Hamilton won't win title, says Briatore

Eurosport - Sat, 18 Oct 14:02:00 2008

Lewis Hamilton will throw away the Formula One title again this year because he has learned nothing from last season's failure, according to Renault team boss Flavio Briatore.

2008 Hungarian GP Renault Briatore - 0

"In my opinion Hamilton will try to throw the title away again," Friday's Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper quoted the Italian as saying at the Chinese Grand Prix.

"He and McLaren were amazing last year, to lose it with a 17-point lead and two races to go is Guinness Book of Records stuff.

"Now that he has a five point-lead, he could repeat the trick. For me, Massa will win the title."

The 23-year-old McLaren driver leads Ferrari's Felipe Massa by five points and can clinch his first title as the youngest champion on Sunday at the penultimate race of the season in Shanghai.

The Briton could also have won the title in China last year but ultimately lost out when Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen made up a 17 point deficit in the final two races to win by a single point.

In Japan last weekend, Hamilton made a wild start and failed to score in a race that saw his lead over Massa cut from seven points.

"Hamilton has learnt nothing. We saw that in Japan," said Briatore, whose double world champion Fernando Alonso has won the last two races.

Alonso and Hamilton were feuding team mates at McLaren last year before the Spaniard, who recently made clear that he favours Massa, returned to Renault.

"You should tell him that he is a Formula One driver, not a Martian," said Briatore of Hamilton. "He is not Muhammad Ali. He is a young man who must still demonstrate his worth.

"He is a good driver but you see good drivers also taking results home. There are good (soccer) forwards who always hit the post or the bar and the ball never goes in.

"Then there are those that score and he hasn't scored yet."

The Italian also blasted McLaren, who were fined $100 million and stripped of their constructors' points for a spy saga involving Ferrari last season and also made allegations against Renault.

"It is logical that I support Ferrari, as an Italian, as Flavio Briatore, as Renault, for the relationship we have with Ferrari," he said.

"Instead McLaren accused us of spying, we went on for four months with this nonsense that never existed."

Reuters

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  1. m.e. you laugh and joke with Ardsay, Letsava as you are well aware was once betroved to me, it was just the number of goats and camels that had to be agreed upon. But fate was not kind to Ardsay and my beloved was cruelly taken away from me, by a Vauxhall car salemsman from Billericay.

    From Ardsay e Giv-a-Shee, on Tue 6 Jan 10:50PM

  2. m.e. you laugh and joke with Ardsay, Letsava as you well

    From Ardsay e Giv-a-Shee, on Tue 6 Jan 10:50PM

  3. m.e. you laugh and joke with Ardsay, Letsava as you well know

    From Ardsay e Giv-a-Shee, on Tue 6 Jan 10:49PM

  4. m.e. you laugh and joke with Ardsay,

    From Ardsay e Giv-a-Shee, on Tue 6 Jan 10:49PM

  5. Another "CHOKE" in the making for Hamilton, no pun intended.

    From Louie, on Sun 19 Oct 1:09AM

  6. let me see... flavio briatore, italian... no wonder he's wrong!! give it up, people, hamilton is NOT everyone's golden boy... i know he's NOT mine...

    From sagittarius1958, on Sat 18 Oct 11:44PM

  7. yeah, briatore is a @#$%! His top driver has sold his soul to the devil. He has joined alliances with Ferrari and the FIA first, maybe as a hint that he's supporting the driver he's gonna be driving alongside nxt season or in the seasons to come OR he's giving a sign to the FIA that he'll take Lewis Hamilton out as long as he doesn't get punished...what a low-life immature driver!

    From mait1_2004, on Sat 18 Oct 9:26PM

  8. Rav A, Alonso could have Hamilton's car, but Ron Dennis still runs the team. It's a no-win situation no matter what. Hamilton would not win another race or pole if Ron Dennis says so.

    From Ted, on Sat 18 Oct 7:57PM

  9. What if Alonso, Vettel or Kubica had hamilton's car? Not Kovalainen's car, Hamilton's car. Alonso already wins with an inferior car. You can tell what he would do with Hamilton's car. certainly, he would have at least one fastest lap..LOL

    From Rav A, on Sat 18 Oct 6:22PM

  10. Whatever language you speak, it will read: Massa winner, Massa ganador, Massa gagnant.

    From Rav A, on Sat 18 Oct 5:59PM

  11. princess Ham surrounded by 3 hungry dudes.

    From Rav A, on Sat 18 Oct 5:58PM

  12. Knitwear salesman

    From bowesey17, on Sat 18 Oct 5:15PM

  13. Keeps coming up invalid comment so rather than keep trying again and again I will just content myself with 'Briatore=cretin'.

    From markrose260@..., on Sat 18 Oct 4:38PM

  14. In my opinion Briatore is just licking Alonso's bum through the media. What he's saying is "please stay with renault alonso-wonso. you're sooo much better than that hamilton" Not many rookies have competed on level terms with a double world champion in the same car and come out on top. That's why alonso was so bitter and twisted about Hamilton. And all this talk of hot-headedness. I know a little german by the name of Schumacher who hot-headedly won 7 world championships.

    From petebri, on Sat 18 Oct 4:37PM

  15. "Never Existed" eh Flavio

    The FIA statement said: “The Renault F1 team had unauthorised possession of documents and confidential information belonging to Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, including, but not limited to, the layout and critical dimensions of the McLaren F1 car, together with details of the McLaren fuelling system, gear assembly, oil cooling system, hydraulic control system and a novel suspension component used by the 2006 and 2007 McLaren F1 cars.”

    Still only one team gets punished for that sort of stuff.

    From MikeQ, on Sat 18 Oct 2:31PM

  16. I think Eddie Jordan "discovered" Schumacher actually. Briatore paid him to break his contract

    From MikeQ, on Sat 18 Oct 2:30PM

  17. What does Briatore the Jailbird fraudster know?!?!?! Joker!!!

    From shawn g, on Sat 18 Oct 2:19PM

  18. Briatore is right. Hamilton is a hot head and needs to clam down. If he was a little more cautious he would be 15 points ahead by now and world champion. This added to the fact that he is not a likeable character means he always get a 50/50 split of opionions even in his own country.

    I've never had faith in Massa being able to score consistent podiums throughout the season thats why he may not win the drivers crown. Kimi is a great driver but I dont think he has the motivation anymore after he won the Title last year.

    The fact is Alonso is the best Driver in the field and if anyone was born to takeover from the great Shui it was him. Alonso in a Ferrari = consistant Podiums/wins and world titles! FACT!

    From djarrall, on Sat 18 Oct 1:10PM

  19. Get lost Briatore. After your antics in Singapore, nobody will take you seriously anymore. You will get far more satisfaction from F1 if you can manage to win a race without the main runners falling of the track or as the result of a "choreographed" crash!!

    From steve_wood1966, on Sat 18 Oct 12:29PM

  20. EXPERIENCE COUNTS MOST THIS WEEKEND

    DOUBLE WORLD CHAMP ALONSO HAS ALL THAT EXPERIENCE TO WIN AGAIN

    A PERFECT PIT LANE STRATEGY AIDS THE VICTORY

    From simioni44, on Sat 18 Oct 12:19PM
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