Hamilton voted F1's best current driver

Eurosport - Mon, 01 Dec 15:02:00 2008

Eurosport-Yahoo! readers have voted Lewis Hamilton the best current driver in Formula One, with Fernando Alonso not far behind.

Lewis Hamilton - Brazil 2008 - 0

Almost 10,000 of you voted in the online poll, with 41 per cent giving the thumbs-up to the 23-year-old from Stevenage after his dramatic final lap world championship victory over Ferrari's Felipe Massa.

Just 13 per cent of you gave Massa the nod, despite the fact he drove superbly throughout the year in a car that was arguably inferior to Hamilton's McLaren-Mercedes and was ultimately within a single point of winning the title.

Instead, over 2,500 of you voted for Spanish driver Fernando Alonso, the 2005 and 2006 world champion, whose performance in an under-performing Renault showed his character and ability at its finest.

A fierce debate raged on the message boards, much of it revolving around the age-old Formula One conundrum of weighing up the driver's ability against the quality of their car. Many thought that Hamilton's achievement was lesser than the underdog performances of Alonso and Robert Kubica, not to mention Sebastian Vettel - who didn't make our shortlist for the poll.

For all the vocal support he attracted in the boards, Kubica won just six per cent of the vote, behind both Massa and Hamilton's McLaren team-mate, Kimi Raikkonen.

A selection of your comments (scroll down for full results):

ginger_gitt: You don't come second in the Championship and match a double world champion in your first season and then become the youngest ever world champion without having a huge amount of talent. To claim Lewis is just lucky shows a serious lack of knowledge about F1. How come the Schumacher haters can still admit he was one hell of a talent and one of the all time greats, yet the Hamilton haters CANNOT admit that this guy is special?

Charles O: Lewis Hamilton is a good driver. but not as good as someone like Fernando Alonso, who takes a regular car and makes it a winner. He's an all rounder, while on the other hand Hamilton takes a fast car and thrashes it.

tifosi4eva: Fernando gets my vote! The only back-to-back world champ in the field, the guy who has won the most races out of the current crop AND the guy who finished fifth in the overall standings this year in a Renault.

AndJusticeForAll: First, Alonso; second, Kubica; third, Bourdais; fourth Barrichello. Ferrari and McLaren drivers do not apply because they cannot prove anything unless they are in the same league as the mortals. Anyone who has a different opinion is not being honest with themselves.

Oliver Tunnah: Where is Jensen Button? A brilliant driver let down by a rubbish car which couldn't beat a mobility scooter!

Alex l: Sebastian Vettel is the best F1 driver nowadays. Give him a Ferrari or a McLaren and no one could beat him. With a poor car he won a GP, he beat Hamilton in the last race and he showed his abilities. He is the next Schumacher.

clipsyduck: I'm a Hamilton fan, but I believe that Alonso is the best driver out there at present. I'm not over the moon to say it but feel it's the truth.

Lady Carole: Robert Kubica. To do what he's done in an uncompetitive car is nothing short of brilliant. Robert usually starts and finishes in the top six. The man is a STAR.

Full results:

Total: 9,407 votes (as of 14:20, Monday December 1)

Lewis Hamilton - 41% (3816 votes)

Fernando Alonso - 28% (2635)

Felipe Massa - 13% (1191)

Kimi Raikkonen - 13% (1223)

Robert Kubica - 6% (542)

Eurosport

Comment 39 - 58 of 78

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  1. What a surprise (at least spell it right Not­ Printable)!!!!!!! Ferrari fans full of hate and sore­ losing.....again!

    From crispyduck, on Tue 2 Dec 9:49AM

  2. What a suprise! Good job his Pappa wasn't­ nominated, he would have won it.

    From not printable, on Tue 2 Dec 9:34AM
  3. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    What a surprise!!!!!!!!!!!
    A british driver gets top­ vote on a british wenbsite unbelievable
    I would say he­ is the best driver in his team only

    From mauricechlela, on Tue 2 Dec 9:28AM

  4. marnio, shut up.

    From PETER, on Tue 2 Dec 9:21AM

  5. I sorry my Marnio he make trouble there.

    Although­ Marnio he seem grown, he has the sickness of the head­ and inside is just little boy, sometimes he has the­ accident in his bed.

    Marnio he has no freinds so he­ invent his own and often make up stories. If Marnio he­ make you angry please ignore him and he will go away.

    From mrs.bolan, on Tue 2 Dec 12:31AM

  6. Well polls are nothing but opinions in the first­ place.!!
    In my opinion Alonso is a better all round­ driver, his car was inferior and he still done­ well.!!
    I'm South African so I'm not biased­ towards any driver.
    Lewis is also a great driver that­ can only mature from here and go on to be a legend in­ his time, but he will have to beat some great drivers­ to do it.!!

