Would you have liked to see Hamilton start his career in a small team?

Question

Don't get me wrong he has done brilliantly in the Mclaren, but I would have preferred to see him shine in a small team, and have that those moments of saying:

"Who is that guy in the yellow Helmet dragging that Super Aguri into the top 10. He looks a special talent"

"Who is that guy in a Force India doing so well in the wet today?"

"That guy Hamilton looks special. He is dragging that car to up to places it doesn't deserve to be"

Sadly we will never have those moments. He will always be associated with a top team, and that makes his story a bit boring to me.

Answer 1

A top class driver is exciting to watch whether he drives a top car or making his mark in a slow car.

In the case of Hamilton he didn't of course get the McLaren drive by accident so I don't think that with his talent he would have stayed in an underperforming car for more than a couple of races.

Schumacher did just one qualifying session in Spa for Jordan , retired at the start and come the next race he was in a Benetton.

Is he that good?

I believe he is although not a fan.

Answer 2

its like football stars really. talent scouts go out and look for future players, sponsor them, then sign them up for their teams. Its the way sports work. you don't go looking for someone who can't play/drive. At the end of th day people are just on one about Lewis because they think he was gifted this drive. Had he failed miserably on his way up through carting, GP2 etc he simply wouldn't have got a seat at McLaren. I say fair shout to him, he's proved his worth all the way through.

Answer 3

Fair point but its swings and roundabouts; if Schumacher didn't notice Brundell's dying tyres in Spa, he wouldn't have pitted and a legend wouldn't have been born?! Who knows? If Lewis was in a Super Aguri maybe he wouldn't have been given a chance to shine due to car being exceptionally poor?!

I agree it would be great to see him in, say a Williams or Force India, but he is where he is through sheer determination and hard work and that is to be congratulated.

God forbid he got where he had by being a Pedro Diniz type pay driver! Remember him!

Answer 4

Well we do know how good he is anyway... he was faster than the double world champion Fernando Alonso in the same car in his first season.... the same Alonso who dethroned Michael Schumacher... Says a lot about Lewis that he could do that...

But it would've been nice to see a Senna-esque first season.. like he had in the Toleman..

Answer 5

Would of been good if Mclaren "loaned" Lewis out to a smaller team in 07, just to evaluate how good he was, at Williams instead of Wurz maybe.

I feel if he had a season at the back of the grid, he would'nt of been so hated as he is now......

Answer 6

Many people say thats where all drivers should start but my opinion im glad he didnt cos im really happy that he is at  a team i love

but 2 be fair he was scouted by mclaren so we all new wat was going to happen

just hope he dont go to ferrari

Answer 7

I agree.   I'm not saying he doesn't deserve a seat with mclaren but it would have been nice to see him start his career as an underdog instead of fighting off many of the veterans who have worked so hard to get where they are.

Answer 8

I would. He's doing a great job in McLaren, but it's hard to root for a new guy who breezes straight into a top team. It also makes it hard to say just how good he is. When a driver arrives in a lesser team, fans get to see him develop and are thrilled when he moves on to a better team.

Answer 9

I would have like to see him do what they call and 'apprenticeship year' like many of the other F1 drivers. He was lucky because he didn't really need to fight to get a seat in a McLaren unlike Kimi and Heikki.

I'm not denying that he has talent, but he did start in a race winning car.

Answer 10

Well, to me it doesn't matter. As long as a driver is successful and is happy being in that team, that's all that is important. And as long as the team can provide him a good car to win races or achieve a certain level of accomplishment, that's good enough.

Yeah, you do have a point. But anyway, not everyone can be the same- start out in a small team.

Answer 11

I would. He started his F1 career in a very good car. And how long can that last? He'll be lucky if he always drives a competitive car. Starting from a small team would give him the experience of driving a less than prefect car, thus helping him learn more. And we'd be more impressed if we see, hey! who's that guy in the Force India that's wheel-to-wheel with the BMW!

Well, he's lucky to start his career in a competitive car. If he can keep it up,it'll be the stuff of legends.

Answer 12

I am a die hard fan of hammy. I bet with my friends ( who are fans of kimi) that Hammy can keep him at bay even in a Force India or Super Aguri. I would't have liked him to start with a lower team, because I m also a die hard mcLaren fan. For him starting from a lower team would not have made much of a difference.