2024 Formula 1 Drivers threadFormula 1

[MagpieRacer]

Yeah this will look fantastic in the car.

Could also be a hint at the shade of red Ferrari are going for as we do know he likes a bit of colour matching.

 

[SPDN Stefano]

Imo Lewis is very overrated. His stats are extremely inflated because of the fact that Mercedes were in a league of their own for many years. He lost to Button, Rosberg and Russell. Didn't really dominate Bottas like Senna, Schumacher and Verstappen dominated their teammates. At the end of the day he is just not that special of a driver and now he is way past his prime. I hope Ferrari based their decision to sign him purely on his marketing value and not because they really think he is going to beat Leclerc and save them.

 

[Fezzik]

Lewis Hamilton drives Ferrari F1 car for first time in test at new team's Fiorano track ahead of 2025 season

Ferraris new star signing has started work in Italy this week and has now taken to the track in one of their old F1 cars for the first time; watch every race of the 2025 season live on Sky Sports F1, starting with the Australian GP from March 14-16

www.skysports.com

 

[GlamFM]

Imo Lewis is very overrated. His stats are extremely inflated because of the fact that Mercedes were in a league of their own for many years. He lost to Button, Rosberg and Russell. Didn't really dominate Bottas like Senna, Schumacher and Verstappen dominated their teammates. At the end of the day he is just not that special of a driver and now he is way past his prime. I hope Ferrari based their decision to sign him purely on his marketing value and not because they really think he is going to beat Leclerc and save them.

A take so hot it needs its own fire department.

 

[SPDN Stefano]

Well, how does "the GOAT" lose to Button, Rosberg and Russell in the same car? He is only the goat to people who mindlessly look at statistics. For years it was literally impossible for him to finish lower than P2 because of his car.

Of course he is a good driver and he has a huge amount of marketing value. But the press is acting like the Messiah has arrived and Ferrari's troubles are over. There is no way 'past his prime Lewis' is going to be this huge upgrade compared to Sainz and Leclerc, if at all. The drivers were not the problem at Ferrari.

 

[MagpieRacer]

Imo Lewis is very overrated. His stats are extremely inflated because of the fact that Mercedes were in a league of their own for many years. He lost to Button, Rosberg and Russell. Didn't really dominate Bottas like Senna, Schumacher and Verstappen dominated their teammates. At the end of the day he is just not that special of a driver and now he is way past his prime. I hope Ferrari based their decision to sign him purely on his marketing value and not because they really think he is going to beat Leclerc and save them.

I'm not the biggest fan of Lewis, but this take must just be for attention or something, because it's absolute trash. You fail to mention he beat Alonso so bad he sent him back to Renault, in his debut season, repeatedly beat Vettel when Ferrari had as fast a car as Mercedes, if not faster at times, he and Russell were pretty level pegging as team mates, 2024 swayed to Russell as Hamilton was effectively a test car for most of the season and still managed to win 2 races.

Senna drove for McLaren when they were in a league of their own and didn't dominate Prost, Schumacher dominated some pretty lacklustre team mates and then Barrichello was always reasonably close, Perez was obviously not good enough to compete with Max and he has had a very dominant car for a number of years (2nd half of 2024 excluded). Bottas was very capable, not a driver that realistically could be dominated but was also never really able to get to Hamiltons level, so whilst he didn't dominate Bottas, Bottas had no hope of ever beating him in a championship fight.

If you don't think LH is a special driver then that is of course your opinion, he might be past his prime, but he is still levels above 95% of the grid, and in the right environment, that's all he needs to be to keep being successful. As much as this is a test for Lewis going up against Leclerc, it is equally a massive test for Leclerc, as everyone keeps doubting Hamilton.

Also, no one is claiming that Ferrari's trouble are over, not that they're really in trouble anyway, but it is a massive deal, they, by default, have the strongest driver line up in the field, the most successful driver lineup in the field, had a massively improved car in the latter part of 2024 AND Vasseur is banging the drum for the new car as well, so for us Ferrari fans, there is a lot to be excited for.

