or complaints that Bernie is behind all of his wins just like the Schumi conspiracy theories.

Well, I'll stand up for FA. It's hard to change teams, cars, and tires all at once. He and Kimi are missing the knife edge understanding of the Bridgestones at the limit - doesn' t look like they're comfortable anticipating what their new car/tire combo does at 10/10's. FA had a bad - impatient - emotional race in Canada. But the season is very long and momemtum can be very erratic in F1 these days. Hamilton is amazing. But FA has the record so far:

Races 94 (93 starts)
Championships 2 (2005, 2006)
Wins 17
Podium finishes 41
Pole positions 16
Career points 421
Fastest laps 10

And he's just 26 (or 27?). Pretty amazing for a guy who didn't come from a wealthy background or a country with any real racing infrastructure.

I'm not ready to dimiss FA just yet. In some of his interviews I see him using phrases that might not be the correct translation from Spanish. Of course the Bristish press and any body looking to make a sorry will latch on to it. You might make similar statements about all the drivers who don't speak English primarily.

I think FA is still as good as he was the last couple of years, but now the field is a little more competitve, not soley because of driver talent but also car development. Hamilton is a good driver....so was Jasques Villeneuve. So is Robert Kubica. What if Kubica had a McClaren or a F2007 and the team support that comes with those cars? Even Hamilton admires Kubica. The first couple of races Kubica drove during the last season were amazing given the equipment he had to work with. Now look what the BMW team has turned into. Look what he's done for his teammate.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad Hamilton is in the fight. I'm just not ready to crown him Champion yet. There are still more races in the season.

And let's not forget that F1 is not for people with small egos. Some conceal it better than others. If FA had congratulated Hamilton then turned away simply because he was disappointed in his own performance..the British press would have been all over that, making something out of nothing. These guys are competing against everyone...including their own teammate. Try to find a guy in one of those cars who'd lift just so the new kid can have his first win. The front runners are hungry all the time. That's what makes them competitors.

It's been an excellent season so far....and yes, Hamilton, FA, Kimi and even Sato have made it what it is. (I cheered out loud when Sata passed Alonso!)

FA is not being mistranslated. He just said that McLaren in supporting Hamilton and that he understands it, being a British driver in a British car. This made national newspapers headlines in Spain.

Also FA is not regarded in Spain as a super nice guy either. He is arrogant and has a significant ego. However he is a national hero in Spain (it does not get much better than this for us, the next sports heroes are Nadal in tennis and Gasol in basketball, and even though they are good, neither of them is number one)

I elieve FA is the best overall driver in the grid this year. He managed to win 2 titles while not having the best car, and got the best out of his Renault. He holds a lot of precocity records in F1 (youngest champion, etc.) and we should not dismiss him right now just because Hamilton is doing good.

With Kimi already out of options (IMHO), there are just 3 drivers who can get the title, FA, Hamilton and Massa, and I would personally reduce it to just the McLarens. All in all a very interesting season, but I belive (or want to believe) that Hamilton will not win this year.

Paco,

Nice to get your perspective of events. Just about everything we read is UK centric since there is very little original US based F1 reporting. So we read a lot of articles questioning Alsono's abilities and already crowning Hamilton as the next champion.

Agreed. The fawning of the Brit press would be more amusing if it weren't the only regular source of F1 coverage in the US. F1 Racing magazine has turned into Hello! over the past few issues, with the current issue presuming LH "Already the Best?". After 3 races, at press time...

Even the BBC has gone girlishly excited. I heard the Five Live Chequered Flag broadcast after Canada, and the normally staid and respectable Maurice Hamilton sounded as though he we were going to wet himself with excitement.

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Tim