Lewis Hamilton Proves a Worthy Champion
The merits of Lewis Hamilton as a World Champion in F1 have been debatable. His choke job in 2007 and near choke in 2008 are legendary. His drive in Australia, however, proves his worth as a World Champion.
Lewis Hamilton is a driver who receives everything in full intensity. Fans love him. Critics despise him. Few seem to fall anywhere in the middle ground. I’ll admit I think he is a fraud and has been very lucky to this point. He fell into a great car and had the luck of having Alonso around to develop the car. His choke jobs at the end of 2007 and 2008 are legendary. The fact he was able to come back in 2008 to pass Glock [who was on slicks!] does not change that. As a result, many including myself do not view him as a worth champion.
The drive of Lewis Hamilton in Australia changes much of that. This was not a pampered, corporate driver coming through the field. Gone were the wild passing efforts. Gone was the lack of poise. Gone was the whining. This was the drive of a World Champion. It was tactical, poised and done with sheer will power. Hamilton would have finished back in seventh or eighth but for the Vettel-Kubica and Trulli issues. It still would have been a great effort.
The measure of a driver is not what they do when the car is great. Button has been bashed for years, but he looks like Senna with a dominant car. No, the true measure of a driver is what he does in a car that is lacking. The 2009 McLaren is definitely lacking. It is between 1.5 and 2 seconds slower than the Brawn, which makes it a back runner. Nonetheless, there was Hamilton smartly avoiding the early chaos and then charging through the field near the end of the race.
Hamilton’s podium placement was based on absolute luck and he’ll be the first to admit as much. That being said, it was a case of justice being done. He had the drive of the race in my opinion. It was clearly an example of a World Champion driving like one. Will he be able to repeat the drive on other circuits? Time will tell, but credit should be given where credit is due for this weekend in Australia and that is to Lewis Hamilton for a fantastic drive.
Lemmy