Has Lewis blown his chances?

A lot is being said about Lewis' chances of winning the championship this season. A few races ago he was being touted as being one of the favourites to win this year's title. However a lot has changed over the last few races. Let's look at the last 5 races to try and get a feel of why people have changed their minds so drastically.

Germany - Qualified 6th - Race Result 4th

Hungary - Qualified 5th - Race Result - DNF (Gearbox)

Belgium - Qualified 2nd - Race Result 1st

Italy - Qualified 5th - Race Result DNF (incident with Massa)

Singapore - Qualified 3rd - Race Result DNF (incident with Webber)

So out of a possible 125 points he has walked away with 37. Not a great conversion rate I think you'll agree. So what is going wrong with him in the second half of the season? Is he fighting too hard on track or has he become a little too laid back and not thinking about what he is doing? Or is it that he has simply had a run of bad luck?  

I personally think it is a mix between him making desperate moves and also a bit of bad luck. When it goes bad for Lewis it goes really bad. He needs to stop making such desperate overtaking moves. Lewis has made some great overtaking moves in the past and he is the latest of the late brakers. He takes chances when others won't and unfortunately they don't always work out for him, as the last 2 races have shown. He seems to have lost a certain 'polish' that he has shown in previous seasons.

Is this a knock on effect of not having his dad and Ron by his side? It is interesting to note that Ron is attending more races this season. Could this be a McLaren tactic? Lewis has no manager at the moment and has made some questionable decisions both on and off the track. Could Ron being present be helping Lewis to reign in his behaviour and make him think about what he is doing more? Who knows.

What is certain is that Lewis needs to convert his qualifying results into race results and points. 1 more DNF and his chances will be over this season and McLaren will have no choice but to back Button for the title. He is down but not out, yet.

5 Drivers – 1 Title – Who Will be Champion? - Pt 4

Part 4 is all about Lewis Hamilton


So can the 2008 champion become the 2010 champion? This year he has shown an incredible maturity on the track when compared to previous years. He seems to let the races come to him instead of chasing them down. This doesn't mean he sits back and doesn't race. He still races his proverbial off and in many areas I think he is one of the top three drivers in the sport at the minute. He is an out and out racer.

This year has seen McLaren provide both Jenson and Lewis with a car that has the ability to help them win both driver and constructor titles. This is in contrast to the dog of a car that McLaren produced last year. The innovative 'F-Duct' has helped a mediocre car become a pretty good car. The main downside of the car this year is its lack of downforce in comparison to its rivals, namely the Red Bull.

This year has seen the biggest changes in Hamilton's life. He has broken away from his father and manager Anthony Hamilton. This is alongside breaking up and then making up with his girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger. All off this would have taken its toll on the 25 year old. However the 'hooning' incident in Australia has, by some, been held against him. Here's my take on the incident: He was a 25 year old having fun. Was he ever out of control in the car? No. Was he seen doing excessive speeds on a public road? No. So what was so bad about him doing a couple of burnouts? In my eyes, nothing at all. He was simply having fun and putting on a bit of a show for the fans present at the time. Poor judgement on the part of McLaren though in my opinion as he had team personnel with him at all times during the incident and they never warned him about the potential fall out of his actions. But it could be argued why should they?

Either way Lewis has become an accomplished racer who tends to wear his heart on his sleeve. Does he have what it takes to win the championship this season? Well all the ingredients are there. A good car, a disciplined approach, more freedom in his personal life and above anything else a more mature racer.

Part 1 - Jenson Button
Part 2 - Fernando Alonso 
Part 3 - Sebastian Vettel