 

[Liquid]

Yeah it's a bit much but most things are these days. And yeah, the most successful driver with the most famous team? It was always going to hit the headlines during the off-season.

At least it should go better than when Mansell went to McLaren.

 

[SPDN Stefano]

I'm not the biggest fan of Lewis, but this take must just be for attention or something, because it's absolute trash. You fail to mention he beat Alonso so bad he sent him back to Renault, in his debut season, repeatedly beat Vettel when Ferrari had as fast a car as Mercedes, if not faster at times, he and Russell were pretty level pegging as team mates, 2024 swayed to Russell as Hamilton was effectively a test car for most of the season and still managed to win 2 races.

Senna drove for McLaren when they were in a league of their own and didn't dominate Prost, Schumacher dominated some pretty lacklustre team mates and then Barrichello was always reasonably close, Perez was obviously not good enough to compete with Max and he has had a very dominant car for a number of years (2nd half of 2024 excluded). Bottas was very capable, not a driver that realistically could be dominated but was also never really able to get to Hamiltons level, so whilst he didn't dominate Bottas, Bottas had no hope of ever beating him in a championship fight.

If you don't think LH is a special driver then that is of course your opinion, he might be past his prime, but he is still levels above 95% of the grid, and in the right environment, that's all he needs to be to keep being successful. As much as this is a test for Lewis going up against Leclerc, it is equally a massive test for Leclerc, as everyone keeps doubting Hamilton.

Also, no one is claiming that Ferrari's trouble are over, not that they're really in trouble anyway, but it is a massive deal, they, by default, have the strongest driver line up in the field, the most successful driver lineup in the field, had a massively improved car in the latter part of 2024 AND Vasseur is banging the drum for the new car as well, so for us Ferrari fans, there is a lot to be excited for.

Well, Vettel is also nothing special. He was better than Mark Webber and that was it. Racked up a bunch of titles in a Adrian Newey car with a bad teammate. He got beaten by a huge margin by Ricciardo and Leclerc and couldn't dominate Stroll. Vettel is basically David Coulthard/ Damon Hill level.

Lewis never "beat Alonso so bad he sent him back to Renault". Lewis was Ron Dennis' special boy. Fernando saw the writing on the wall.

Do you think 'past his prime Lewis' is an upgrade to Sainz and Leclerc?

 

[Liquid]

@SPDN Stefano Name a driver with multiple championships who didn't have a top car at a top team.

Spoiler

They all did.

Troll harder somewhere else.

 

[MagpieRacer]

Well, Vettel is also nothing special. He was better than Mark Webber and that was it. Racked up a bunch of titles in a Adrian Newey car with a bad teammate. He got beaten by a huge margin by Ricciardo and Leclerc and couldn't dominate Stroll. Vettel is basically David Coulthard/ Damon Hill level.

Lewis never "beat Alonso so bad he sent him back to Renault". Lewis was Ron Dennis' special boy. Fernando saw the writing on the wall.

Do you think 'past his prime Lewis' is an upgrade to Sainz and Leclerc?

Yeah, definitely attention seeking trolling 🤦.

Webber was a very capable pair of hands, he was always a no.2 to Vettel and only had 1 'bad' season against him, which was the ultra competitive 2012 season, won the 2010 title having not led it at any point, won in a Red Bull B-Team car (and is subsequently the only driver to ever win a race in a Ferrari powered car that wasn't a Ferrari), yes finished behind a very good Ricciardo in a car he never got comfortable with and yet still never finished outside the points, was very good at Ferrari up against a dominant Mercedes and still gave himself 2 very good shots at a title with them, 2019 was weaker by his standards but wasn't beaten by a huge margin, about 20 points iirc, 2020 is his only really legitimate bad year, and across 2019-2020 it was clear that Charles was the golden boy and Vettel looked very downtrodden and outcast at the team. 2021, adapting to a new car, team and power unit and given the points Aston were fighting for (not many), did pretty comfortably have the better of Stroll, same in 2022 and that was with missing the first 2 races as well. Coulthard and Hill also didn't win 4 championships.

