Lewis Hamilton tiene un poquito de Airton Senna
El brasileño, considerado por muchos como el mejor piloto de todos los tiempos, fue un héroe para el nuevo campeón del mundo cuando tan solo era un niño.
Hamilton eligió seguir a Senna pintando su casco con un amarillo brillante muy característico, y se ha inspirado en su agresividad y su compromiso en las carreras.
Los detractores de Hamilton, y tiene unos pocos dentro de la F1, pueden decir también que Hamilton comparte la arrogancia de Senna y cree que él está en un diferente nivel de sus competidores
El tema es que empieza a parecer que tenía razón
"Esta un poco por encima del resto, no?" dice Damon Hill.
En privado, incluso algunos compañeros de Hamilton están empezando a admitir que él "está un 2-3% por encima de todos los demás", pero prefiere permanecer en el anónimato.
El piloto más joven de la historia, título arrebatado a su anterior compañero de equipo Fernando Alonso, la pregunta ahora es cuan bueno Hamilton puede ser.
Hill cree que Hamilton es bueno ya que tiene una posición que podrá consolidar para ser uno de los mejores pilotos de la historia.
"Lewis ha pasado ¿? y no creo que en cuestiones de talento puro haya ninguna duda"
John Watson: En algunas circunstancias, sobretodo en lluvia, está a juego con Senna
John Watson, tercero en el mundial en 1982, también cree que Hamilton puede llegar a un punto en el que hablaremos de él de la misma manera que hacemos de Senna, pero no todavía.
"Yo creo que puede llegar allí", dice Watson. "Es un fuera de serie, su velocidad es fantástica y puede conseguirlo tanto en seco como en mojado"
"Lo que hizo Ayrton fue para que le consideraran a otro nivel respecto a cualquiera. Lewis todavía no ha conseguido eso con el resto de pilotos".
"Está haciendo un gran trabajo. Pero si vuelves a los días de clasificación con coches turbo, ver a Senna en una vuelta de calificación era una de las experiencias visuales más increibles que alguien pudo ver."
Hamilton ha estado majestuoso cada vez que ha llovido esta temporada
"Ha sido cautivador. Aquí hay un hombre que está a un nivel diferente de cualquiera. Nadie hizo lo que Ayrton hizo en un coche"
"Lewis puede llegar alli. En ciertas circunstancias - especialmente en lluvia - está alcanzandole. Pero todavía le quedan un par de años para encontrar el periodo "lila?" de su carrera
Demasiados errores.
A veces este año, Hamilton ha parecido tan bueno como Senna, sobre todo durante su demoledora victoria en el mojado gran premio británico.
Pero ha habido otros momentos está temporada donde ha parecido menos especial.
Su conducción esta temporada ha sido salpicada por bastantes errores.
Él la lió (parda xD) en la salida de Bahrain y luego se chocó contra la parte trasera de Alonso. Se chocó con Kimi en el pit de Canada y se cargó su carrera en Japón debido a un exceso de ambición en la primera curva. Entre muchos otros.
Él ha cometido tantos errores que si los conductores de Ferrari hubieran sido capaces de ser un poco más consistentes, o si hubieran tenido alguien como Shumacher o Alonso conduciendo el coche rojo, es dificil de imaginar que Hamilton hubiera terminado el año como campeón.
Damon Hill
As Lewis looks back on this season, he might think this full-on attack has risks attached to it
Damon Hill
For Hill, though, that is all part of the learning experience.
"When he's got it right, he's got it very right," Hill says. "Alonso cut his teeth and got rid of all his mistakes in an uncompetitive car.
"Lewis has arrived in F1 in the most competitive car, the same as Ferrari, so he's not only always been in the limelight, but he's always been in contention for the world championship.
"Jackie Stewart has always said it takes three years to mature as a driver. He's won the title in his second year, so he's broken the record [for youngest champion] anyway.
"So what you're seeing is a guy in the formative stage of his career and it's right there under your nose, right there in your face - you can't miss it.
"Now, he might take the view as he looks back on this season, and think, 'Do you know what, this full-on attack has risks attached to it.'
"And I think he's the sort of driver who will do that, who will look at F1 and think this is not like karting, you don't have to take every risk that comes up because you've only got a 10-lap race to get to the front and it's win or bust.
"I would expect him to learn. He's just very bright, he's got a good guide in his dad and he's got a great team."
WHERE HAMILTON CAN IMPROVE
Watson echoes Hill's view that Hamilton's mistakes should be put into the context of a man achieving remarkable things after being thrust into the limelight at the very beginning of his career.
But he adds that Hamilton has to learn in other areas, too.
