Nope, not Davey Hamilton, who deserves all of the hoopla… Yet with all of the OVERHYPE about Louis “Jaguar” Hamilton. And don’t get me wrong, as he’s been simply brilliant to date, as I’m totally IMPRESSED by his performance. But is the over sensationalism getting too far out of hand?
And although I witnessed it “live” via the television screen at several hours of the wee morning over a decade ago. I cannot recall if there was a similar crescendo towards Formula 1 “rookie” Jacques Villeneuve’s arrival.
Yet apparently there was, according to Bob Varsha during the Spanish GP weekend. Varsha noted that Villeneuve had sat on Pole his very first race out, finishing second behind Damon Hill, before winning on his fourth start.
Yet it appears that all of this has been purged from my “Way Back Memory Machine.” But I’m quite certain I took great glee in the fact that it was one of “ours” as a Champ Car Champion made good against the “hoity toity” of Grand Prix racing.
But it seems a bit contrite to already be picking Hamilton as World Champion in his rookie season as the odds are definitely against him. (It’s NEVER been done in Formula 1) Perhaps Peter Winsor’s accolades upon the youngster will be realized, but will Hamilton truly become a multi World champion?
And I find it bothersome that Hamilton is getting all of the media’s attention for this year’s rookie crop of F1 drivers. Heikki Kovalainen isn’t exactly a “slouch,” even if Flavour Flav gave him a dressing down after his Formula 1 debut Down Under. Yet the massive drop in the Renault’s performance doesn’t seem exactly confidence inspiring towards winning titles this season.
My personal favourite for “Rookie of the Year” is none other than Adrian Sutil, who was a teammate to Hamilton in their earlier days. Yet Sutil has been experiencing a steep learning curve aboard the Spyker F8VII chassis, along with multiple crashes. But Sutil has outshone his “veteran” teammate Cristijan Albers, whom seems completely lost upon the team’s mandatory switch to Japanese rubber.
And what about Anthony “ANT” Davidson, whom for all practical reasons is in his rookie season and has been making life tough for his more experienced teammate Takuma Sato. You may recall that greatness was expected from “Taku” upon his arrival to F1 a few seasons ago. Yet Taku was effectively “sacked” from the “Works” Honda team and installed at the satellite operation of Super Aguri, which came about after a massive ground swelling by the Japanese public over Taku’s demise.
Perhaps I’m off base here, but Hamilton’s performance to date seems to mirror another star struck Formula 1 pilot, who’s traded his super license for Oval Track credentials. Does anybody remember the stir caused over Juan Pablo Montoya’s arrival to F1 and being brash enough to pass Michael Schumacher during a Grand Prix.
Hopefully Hamilton’s career will be more rewarding then MAC’s tenure in F1. Then again it all depends upon how “Jaguar” decides to handle the pressures placed upon him and how large his ego becomes…