A fit and fired up Lewis Hamilton is absolutely an upgrade to Carlos Sainz, no question for me there. Leclerc? Time will tell, Leclerc is very, very good.

 

[SPDN Stefano]

"Trolling", yeah right. Everything I have said is based on facts. Your boy Lewis is just not that special. This season he will lose to Leclerc and you guys will still call him "the goat". It is ok to be fan of somebody but you can't just completely disregard reality.

 

[MagpieRacer]

"Trolling", yeah right. Everything I have said is based on facts. Your boy Lewis is just not that special. This season he will lose to Leclerc and you guys will still call him "the goat". It is ok to be fan of somebody but you can't just completely disregard reality.

I'm not a fan of Lewis, find him a little bit annoying and his die hard fan-base get on my nerves. I am a fan of Leclerc and Ferrari however, and the reality is the addition of Lewis only strengthens the team.

Just noticed the flag on your profile, makes sense now.

 

[SPDN Stefano]

yes finished behind a very good Ricciardo in a car he never got comfortable with and yet still never finished outside the points,

You realise this doesn't make any sense right? When Vettel got destroyed by Ricciardo it was Vettel's 6th(!) season at RBR and Ricciardo's first... "The car doesn't suit my driving style". Yeah right. Based on who's inputs did they develop that car? You just got outperformed. The same thing at Ferrari. Leclerc beat him already in his first season at the team and destroyed him in his second season. Then he ends up at Aston Martin and performes basically at the same level as Stroll. Vettel is an 'ok' driver, nothing more nothing less. That is not even 'my opinion' but that is what the facts show.

 

[Jimlaad43]

Oh look another Dutch troll hating on Hamilton and discrediting him with "facts" has joined the conversation and cherry picked a statistic that Max Verstappen has better than Lewis. I hate to tar a take based on someone's nationality because that's a horrible generalisation which ignores the plenty of based and great people from there we have conversed with, but the unfathomable takes based on this driver in question come from this direction (in the same way the worst takes on Max out there will likely have a British/English flag next to them).

May I just ask who beat Hamilton in: 2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 and why those seasons don't count for anything in your mind? Did you start watching F1 in 2021 only?

The "fact" is that no matter how hard you try to cherry pick one statistic, there are plenty of other ones that either outrank it or plenty of other champions with similarly bad stats. You can make any driver in F1 look good or bad if you only look at statistics and ignore everything else about them. Heck, I am often the leader on the anti-Senna discussions here, but that's backed up with some stats, stories of the quirks of the rules and genuine comparison to team mates, rather than just a blanket claim and ignorant dismissal. Regardless I still regard Senna as one of the Greats of F1 because that's absolutely proven by his record.

I take it Nico Rosberg is the greatest driver of all time? After all he has beaten two 7-time World Champions in his career (ignoring the years he lost to them).

In the end the mark of a good driver is getting into the correct car at the right time and being good enough to stay in it. Lewis builds teams around him, and Mercedes' extended success past 2016 is one where Hamilton can take as much credits as Toto Wolff or Daimler's money sacks can, or even more crucially - Michael Schumacher's. The Michael was brought into Mercedes partly to drive, but also because Ross Brown knew what he, as a true champion, had done and how to build a team around drivers and get them into Championship positions. Ferrari going for a past-his-best 7-time Champion who can build teams up is exactly why Ferrari fans are excited. Ferrari haven't won a title since 2008, so bringing in a Serial winner to find those last few things is the point of this signing. If Hamilton wins the Driver's title, it's an amazing story, but they just need any of the titles and it's a success. Vettel sorted Ferrari out from the mess of 2014 and got then back into title fights, Hamilton is the piece to get the trophy.

