Has Hamilton finally turned the corner?

NIce Race win Hamilton Hopefully this blog won't have so much Negativity about you.
Keep up! :)

So Glad to see Hamilton take victory today. In my opinion the fact he has managed to win 3 races - as many as Button- is what has been his worst season so far and amid all the negativity surrounding him is astonishing. A testament to his incredible self belief and mental strength.

Interesting to see the BBC coverage has not played up the Lewis-Jenson rilvarly as much today as they did last week. Last week we had entries such as this:

"BBC F1 pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz on Lewis Hamilton: "He is well and truly slower than team-mate Jenson Button in second place. Lewis felt he turned a corner after the last race but now he's been beaten by Jenson again"

But today, no mention of Hamilton versus Button. Very interesting indeed

shame that i cant see all lewis's races next season due to the beeb insulting f1 fans:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2Wx230gYJw
always look on the bright side of life.... at least ITV have got the BTCC :(

Hmm...Why hasnt my post appeared? Awaiting moderation it says. Strange

I'm really happy for LH. I would also like to say well done to the BBC commentary for being impartial with their comments on LH. In particular, I take my hat off to DC for empathising with LH when he (LH) explained how the turbulence in his personal life did remain in his subconscious and probably affected his judgement in the car. Let's not forget that LH is 26 yrs old and i would argue is a shinning example of how young people in Great Britain should conduct themselves. The press should make more of this story as opposed to selling papers on the back of the likes of Frankie C (ex X factor hopeful) who make a mockery of the heritage of this country. Anyway that's a story for another day.

Now THAT was the Lewis we all want to see- no silly mistakes or over aggressiveness, just a mature, do what you have to do to win performance. Might sound boring. That is exactly what SV has been doing all season and look where it got- an unexplained puncture on the second corner of the second last race, after winning both the drivers and team championship.( Let's see how many will take the bait).
Great job Lewis, well done!

Benson it must really get to you having to give that half-hearted acknowledgement of a great race from Lewis.

You still even now managed to get the usual negative digs in.

Heres a quote from his ex for you "Don't hate, congratulate".

Another DULL FEST but at least Hamilton produced a solid drive to victory much like many of Mr One Fingers victorys this season. No mistakes from Lewis today showing his class .....not much for the Vettel loving Hamilton haters to stir up today lol

what no Hamilton conspiracys today?

Good to see Lewis win and even better a Red Bull never made it into the top 3. However, this track is boring. Most of these newer tracks, and I included India are bore-fests. If Bern things he is going to make it in the USA with F1 then he is dreaming. I have stopped watching the Q1-2-and 3 and the red button, weening myself off of F1 seeing that most of it will be missing next year....I wonder what the viewing figures are now?

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

What utter nonsense you do talk Benson. To put this race in perspective, it was, once Vettel was gone and he inherited first place, a pretty routine drive for Hamilton, who was never really threatened, with the only other driver likely to challenge him, driving a sick car. In fact the only real excitement was the question of whether Button could keep 3rd. place with 2 drivers in quicker cars, breathing down his neck for 55 laps. It says much about his skill (and their lack of it) that he managed it.
It is pleasing (no more) that Hamilton has broken his string of disasters but let,s not make more of it than what it was--a race that was gifted to him.

Well done Lewis and Jenson and good work from Mclaran just need this performance every race next season.........must be able to see the races on line some where if not its back to the old days.... radio.

Sorry just got to say it made me laugh when jake said it meant so much to him that Sir Paul thought the commentry this year has been excellent and jake carnt wait for next year......must be getting double bubble for half a seasons work then!

No to Sky.

btcc tv time table:

https://www.btcc.net/html/tvtimetable.php

5. At 18:48 13th Nov 2011, aarmanny wrote:
I'm really happy for LH. I would also like to say well done to the BBC commentary for being impartial with their comments on LH. In particular, I take my hat off to DC for empathising with LH when he (LH) explained how the turbulence in his personal life did remain in his subconscious and probably affected his judgement in the car.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
To be fair they did look quite sheepish and nervous (justifiably so). They know their antics have landed them in Lewis' bad books and interviews now will be few and far between.

Very sad that Lewis' mum felt the need to tell EJ to start being nice to Lewis and Lewis' admission that he arrives at the race in positive mood then is brought down by the "negative vibe" and negative interview questions etc.

How can you possibly write that after one race win, Hamilton has 'turned the corner'? It is typical British media writing, one minute his life is falling apart and then after 2 hours on a Sunday afternoon he is back to his best. Wasn't the same thing said after his win in Germany?
Yes his personal life may cause him problems, as happens to all of us, but please talk about the racing rather than repeatedly banging on about the same old thing.
Also, nevermind the red bulls being off colour, one of them wasn't even on the track!

The only way he will 'turn the corner' is when they consistently, genuinely challenge the Red Bulls, then we will see the old Hamilton!

What can one say, Lewis won and the BBC bunch are not happy as expected of course except Jake. DC and MB are just selfish old man who would rather encourage FM to destroy LH. Well done LH, you did us proud just what we needed on our Remembrance Day for our heroes past. LH never mind the 13 times winner out of 247 races it must be frustrating for him seeing young guys with stratergies. Well JB and LH, you done us proud today boys.

What a lot of twaddle.... Lewis has brought criticism upon himself with some frankly woeful driving this year. All this nonsense about him being in the wrong state of mind or upset about the split from his missus........ who gives a ****. All the drivers have personal lives which as it happens they prefer keep to themselves... which we should ALL be grateful for.

"Hamilton is a truly great racing driver. But if Sir Jackie Stewart, for example, were to hear those remarks, he would be tearing his hair out.

