performances and still being  a relative 'rookie' can pull off an upset and win the title in any year (of course this year included).