    From JAIME, on Mon 1 Dec 11:36PM

  7. So Lewis has finally won one of these popularity­ contests then, as with all the winners - fairplay to­ them.

    But while Lewis mught be the most naturally­ gifted driver in the field and the most thoroughbred­ racer, he is not the best driver - not yet anyway. In­ 2010 he may have enough experience in F1, of F1 cars­ and what is needed to eek every last bit of performance­ from one. But at the moment the only guy on the grid­ who can truly do that (and this pains me to say it as I­ can't stand him) is Fernando Alonso.

    As an out and­ out racer Lewis is second to none, as a complete­ package he is only second at best to the Spaniard.

    From ginger_gitt, on Mon 1 Dec 11:06PM

  8. What have you guys been looking at? Not the same­ pictures as me thats for sure. Hamilton almost won last­ years championship with Alonso as team mate!! Alsonso­ has stated that if team orders played out and Hamilton­ had been forced by the team to support Alsonso then­ Alsonso would have been champion. Sounds to me like he­ could not win it by himself in a McLaren!!! Great­ driver that Alsonso is he did not manage to galvanise­ the team around him and become champion in a­ McLaren.

    I also did not notice this year that­ Kovalinen was giving that much support to Hamilton.­ This year Hamilton won it by himself.

    If you look­ back over the other formulas Hamilton has contested­ with cars much more evenly matched then you can see­ that he was the best with a few very close behind.­

    But perhaps I and many like me just view the f1­ series through rose coloured glasses.

    Hamilton should­ have been champion last year, Raikonen was just there­ to pick it up when Hamilton and McLaren managed to lose­ it.

    Not bad for a "lucky driver" in a good­ car Almost one the championship twice in his first two­ years.

    From GORDON, on Mon 1 Dec 10:56PM

  9. Who scored the most championship points over the last­ two years? Coming down to the final two races in each­ of the last two seasons, who had the most points and­ the best chance at winning the championship? Big deal­ you say, "he's just lucky and driving the best­ car!" Really? Well who won the constructors­ championship? Was the McLaren really the "best­ car" or did Hami just make it SEEM that way; after­ all, he DID have a teammate and based on his­ performance not a single person here would be claiming­ McLaren gave their drivers the best car this year.

    From --, on Mon 1 Dec 10:53PM

  10. mario cliff.eddy dont leave us just yet

    From MGA, on Mon 1 Dec 10:50PM

  11. (56)cliff.eddy again

    From MGA, on Mon 1 Dec 10:33PM

  12. "Hamilton's McLaren team-mate, Kimi­ Raikkonen"? Last time i checked Kimi drives for­ the Champs Ferrari. Hamilton can't win a race­ unless he starts in the first 3 positions. In Japan­ 2005 Kimi started 17 and won the race on the last lap.

    From martin.mitevski26, on Mon 1 Dec 10:25PM

  13. (51)its cliff.eddy

    From MGA, on Mon 1 Dec 10:15PM

  14. (51) its cliff.eddy

    From MGA, on Mon 1 Dec 10:11PM

  15. go lewis...and get ready for your next world­ championship in 2009
    those who can`t see your­ championship are jealous of u

    From ramin, on Mon 1 Dec 10:04PM

  16. Every year people vote for the drivers that are behind­ good cars and manage the politics within the team to­ get better support from their teammate.

    From Christos K, on Mon 1 Dec 10:01PM

  17. poor duluded marnio! timo glock!?? really! whats he­ done this season? not a lot, again im not a great fan­ of lewis but to be far he did win it with the best car­ this year! but i would not go that far to say he is the­ best current f1 driver, if you rank it by car and­ driver ie. giving less points to those in ferrari and­ mclaren's i think you would find vettel would win­ by far! lets not forget this was a manardi 2 years ago!­ marnio, at a guess your a massa ferrari fan??

    From peter.gorham, on Mon 1 Dec 9:59PM

  18. Any facts or evidence?

    Or is it just the voices in­ your head!

    From Scottish C, on Mon 1 Dec 9:58PM

  19. Marion, could you please explain your statement,­ perhaps backing it up with evidence...

    .

    No?

    .

    I­ didn't think you could!

    From Scottish C, on Mon 1 Dec 9:30PM

  20. I'm british totally loyal to my country and our­ history to f1, but how can people judge his talent? He­ has got the best car on the track! sorry brits but i­ was more impressed with vettel in the under funded­ torro rosso! and he is a german!! lol

    From peter.gorham, on Mon 1 Dec 9:16PM
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