Stewart - a three-time world champion and one of the greatest racing drivers in history - has long talked about the importance of removing emotion when climbing into a Formula 1 car. It is too easy, he says, for that emotion to cloud your judgement - and with that comes mistakes. In his era, that meant serious injury or worse."
................................................................................................................

He really cant resist the negative jibes, can he, Andrew Benson? Even when Lewis Hamilton wins, the highlight of the day must be that he is too emotional, and therefore too dangerous, and his win must be down to the fact that Vettel had a puncture. Oh dear. Wonder what he said when Hamilton retires with some crash or failure of any kind and Vettel wins? No spin then about what might have been. And he means to say here that Jackie Stewart is an emotionless robot, or that all the other drivers who have won races are from Mars? The guy has won a race. At least summon some graciousness to congratulate him without all the 'buts. Or keep quiet. But then you don't get hundreds of comments, do you?

At 19:02 13th Nov 2011, NO TO BBCs INSTITUTIONAL LEWISISM wrote:
Very sad that Lewis' mum felt the need to tell EJ to start being nice to Lewis and Lewis' admission that he arrives at the race in positive mood then is brought down by the "negative vibe" and negative interview questions etc

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think she was thanking Eddie Jordan for being a fair commentator with respect to her son. She was'nt chastising him. Coulthard and Jordan are generally fair and balanced with their punditry. Sadly I can't say the same about some of the others

I think a lot of people are sick and tired of negative comments which come from the BBC all the time from you Andrew and even your race commentators about Lewis. I cant wait for formula 1 to go to Sky!

Hats off to Lewis Hamilton today. Totally contolled and thoroughly deserved.

Great drive by Lewis and nice to see his smile back!

What happened with Maldonado. His episode with Webber was one of the most outrageous things I've seen on a racetrack (since Spa), especially since he had already had one drive through penalty

Oh Benson was just trying to fit into the BBC scandalous hatred mode of LH. Never mind him, he has to be seen to be writing something negative to keep his job even if its rubbish, Well done LH and JB.

The funniest thing was "sour grapes" Fernando before the podium asking did someone (i.e Lewis) touch Seb at the start. Bad luck Fernando, your puppet couldn't get close enough to crash into him today.

.

Typical Benson arrogant dig at HAM. Get off your high horse, mate. You can't even write a decent article.

And to the rest of the snobs who dismissed Lewis lightly as flash in the pan, he'll be here to give you enough nightmares to send you all to a nut-house !!

I personally enjoyed the head-to-head by Mark Webber and Felipe Massa and for a while there Button was involved as well.

I was hoping Alonso would get close enough to Hamilton to have a go, but it didn't happen.

Well done Lewis, you're the best in my book !!

Good win but not a great race. I'm a Lewis fan and he has had some great wins, Silverstone 08, Germany 11, Spa 08..... this wasn't one of them. The 'facility' is amazing as ever one lucky enough to be there will testify.

We all know that the race in Brazil will be one of the best, just a shame that the WDC was wrapped up a while back.

I heard that Sky had 25 people there this weekend, Its not great but we will have to put up with it.

At 19:11 13th Nov 2011, NO TO BBCs INSTITUTIONAL LEWISISM wrote:
The funniest thing was "sour grapes" Fernando before the podium asking did someone (i.e Lewis) touch Seb at the start. Bad luck Fernando, your puppet couldn't get close enough to crash into him today.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Ha ha ha. So true. I noticed that too. He knew exactly what he was implying by asking that didnt he? Who else could have touched Seb at the start besides LH? These race car drivers are so devious

this is to John (19) just keep posting your tosh man, It keeps the day going. Nothing new from you then, bitter and boring you are now. give us something new. Oh maybe BBC will give you a job next year man. Keep on your nasty attitude, you will be called for an interview.

12... you said "It is pleasing (no more) that Hamilton has broken his string of disasters but let,s not make more of it than what it was--a race that was gifted to him." Gotta say I don't agree. SV went off too early in the race to say he gifted the race to LH. Also, SV said afterwards that he wasn't sure he had the pace to beat the McLarens even if he had not had the puncture/mistake. Give credit where credit is due... LH won the GP and despite a tenseness of knowing FA was lurking just a few behind him all race, he managed to do what was necessary... which is what SB does when he wins.

21. At 19:08 13th Nov 2011, smartbrother wrote:
At 19:02 13th Nov 2011, NO TO BBCs INSTITUTIONAL LEWISISM wrote:
Very sad that Lewis' mum felt the need to tell EJ to start being nice to Lewis and Lewis' admission that he arrives at the race in positive mood then is brought down by the "negative vibe" and negative interview questions etc

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think she was thanking Eddie Jordan for being a fair commentator with respect to her son. She was'nt chastising him. Coulthard and Jordan are generally fair and balanced with their punditry. Sadly I can't say the same about some of the others
.................................................................................................................

No she wasn't thanking him. She was surely chastising him, and we all know what she was talking about. Except, of course, for those perpetually in denial about relentless negativity of the BBC team towards Lewis Hamilton. Even today Brundle was trying hard to put a negative spin on what Hamilton said about better chances of improved performance when all around you is stable and happy, which is not rocket science, if you think about it. But Brundle went on about how it is that in his day you dont have to be happy in your personal life in order to perform better on the grid, which is a bit rich coming from someone who never won a race or pole position throughout his F1 career, even when he was at Mclaren.

At 30

Ahahaha... I would definetly take an interview for the beeb team as a compliment. I consider DC and MB to be in the main very impartial and intelligent observers and would much rather share opinions with them thanks :)

Lewis wins a race after Vettel has that puncture that takes him out........big deal.

I would have liked to see them RACE. For me, the race was over halfway through turn two.