The 23-year-old has a very aggressive driving style, both in how he treats other drivers, and in what he demands of the car.
He's set out his stall that he's never going to give up position - one day, you may not get away with it
John Watson
This has huge benefits - he is the best overtaker in F1, and his acrobatic style generates heat in his tyres quicker than other drivers, which, according to Watson, contributes to his speed in the rain.
It also, Watson says, makes him a dream for an engineer.
Hamilton "makes the car move around quite a lot more than other drivers do," as Watson puts it - he is at ease with the rear of the car being unstable, confident that he can control it before it pitches him into a spin.
And because he is happy with an inherently unstable car, the team are never in a position where they have to reduce the amount of downforce generated by the car - and therefore its grip and ultimate speed - to make it more comfortable to drive.
But his unique style also has downsides, as Watson explains.
"I've picked up occasions when he over-drives," the Northern Irishman says. "We've seen it where he just destroys the tyres.
"If you take Turkey this year as an example, he had to do a three-stop race because in the long, high-speed corners he generated too much energy in the tyre. He screws the tyres, basically.
"The other thing I think he has to rein in is he doesn't have to be so emphatic in his overtaking. He doesn't have to make it so blatantly obvious, and put people into awkward situations, which he has done this year on a couple of occasions.
"[He will get there], assuming he doesn't hurt himself or have a massive accident, which is always the thing when you're driving in that totally freestyle fashion.
Lewis Hamilton
Hamilton's all-action driving style has both positives and negatives
"You take a risk [when you drive] such as [Hamilton did] in Japan, diving down the inside and locking up.
"Fortunately for him, everyone dived out of the way but that could have been a serious accident which resulted in a wheel coming into the cockpit and giving him a serious neck or head injury.
"Even Ayrton was guilty of the same thing. You sometimes overestimate the ability of other people around you to adjust to your commitment.
"That's one thing Lewis needs to understand. Sometimes you put people into a compromising position which can then in itself affect you.
"You want to retain control all the time. He's set out his stall that he's never going to compromise or give up position. Yes, you may get away with it, but one day you may not."
THE SKY'S THE LIMIT
"In terms of out-and-out speed, he's probably the quickest guy out there," Watson says. "He's got the basic ingredients, all the qualities. He ticks all the boxes from a racing driver perspective.
"His skill level is exceptional. He has unbelievable natural ability, sheer speed, fantastic car control. It's only those little areas he needs to refine."
Hamilton, who already has nine wins under his belt, has started so young that even Schumacher's seemingly impregnable record of seven titles and 91 wins looks like it might be within reach.
But, for Hill, that is not the point.
Lewis Hamilton
Hamilton's yellow helmet carries echoes of his hero Ayrton Senna
"It's not just about how many championships you win," Hill says. "Jim Clark didn't win that many world championships but he was a phenomenal talent.
"Stirling Moss never won the world championship and he was a phenomenal talent.
"[Juan Manuel] Fangio won five. Was Schumacher better than Fangio?
"You have to bring in all the factors before you make an assessment of someone's success in the sport. Yes, it's important to have the statistics, but when you assess the whole career it isn't the whole story.
"Lewis annihilated everyone at the British Grand Prix, he's won Monaco. The talent is really not the issue.
"The issue is the maturing process and awareness of what it all means and I think he's got that already. That's what's so impressive about him."
![[sonrisa]](/images/smilies/nuevos/risa_ani1.gif "sonrisa")
![[maszz]](/images/smilies/nuevos2/dormido.gif "otro q duerme")
![[lapota]](/images/smilies/nuevos2/masvomitos.gif "potando")
![[carcajad]](/images/smilies/nuevos/risa_ani2.gif "carcajada")
![[+risas]](/images/smilies/nuevos/risa_ani3.gif "más risas")
![[toctoc]](/images/smilies/nuevos2/rompiendo.gif "machacando")
) y, seriamente pensé que, si Ferrari cambiaba a alguno de sus pilotos, el elegido iba a ser Kubica...
![[jaja]](/images/smilies/nuevos2/otrasonrisa.gif "otra sonrisa")
![[qmparto]](/images/smilies/net_quemeparto.gif "Que me parto!")
)![[chulito]](/images/smilies/nuevos/sonrisa_ani2.gif "risa con gafas")
![[oki]](/images/smilies/net_thumbsup.gif "Ok!")
![[amor]](/images/smilies/nuevos/enamorado.gif "enamorado")
)![[sati]](/images/smilies/nuevos2/demonio.gif "demoniaco")
.
). La verdad es que en más de una ocasiópn he pensado que en el box de Mclaren deben estar hasta los mismísimos de él... ![[plas]](/images/smilies/aplauso.gif "Aplausos")
