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

Comment 71 - 90 of 130

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  1. Good on you Braitore, None of the drivers like hamliton anyway!! he's too careless.

    From Michael, on Fri 17 Oct 11:36PM

  2. OK, OK....The FACT is...ALONSO has WON 2 Championships...HAMILTON 0...So, SHOW ME, DONT'T TELL ME!!!!!!

    From jose e, on Fri 17 Oct 11:36PM

  3. your opinion is not important,briatore

    From ramin, on Fri 17 Oct 10:53PM

  4. Hamilton is the best,beriatore is a fool,and massa is a cheater...lewis,congratulation for your championship.

    From ramin, on Fri 17 Oct 10:46PM

  5. When there's doubt whether their own drivers can win it in the closing stages, managers get in on the cyclo-logical ( never could spell that damn word ) level if this is thought to be the way to upset another driver and give their own man more of a chance. Gamesmanship! and they're all guilty of it. Go for it Ham do your talking on the track and let them all eat their words and look up to you on podium1 this week-end, the force is with you.

    From carrskid@..., on Fri 17 Oct 10:38PM

  6. Lloretta 22 post 67, I read ALL the posts only Alo fans read the adjoining ones to theirs which is why they know zilch.

    From wizzo, on Fri 17 Oct 10:25PM

  7. The modern drivers are spoiled. They want a lot of money for nothing. Drive you @#$%. Give me Schomaker,give me Anton (may God bless his soul) give Lauda. Dont give @#$% like Alonso, Weber or Massa.

    From dabpost, on Fri 17 Oct 10:09PM

  8. They don't want Hamilton to win because he will make them look like fools and losers, Hamilton if he odes win will be the youngest to win the championship and they cant take this, WELL I SAY THIS TO THEM, HE IS YOUNG BRITISH AND HE IS GONNA WINN IT, i will not even be interested in F1 if its not of Hamilton.

    From Wilson-M, on Fri 17 Oct 10:05PM

  9. lloretta no 65 exactly, Alo is good at cutting grass with a line!

    From wizzo, on Fri 17 Oct 10:04PM

  10. pond.simba, wehey!!!! Congratulations for your comment. You are like a breath of fresh air!

    From andres4790, on Fri 17 Oct 10:01PM

  11. I guess Briatore is one of them @#$% @#$%,why is it everyone is against MM and Hamilton?,Is it wrong to be the young,intelligent and mostly "The BEST",at your job...?i reckon Hamilton should keep on smiling coz them f**k%rs envy him....ol of them..

    From Motlhale, on Fri 17 Oct 9:56PM

  12. well said fabio briatore atleast someone talks sense here! unlike all these other hamilton prats!

    From pond.simba@..., on Fri 17 Oct 9:42PM

  13. Why do almost all the drivers and team boss don't want Hamilton to win? Without the boy, F1 would be boring.

    From guy, on Fri 17 Oct 9:40PM

  14. what a cretin. well if lewis dosen't win it wont be your crappy driver alonso in your crappy renault will it!

    From shocking, on Fri 17 Oct 9:10PM

  15. Briatore is a prat and Alonso is a Primadonna!

    From david, on Fri 17 Oct 9:02PM

  16. GINGER-GITT[71] THAT MEANS YOU ARE A ZERO

    From stivsf1, on Fri 17 Oct 8:02PM

  17. I'm not going to say anything about this article as I don't want another invalid comment.

    From john, on Fri 17 Oct 7:38PM

  18. please give us some pics of pretty winner ALONSO to cheer us along

    From ssussannah, on Fri 17 Oct 7:34PM

  19. INVALID ? simply use different words it works every time sweetie

    From ssussannah, on Fri 17 Oct 7:24PM

  20. don't bother about INVALID no one reads them only 2 at most

    From ssussannah, on Fri 17 Oct 7:23PM
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