Random thought....how much fun would it be if Kobayashi replaces Massa next year........now that would be amazing.

Random thought number 2....next year, drivers should have DRS OR KERS next year....

mwah mwah mwah!!!

@ No.10, Mr_Krabs

The new circuits are bore-fests because for some reason they keep letting Hermann Tilke design the tracks. He is the worst race track architect ever to live. The best race are at some of the race tracks that were there before Tilke was even born. I reckon that all the tracks should be designed by people who are involved heavily in Motorsport and the track. For instance, the BRDC are in charge of designing new parts of the circuit at silverstone. Why not do the same elsewhere.

I should add that there would a minimum of 6 DRS zones per lap.....

NO TO SKY

Like i said Good win Lewis
Iam sure there will be people on this blog who will look to take this performance and turn it into a negative but ehh that is life **john

John;
no one said he wasnt to blame for some of the incidents, we are saying that by time he performed like we know he can, dnt be mad just be happy a brit one and another came 3rd.
And the bit about the Gf, different people react to things in their life differently, who to say it didnt affect him,
but nways the fact remains that they asked him a question being what he though affected him and as an answer he said that was part of it
an you being a hater you critisize him for it lool
not cool!

nways hope to see you say something positive, i know you rather he didnt win but now that it has happened deal with it ok! :)

Yes to Sky! No to BBC!

^^ xD

.
The real joker in this BBC team of presenters is Brundle. Looking at his record now, I can't believe what I'm looking at. The mystery of course that who in their right would employ a "talent" like him ????

But, carry on Martin, we enjoy a good laugh !!

Has anyone ever wondered why Mark Webber's car seems to be pulling 3 trucks and Seb Vettetel's car is far much lighter. If both cars had similar gadgets, he would have won. The reason why Chris H looked crushed when SV went out of the race was because he knew MW's car was not fast enough twicked as SV. Well done to MW even though his car was the slowest he tried. MW is the better driver for Red Bull no matter how slow his car is.

No doubt an excellent result for Lewis and McLaren and looks like a good race. Just a shame I didn't get to see it because the BBC hasn't pulled its finger out and put it up on iPlayer - yet blurted the result out all over its other mediums. The BBC might have given up on F1 next year, but we are still forced to pay our licence fee so let's keep up the effort please this year.

Well done Lewis....great to see him back at the front :))

While I am not a big Alonso fan but today you have to take your hat off to Alonso and say he also drove a blinder and easy out performed the car.

Mark Webber yet again showed that he is easy out of his depth in a red bull car. He couldnt even beat Button who had Kerrs issues half the race. When Vettel retired he should of been challenging Alonso and Hamilton but he was fighting it out with Massa and Button. The fact he has not won a race this season says it all.

How long will horner keep backing a donkey in the sister car to vettel???

AK was wondering when you would come in. I've said it before, I like Hamilton and he deserved his win. Dont confuse that with my despair at the overhype surrounding him. Overhype which leads to this embarassing search for excuses when things dont go to plan....

In addition any criticism of Bensons piece and the BBC position on Hamilton in general is totally absurd. The Beeb are very pro Hamilton, in fact they promote a subtle campaign to undermine the likes of Alonso, Massa and even Button. The position on the latest Button/Massa incident was ridiculous... only DC emerging with any credit.

@ annabeldodds

i thin the Red bull is tailored around Vettel to suit him in every way and Webber being Number 2 has to make due with that.

One of the best things to happen over the race weekend was the testing of new development tyres. The news that they are being designed to resist heat and blistering is great - exactly what is needed for next season in my opinion. I hope it will lead to less pace-control and more flat-out racing.

It was a very solid race from Lewis, very Vettel-like. I was on the edge of my seat leading up to the final pit stop - I was sure Alonso was going to come out wheel-to-wheel with Lewis. In the end we missed out on a white knuckle end to the race due to a poor pit stop by Ferarri.

I was half expecting a black flag for Maldonado. His driving was simply unprofessional. I think he should have received a grid penalty for the next race instead of the 30 second time penalty that was actually handed out.

Oh John, have your own benchmark.

As a massive Hamilton fan was very happy to see him take the top step today its been to long but hands up he has had a bad season by his high standards making silly mistakes on track and in the heat of the moment saying things he really shouldnt have but he`s only human he`s gone through a rough patch in his life AS WE ALL DO from time to time and naturally this trouble has reflected in his performance and the media seems to have jumped on this almost revelling in his misfortune and hung the spotlight on him constantly difficult interviews baited questions etc again his seasons not been great but what about Webber he`s been given a pasting by his team-mate while driving a race winning champ winning car and no victorys and its hardly mentioned ????

Nessun Dorma

Totally agree, Maldonado should of had a black flag. considering his final finishing place a 30 sec penalty is meaning less

44. At 19:32 13th Nov 2011, John wrote:
AK was wondering when you would come in. I've said it before, I like Hamilton and he deserved his win. Dont confuse that with my despair at the overhype surrounding him. Overhype which leads to this embarassing search for excuses when things dont go to plan....

In addition any criticism of Bensons piece and the BBC position on Hamilton in general is totally absurd. The Beeb are very pro Hamilton, in fact they promote a subtle campaign to undermine the likes of Alonso, Massa and even Button. The position on the latest Button/Massa incident was ridiculous... only DC emerging with any credit.

.................................................................................................................

I what way specifically and precisely has the BBC been pro-Hamilton in your book? Enough of beating about the bush. Tell us with specific examples and evidence. As regards 'the latest Button/Massa incident', which one are you talking about?

I know MW tried, to my confusion on lap 55 why go to pit stop? That was the last lap.

It's my birthday tomorrow and Lewis won today. So happy. I hope Mclaren give Lewis a decent car for the whole of next season. Let's knock Vettel off his perch. Go Lewis.