 

[MagpieRacer]

You realise this doesn't make any sense right? When Vettel got destroyed by Ricciardo it was Vettel's 6th(!) season at RBR and Ricciardo's first... "The car doesn't suit my driving style". Yeah right. Based on who's inputs did they develop that car? You just got outperformed. The same thing at Ferrari. Leclerc beat him already in his first season at the team and destroyed him in his second season. Then he ends up at Aston Martin and performes basically at the same level as Stroll. Vettel is an 'ok' driver, nothing more nothing less. That is not even 'my opinion' but that is what the facts show.

Nah that's what your warped 'facts' want you to see. 2014 against Ricciardo, brand new car concept and design, all new power unit (first year of hybrid PU) and very openly struggled with the car, which suited Ricciardo very nicely, yes it was Ricciardos first season at Red Bull, but his 4th in F1, so hardly a rookie, not a newcomer to Red Bull and with overhauled technical regs, level playing field as well.. To say he performed at the same level as Stroll at AM shows that you have zero knowledge and are just looking at wikipedia pages for your arguments. Stroll was nowhere near Vettel's level, and that was a Vettel who was pretty much done.

 

[SPDN Stefano]

Oh look another Dutch troll hating on Hamilton and discrediting him with "facts" has joined the conversation and cherry picked a statistic that Max Verstappen has better than Lewis.

May I just ask who beat Hamilton in: 2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 and why those seasons don't count for anything in your mind? Did you start watching F1 in 2021 only?

The "fact" is that no matter how hard you try to cherry pick one statistic, there are plenty of other ones that either outrank it or plenty of other champions with similarly bad stats. You can make any driver in F1 look good or bad if you only look at statistics and ignore everything else about them. Heck, I am often the leader on the anti-Senna discussions here, but that's backed up with some stats, stories of the quirks of the rules and genuine comparison to team mates, rather than just a blanket claim and ignorant dismissal. Regardless I still regard Senna as one of the Greats of F1 because that's absolutely proven by his record.

I take it Nico Rosberg is the greatest driver of all time? After all he has beaten two 7-time World Champions in his career (ignoring the years he lost to them).

In the end the mark of a good driver is getting into the correct car at the right time and being good enough to stay in it. Lewis builds teams around him, and Mercedes' extended success past 2016 is one where Hamilton can take as much credits as Toto Wolff or Daimler's money sacks can, or even more crucially - Michael Schumacher's. The Michael was brought into Mercedes partly to drive, but also because Ross Brown knew what he, as a true champion, had done and how to build a team around drivers and get them into Championship positions. Ferrari going for a past-his-best 7-time Champion who can build teams up is exactly why Ferrari fans are excited. Ferrari haven't won a title since 2008, so bringing in a Serial winner to find those last few things is the point of this signing. If Hamilton wins the Driver's title, it's an amazing story, but they just need any of the titles and it's a success. Vettel sorted Ferrari out from the mess of 2014 and got then back into title fights, Hamilton is the piece to get the trophy.

You are bringing up Max Verstappen, not me.

Do you consider Lewis Hamilton the goat yes or no? If so, based on what? Six world titles at Mercedes and another title that got cheated from Felipe Massa?

Lewis is not going to build anything or win any titles at Ferrari. He just has more marketing value as a second driver than Carlos Sainz. Afterwards he can probably stay as a brand ambassador. Win win situation for both of them. The press should stop hyping this up.

 

[MagpieRacer]

You are bringing up Max Verstappen, not me.

Do you consider Lewis Hamilton the goat yes or no? If so, based on what? Six world titles at Mercedes and another title that got cheated from Felipe Massa?

Lewis is not going to build anything or win any titles at Ferrari. He just has more marketing value as a second driver than Carlos Sainz. Afterwards he can probably stay as a brand ambassador. Win win situation for both of them. The press should stop hyping this up.

Cheated from Massa 🤣, now we KNOW you're on a dope trip.

He is the GOAT of the modern era of F1 yeah, why?;

Joint most championships: 7
Most wins: 105
Most Poles: 104
Most points: 4862.5
Most podiums: 202
Most championships with 1 team: 6
Most wins at same GP/Circuit: 9 (British GP, Silverstone)
Most wins from pole: 61
Oldest race winner of the 21st century

and many more records besides.