Vettel proved his lack of experience by trashing the car on the way back to the pits - he stood no chance whatsoever of being competitive once the tyre went, and he managed to lose valuable evidence. The guy is an idiot, and I have lost a chunk or my respect for him.
I was pleased to see Hamilton win, but Bensons blogs are as boring as the races on the new tracks.
When 'Sir Paul' commented on the BBC India coverage, I thought Eddie was going to cardiac arrest.....and did his mike cut out?
The elephant in the room is starting to smell, surely the race in Brazil will see some sort of discussion about the coverage next year?

The News International garbage keeps on coming, what are the BBC thinking by going on with the deal?


NO TO SKY!

uhmm not sure you like him looking at the 2 previous posts you made but lets forget that

the point you make about the beeb being very pro Hamilton, are you serious?
they even made a video about his whoes this season a couple month ego or maybe 1. i dont have a problem with them making a video of facts but it was the way they potraiyed it. ** maybe you would have to watch it to get what i mean, i will look for it and post later on hopefully

i think the reason you think they overhype Hamilton is because Hamilton as much as people dont like to admit it is F1, weither he is involved in superb drives or silly mistake and even silly interviews ppl want to see what he is up too and ofc the beeb jump on that like any media would
Andrew himself said it before, any debate involving Hami will always get a lot of repsonses
i personaly think is because he s half black in a white dominated sport (no a recist comment just an observation well i hope so nways), the way he came into F1 in 2007 and finally his previous record in lower f leagues

StKole, I think it depends how one encodes communication by DC,MB or even Benson, everyone is free to respond to any comment as much as they can comprehend it. Therefore if you support BBC for any abuse or praise its up to you however everyone can interpret or comment as to what they feel. Unfortunately BBC has received a huge volume of complains from many spectators on LH and FM issue. They will no publish this for you however try and research first. If they are impartial, then its their responsibility to hide the truth from the likes of you. No racists ever accepted that they were except KKK. Diplomatically speaking it has happened and its ruined someone's repetiton.

It’s amazing what Lewis has had to put up with from the FIA, the BBC team, most drivers, the media and above all, his own boss Martin W. None of the above want to see Lewis win but when he does, some are forced to say something nice and how it must hurt them. Andrew, the above must have been very hard for you to write.

Let’s get 1 thing clear, Lewis Hamilton and Alonso are incomparable to the rest on the grid. The BBC and Martin W comparing Lewis with Jenson Button is simply ridicules. Take away all the nonsensical penalties Lewis has been dished out together with all the races Martin W decided to wreck for Lewis and he would have more points than Jenson. I have to say, I like Jenson and have always done but let’s not start comparing his talent with Lewis. Lewis is simply different gear.

Can the BBC tell us how many times Lewis has out qualified Jenson in the last 2 years? I know Jenson always has excuses for quali and they are becoming boring but the simple fact is, Lewis is faster. We have seen Jenson shocked, live on TV having seen the times Lewis was doing compared to him.

Lewis is fighting many battles on and off track. Its amazing to see how the BBC team stand there and ask what is wrong with Lewis when they themselves are the cause. Its big news when Jenson beats Lewis but not the other way. Martin W even tried to wind him up last time saying Lewis’s problem is Jenson. Too bad for him, Lewis has picked up his game and when so, there will always be day lights between Lewis and Jenson.

****notice Lewis become a machine, no mistakes etc when Ron D is around. Martin W out!

#48 re Mark Webber, I posted comments on the same thing a few weeks back. I like Mark but he is a good driver not a great driver and his personality is a little bit dour, so that's why he doesn't get the attention.

I think EJ asked Christian Horner about Mark's performance after the Indian GP and he just brushed over it. I'm sure Mark feels like crap, especially as he's in 4th place overall and could not take advantage of Webber's misfortune today. With that car he should be placed so much higher.

Some of the people on here are seriously deluded.
The article was very complimentary about Lewis Hamilton yet the nutter element can only see the negative.
The reference to Jackie Stewart simply highlights the difference in character's between two people and their sport, there is no negativity in that.
No wonder the BBC have decided to only air half of the races next year and remove 606, had enough of the cuckoo crowd no doubt!

Well done LH, and JB for excellent drives today.

Was a pretty good race today, great to see Alonso and Hamilton pushing each other for the distance. Such a bizarre incident for Vettel, there doesn't seem to be anything he did to cause it to fail but guess it's just one of those things you can't forecast. Can understand why Alonso asked if he was touched as a tyre puncturing within 2 corners 99% of the time is from contact.

Nice to see a very fighty Rosberg today, it's a shame it didn't stay in picture with him and Schumacher but he's showing he does have that aggressive side to him. Good drives all down the field really, Maldonado aside with his blue flag incidents.

xvvvvvx

canchaz at 12
So a Ferrari can be quick and sick at the same time? Of course, the Ferrari pursuing Lewis, doing faster 1st sector time most of the time was sick while the Ferrari pursuing Jensen and doing slower sector times was quick!
You are so blinded by the hatred of Hamilton that you failed to see how dumb your statement was. Accept my sympathy...

@44 John
In addition any criticism of Bensons piece and the BBC position on Hamilton in general is totally absurd. The Beeb are very pro Hamilton, in fact they promote a subtle campaign to undermine the likes of Alonso, Massa and even Button.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clearly a WUM or a BBC employee.

I challenge you to back up your tripe with 5 examples from Bensons blogs of undermining Button and over-hyping Hamilton.

When you fail to answer my challenge with 5 examples that will confirm your complete lack of credibility.

I'll even give you 5 examples the other way...

1. Complete failure to mention the quali battle score between Jenson and Lewis.
2. Repeated references to Massa or Ali-G in every Hamilton Article.
3. Sarah Holt twisting Massa confronting Lewis into Hamilton being the aggressor.
4. Massa takes Lewis out in the last race and Benson questions why he was trying to overtake him.
5. Jenson stops at the wrong pit and its forgotten in a week.

over to you John...

Plenty of comments on here accusing this article of being anti-Hamilton, but a few accuse it of being too favourable to him! It can't be both ways. I think people just read between the lines so they can spout their pre-conceived opinions. I found the article just OK, with nothing revelatory, but pretty fair.

Let's get a couple of things straight. Firstly, the BBC have no obligation to support the British drivers in the sport. One senses that they do anyway, but not so much to make it unbearably biased. They just realise that the audience at home is most interested in the British drivers, so they give them more attention. Nothing wrong with that.

Secondly, it is too early to say that Lewis has turned a corner. I expect Vettel would have won today's race without that early puncture, with Hamilton in second, the same place he picked up not long ago in Korea. Everyone knows Hamilton can win on his day, but to really turn the corner he needs to perform consistently well. Let's wait and see if he can pick up a podium finish in Brazil, a track where McLaren aren't very strong, before even thinking about making judgements like that. The real test will be next season, of course.

In fairness to Andrew Benson, turning the corner only appears in the title of this article, which could have been written by a sub-editor, and not in the text itself. In fact, his only mention of a corner is the one Vettel spun off at.

Nice to see Lewis take the win , but even on this day for him and other f1 fans that a growing bored with the season , why did the bbc pundit team spend more time talking about vettel and red bull than about mclaren and lewis???
Vettel and Red Bull (for me) are boring the life out of F1 at min and the pro red bull bbc coverage does not help.
Still only 1 more F1 race for me to watch then no more , but we shouldnt blame sky for it , blame bbc they sold out having to make cuts does this mean we can cut what we pay for the licence fee? oh hang on no we have to pay for the olympics coverage that a nearly bankrupt country cant afford and the majority of the population are not even interested in.
I am so glad my hard earned and hard taxed maney is being spent so wisely

Look everyone. Hamilton is a great driver.... not even the supposedly biased/racist/illinformed BBC will deny that. The minute Lewis gets back to doing what he does best... winning races all this will be forgotten. In the meantime he deserves stick for some bad driving, a string of avoidable accidents (most of which were his own fault). I guess even then you lot wont be happy ....

@51 Under race rules the drivers have to use both tyre compounds. Mark Webber had to go in to put on the other compound or he would have been disqualified.

No to SKY

So pleased to see that great smile of Lewis's back today and Jenson, as ever, being quick to congratulate his team mate. McLaren completed very efficient pit-stops today which completed a fantastic team effort. Well done everyone at McLaren.

Perhaps it wasn't the most exciting race of the season today, Lewis just did what Vettel has done so many times this season.

So what did happen to Vettel at the start? I'm pleased to see that most of the focus is on the result and not just on Vettel's tyre incident. But did anyone else see what happened when the start was viewed from Jenson's on-board camera? The replay on the Forum showed that just as Vettel was about to pull of, there was a flash just inside his right rear tyre followed by 'plumes' of smoke that were more than just wheel spin. It appears that maybe something 'blew' on the Red Bull and that caused the puncture.

Blimey, you F1 fans really are struggling to find ways to pretend this "sport" is still entertaining, aren't you? Vettel got a puncture, so the man in 2nd won... YAWN. Another F1 parade around a track shows what a boring sport this has become. The only mystery is why anyone is still watching.

And before anyone says "why are you commenting on F1 if you're not interested?!", it's because I, like everyone else, pays his licence fee and so I'm just as entitled to voice an opinion on this snore fest as anyone else. THANK GOD Sky have got the coverage next season (or whenever it is) so the Beeb can find something at least mildly entertaining to go on in place of this. Live paint drying, perhaps. Even that's an improvement.

@65 I guess even then you lot wont be happy ....

Having failed to respond to post 62 you have proven my point and confirm you have no credibility as you can't back up your false assertion that the BBC is some how pro Hamilton at the expense of Button.

Must try harder John!!!

Good to see Hamilton on the up again although it was a pretty dull race. As good as the venue is to look at, it has the potential to be another Valencia in terms of racing.

Therefore, please Beeb can you hand AD and Valencia to Sky and keep the good ones. I'm not paying Murdoch a penny so please put my licence fee to as good effect as possible now that I know I'm not going to get to see half the season live next year.

"oh hang on no we have to pay for the olympics coverage that a nearly bankrupt country cant afford and the majority of the population are not even interested in."

The *majority* of the country are not interested in F1. Even the majority of sports fans are not interested in F1! Therefore, following your logic, the BBC have done the correct thing in not retaining the coverage.

lewis of old!

62... good points all... love it.

it is great to see hamilton on the up,but vettel would of coasted to the win,hamilton couldnt realy lose alonso until they put the mediums on

for me the pit stops mechanics need to get a grip,they are consistantly half a second slower than redbull,that is unacceptable,you can visably see the time difference with the effort the rb boys are doing in comparisan with mclaren

for me if mclaren win in brazil that would be a big win as brazil was owned for the last 2 years by RB,though i think vettel will win there with ham and button on the podium.i dont uinderstand why mclaren cannot design a car equal to the fastest at the start of the year.maybe theyy need a new design team for new innovations and ideas because they have been caught cold for the past 3 seasons and won nothing

on a side note how great is the f1 forum,today it wasnt up to the usual sky limit standard,but it is a great way to forget a forgetable race,throughly entertaining and has me laughing loudly like a kid watching spongebob,shame about next year buty maybe that can focus the bbc on delivering on a better experiancew next year ,hopefully

great article andrew as per,man it is going to be a boring 4 months

HAS MCLAREN FINALLY TURNED THE CORNER?

Andrew Binson | 17:53 UK time, Sunday, 13 November 2011


Somehow you suspected that, after all its problems this year, there was going to be a happy ending for McLaren somewhere along the line - and it came with a classy, controlled drive to victory in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

As McLaren celebrated victory on Sunday, the healing nature of the weekend's events were clear in the team's faces.

This was a McLaren that has not been seen in 2011 as its drivers did not allow it to, easily ticking off the laps at the front, comfortable in the face of a challenge from Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, the sport's most relentless competitor, doing just enough to keep the Spaniard at arm's length without extending its engine and tyres more than it needed to.

In that sense, it was very like many of the wins taken this season by Sebastian Vettel, whose domination of the season has left McLaren over-striving, increasingly frustrated in the face of the Red Bull's generally uncontainable speed.

Brilliant as they were, McLaren's five previous wins this season came about on weekends when Red Bull were slightly off-form in one way or another.

But McLaren did not have to worry about Vettel in Abu Dhabi after a mysterious puncture pitched the German into a spin at the second corner of the race.

The flailing tyre did so much damage to the car as the world champion wrestled it back to the pits that Vettel was forced to retire at the end of the first lap.

Whatever the cause of the failure, it means it will remain a tantalising mystery as to whether McLaren could have beaten Vettel had the Red Bull remained in the race.

The English team were certainly confident that they had a good chance. The McLaren had looked the dominant car all weekend, as it has in so many other tracks, to the extent that it was something of a surprise that Vettel pipped them to pole position on Saturday after Hamilton's scrappy lap. As much as it can be a surprise that a man who has made so many errors on Saturdays and Sundays should make another one, anyway.

The McLaren car rode superbly throughout the three days in the desert, showing none of the high-speed instability -as they were hardly any high speed corners- or affected by the driver misjudgements that have stymied it in recent races including Hamilton's well publicised contretemps with Ferrari's Felipe Massa.

The team said after the race that due to the track's characteristics they had felt much more positive this weekend than at recent races, and it certainly looked that way.

It was, as McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh pointed out, "a great recovery from where they had been in the last few months".

Certainly, it was a marked contrast from previous races, where their drivers' performances -about which Hamilton was unusually open in Abu Dhabi - were clearly anything but ideal.

McLaren's willingness to discuss the drivers' problems in public is to be applauded - it gives an all-too-rare insight into the inner workings of one of world sport's biggest teams, and in Abu Dhabi at least due to the car's huge advantage they found the means to rise above it.

McLaren is an money driven team, and some would argue that this is what allows it to access the stunning highs that none of its rivals are able to match. To take away the budget, they would argue, would be to take away some of its successful history, too. The one is not possible without the other.

But others would say that, whatever sponsorship and marketing mechanisms you create around you, life is unpredictable, and that whatever the drivers do inside the sporting arena, it is a top-class team's job not to let those problems affect the car's performance.

In the euphoria of victory, Whitmarsh said of McLaren: "There is no reason in my mind why we can't raise ourselves to another level now."

On the evidence of Sunday, that was exactly what McLaren did this weekend in Abu Dhabi. Which suggests that if McLaren can continue to balance their driver pair's shortcomings with the car's obvious superiority, there is every reason to believe Whitmarsh's remarks are more substance than spin.



.

Great to see Lewis back and smooth as anything...looks like he's out of the tunnel mentally as well! :)

Unfortunately Jenson didn't wrap up 2nd place in the championship today and Lewis, despite the win is out of the running for it now but those who still care about the sport might be interested in these numbers:

For Jenson to claim 2nd(best championship finish of any Brit since he won the title in '09) he needs to...

Top 3 in Brazil

OR

Top 6 AND hope Alonso doesn't win

OR

Top 7 AND hope Alonso finishes outside the top 2.

OR

Top 8 AND hope Alonso finishes outside the top 3.

Top 9 AND hope Alonso finishes outside the top 3 AND Webber fails to win.

Finish outside the top 9 AND hope Alonso finishes outside the top 4 AND Webber fails to win.

For Lewis to finish 3rd in the championship(his best finish since he won the title in '08) he has to...

Win AND hope Alonso finishes outside the top 6 AND hope Webber fails to win.

OR

2nd AND hope Alonso fails to score AND hope Webber finishes outside the top 3.

@ 69

Oh I didn't respond because I wasn't sure you were serious. The fact that you are is v worrying... I do a fair bit of blogging on different sites and have rarely met someone as blinkered on an issue as your good self.

One thing about the Webber-conspiracis: Webber himself has made clear, that he has trouble with the tyres, that he don't go well with the blown diffusors, that he just doesn't like how the car feels this year. No need for a conspiracy to explain, why Webber has so much trouble this years, But I guess, that some of you already have an explanation for Webbers statement: Obviously Red Bull has forced him to say that, right?

Concerning Hamilton: Good job, son! Sure, Vettels failure helped him, but he did a good job today. But no need for McLaren to freak out. Vettel did that kind of races all year. This was just victory, one that will helped Hamilton to recover from this terrible season. Not more, not less. I'm glad, that Hamilton remained rather calm. That makes me hope, that actualley learned something and that he might give Vettel a better fight next year.

Great win for Lewis Hamilton and thoroughly deserved. I think classing it as turning a corner is a bit extreme as only time will tell. I very much doubt that the wheels have literally come off for vettel! Schumacher broke his leg and remember what he did when he came back...

I find it iteresting that in Martin Whitmarsh' interview he was still very quick to highlight Jenson Button. I wonder if Whitmarsh looks at hamilton as Ron Dennis' little protege and perhaps 'favours' button in some way. Just a thought!

it is great to see hamilton on the up,but vettel would of coasted to the win,hamilton couldnt realy lose alonso until they put the mediums on

@68

If you consider F1 to be 'as exciting as watching paint dry' then why do you waste your time watching it. Just because you pay your 'licence fee'? If all you do is watch TV because you pay the bill the you need get a life and do something else! I pay my electricity bills but I don't stare at the meter!

77. At 20:32 13th Nov 2011, John wrote:
@ 69

Oh I didn't respond because I wasn't sure you were serious.
---------------------------------------------------
No you don't get off that easy John.

You're talking rubbish and can't back it up when challenged. You have zero credibility and your attempts to dodge my point just prove it.

Its very simple, reply with 5 examples to post 62 to match my 5 and you'll have some credibility.

yeeeesss what a great win from lewis good to get back on here after such a great victory !!

as for you benson and all lewis haters hahaha!!

ohh poor button he suffered from his kers not working... daddy whitmarsh didnt do his job of getting him in front of lewis very well todayy !!

nah seriously its good to see lewis having as many wins as button despite him being whitmarsh great project :/

@12, what race did you watch today? Lewis was in a different class throughout the race. If Fernando's car was that bad as you've made it, then how come he made those brilliant passes (Mark and Jenson) in lap 1 and none of the two could challenge him back through the race even after he became slower in the second stint of the race when he changed to the medium compound tyres?

It's so obvious you dont like Lewis. HATER!!!!!

It was an incredibly dull race that would have been easily won by Vettel had it not been for the random puncture. It saddens me that we will be stuck with this terrible track for years and years because no one can say no to arab money.

Anyway, well done Lewis. It was a good drive and you can only beat what's in front of you (or behind you). Personally I think if Red Bull are dominant again next season it will really start killing viewing figures. I want to see the best drivers in the most prestigious teams clashing it out, not some gimmick car with 2 nobodies driving to easy win after easy win.

Andrew Benson,

I am amazed that you still allow comments at the bottom of your articles. I have been following the BBC coverage since it resumed, and I have to say the vitriol and downright conspiracy-laden oddness written by supposed fans of the sport as comments is amazing.

Any sane person, and I am a sane person, would be flabbergasted to read the criticism that you and your colleagues are subjected to from these people. I know you are a professional journalist, and so take the rough with the smooth, but you are human and I would ask that you don't be discouraged by what is posted.

The 'silent majority', in that daft Daily Mail phrase, enjoy what you and your colleagues are doing and think you shouldn't change a thing.

And to the rest of you, I would say, as a 30-odd year super-fan of the sport (yes, been many times to F1 GP, and that is plural, by the way), there are far more important things to risk a stroke over.

also fernand had gone up in my estimation he (another one) said that the only driver he feared was hamilton not vettel nor button... maybe he doesnt know what hes talking about and you know better you MR BENSON... ???!!!

true greats respect each others...

@85
You call Vettel a nobody?
I wonder, who's a "somebody" for you. Wait, let me guess! Hamilton of course, and no one can go past Alonso. Oh, and Button, right?

Since when do you watch motorsports. Vettel was expected to be a top driver in Formula 1 since he drove in GP2 and had his friday tests in Formula 1. No need to like him, but one has to acknowledge, that Vettel is not a nobody, and that he didn't "won" his cockpit in a lottery.

What was Maldonado doing in front of Webber? He'd already had a drive-through, so he was already aware of the consequences of ignoring blue flags. Barrichello didn't seem particularly helpful either.

As for Hamilton, I agree it's too early to say he has turned the corner, though I hope he has. This kind of race was just what he needed, one where he dominated from the front and showed he can manage tyres and fuel just like Button and Vettel. He's fought his way to victory before this season, but it's been a while since he's shown race management and tactics. Granted, it doesn't make great viewing, but it's what Hamilton needed and hopefully makes for great races in the future. There was still a lot to do after Vettel went out, so I don't think it was really gifted to him, though it obviously made it easier.

Even after so many years of watching Alonso transcend his car's performance, it still surprises me to see just how much he can get out of that Ferrari. I'm not a fan of his at all, but he truly is a great driver.

Oh, and I've noticed a lot of people previously criticising Hamilton for 'flaunting' his (ex-) girlfriend, saying that no one else does it, but how many times have we seen and heard about Button's girlfriend now?

Look at that smile!! Havn't seen him this happy in a long long time :-) Hope to see more drives and smiles like that from him.

@86 It just sucks that the media has been hyping the Hamilton stuff up so much this year that the drivers are actually getting pissed off about the questions. Did he deserve criticism? Yes, certainly. But it doesn't have to be in his face the whole time.

it was a good job from hamilton, lets not got carried away vettel would've won that race, and the thing bothers me is that the commentators were talking about vettel, oh how great is he his the only one went to perrile management and met them, they are very bais i wonder if anyone picked up on that, and the other thing is lewis and so called expert said themselves that was his worse season ever and he still managed to win three races where as button said his having the best period of driving in his life also won 3, shows the between world class drivers.

mark webber what shall i say about him, i dont consider his world class driver, i would rank him below massa, rosberg and kubica whne his back i wonder how mark webber kept his seat, i guess he likes playing 2nd fiddle to vettel, or chrsitain horner is very smart he has his golden boy wining and no can challenge him.

alonso is class, his driving ability is second to none, i only imagine if he had RBR car along with lewis

Well done to Lewis on his win today, a most enjoyable race.

One more race to go until the death of F1 as we know it. One more race until Sky get their claws into it, and the demise of the sport begins.

So long F1, and thanks BBC for selling us out, you're an utter disgrace.

86. At 21:00 13th Nov 2011, Are you guys serious wrote:
Andrew Benson,

I am amazed that you still allow comments at the bottom of your articles. I have been following the BBC coverage since it resumed, and I have to say the vitriol and downright conspiracy-laden oddness written by supposed fans of the sport as comments is amazing.

Any sane person, and I am a sane person, would be flabbergasted to read the criticism that you and your colleagues are subjected to from these people. I know you are a professional journalist, and so take the rough with the smooth, but you are human and I would ask that you don't be discouraged by what is posted.

The 'silent majority', in that daft Daily Mail phrase, enjoy what you and your colleagues are doing and think you shouldn't change a thing.

And to the rest of you, I would say, as a 30-odd year super-fan of the sport (yes, been many times to F1 GP, and that is plural, by the way), there are far more important things to risk a stroke over.

.................................................................................................................

You are sad and surprised that people would dare to call your friend Andrew Benson to account for his irrational and unrelenting negativity on Lewis Hamilton? And you are in fact disappointed that the free opinions of people are not censured by the thought police? Are you for real? In the words of John Mcenroe, "you can not be serious!"

86. At 21:00 13th Nov 2011, Are you guys serious wrote:
Andrew Benson,

I am amazed that you still allow comments at the bottom of your articles. I have been following the BBC coverage since it resumed, and I have to say the vitriol and downright conspiracy-laden oddness written by supposed fans of the sport as comments is amazing.

Any sane person, and I am a sane person, would be flabbergasted to read the criticism that you and your colleagues are subjected to from these people. I know you are a professional journalist, and so take the rough with the smooth, but you are human and I would ask that you don't be discouraged by what is posted.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Are you serious????

The comments are free speech which we are all entitled to. Just as Benson uses his right to free speech to attack Lewis, we use our right to free speech to question those attacks (even though the BBC want to stop it by closing the blogs early).

I wonder if Lewis would be as "flabbergasted" with the BBC as you imply Benson should be with his critics.

Great victory from Hamilton. Loved seeing him back at the front!

Typical media though - one win does not a turned corner make. Lets not get ahead ourselves and put the pressure to perform back on him.

A great win and it'll do his confidence good, but lets see how his does in Brazil then tune into Sky to see whether it's set him up for a title challenge next year ;)

A good win for Hamilton and the last Sunday afternoon race after 25 years of devoted F1 watching. Like an earlier comment, I have been weaning myself off of F1 over the last few races. The Forum was first to go, then the build up. Today I just watched from the grid walk to flag.

Looking forward to the Brazilian GP, then sadly no more F1 for me. It will be a sad day:(

NO TO SKY

@ HCumber. On the contrary old chap. I fear reports of the sports' demise may be greatly exaggerated. Have you forgotten the impending grand prix in Austin TX a mere 12 months from now? And another in NJ likely to follow in 2013? Any drop in audience here in the UK will potentially be compensated by an increase in interest from the USA and other countries.

I think the sponsors and teams recognise this too. Which is why they've failed to be energised by all the anti-Sky protests and appear to be retaining their stakes in Formula 1.

Oh and not to mention that an overwhelming proportion of the anti-Sky posters have thoughtfully provided instructions on how to stream coverage from the internet or use satellite dishes to access RTL/TF1 etc. Thereby ensuring they will still be part of the audience and eyeing the sponsors corporate advertising messages.

lets be honest hamilton is not loved as much as vettel or button, i dont know where the bbc boardcasting team get from, his personality or his driving ability, and it is obvious that the bbc team favour some drivers than others.

i still remeber the quote " his the modern day senna" " he should now be considered along side senna" lol epic fail.

First, great win for LH...though the unfortunate incident with Vettel retiring made life slightly easier but am not about to take away the credits from LH, especially the way he handled and controlled the race.....Have always been a massive fan of Alonzo...for the simple fact of what he did with thre Renault car when he won the double championships and call me daft I still think he is still only slightly a more rounded driver than LH.......but only just...still occupying that top spot, but he has gone up tremedously in my estimation for his comments on LH...apart from stating the fact and whatt most people believe, he saw that LH needed a boost and he played his part in providing it.......considering the history between the two....can't honestly understand why people have a go at Andrew Benson for his comments on LH......Hamilton provides the likes of Benson and Holt talking points.....without trying to make a mountain out of a mole whenever Hamilton is involved in an incident am not too sure any of them would have jobs....Benson and Holt is to push the boundaries with their comments about LH to get suckers like me and you to justify their blogs to their bosses....Button has his fans but am not sure that they are as vocal and vociferous as Hamilton fans.....so as far as BBC are concerned talking about Button is boring and would not generate the same amount of traffic on their blogs.....the less said about the rest of the commentary team the better....all I would say to LH is whatever gave him back is Mojo today he needs to keep doing it...the idea of getting your dad and brother back in your corner at races is what everyone has been hoping for you, I hate to say mate, ending it with Nicole is the right thing for you NOW. Lastly I haven't been particularly impressed with Martin Whitmarsh so far...I think Mclaren misses Ron Dennis's leadership....though I think the title of the best driver would be between Alonzo and Hamilton I still have to say congrats to Vettel.....he is the world champs afterall....the rest are just fighting for the crumbs, at least this year.......bring on 2012...hopefully Mclaren and Ferrari would both have decent cars that can compete with RB. On the question of BBC or SKY....my question is, has BBC made the coverage better since it took over from ITV...my answer would be an emphatic NO.....though am struggling with the idea of having to contribute to the Murdochs empire......again....

Great when he can lead from the start but can't overtake..........

Who's that ?

It was Vettel. That's how he was being described.

That only really describes one driver. Hamilton. The bumper-car kid !