´óÏó´«Ã½

It is inevitably both teams (MM and RB that is) will have to choose who to back at some point, unless is goes down to the wire. For Ferrari this is pretty much straight forward as Massa is barely hanging onto the coat tails of Fernando. I think Hamilton looks bulletproof and solid this year, notwithstanding events at Barcelona and Jenson has no choice but to play the waiting game. When it comes to out and out racing, he knows he cannot beat his team mate.

Inevitable

I think there is biterness at Red Bull - they look volatile and unstable. Fierce rivalry at Ferrari with Alonso up to his usual tricks and Massa having lost any agression he once had after his 2009 accident.

The McLaren boys are doing well, JB has already proved his critics wrong by performing just as well as Hamilton and they are both well placed in this years championship. Like Matt says, against team mates the better man shall win but I get the impression JB & LH have a great mutual respect for each other and the team they race for. They will work just as hard as they drive to make life easy for themselves, unlike other team rivalries. Having said that....I am a McLaren fan!

Just because Damon Hill says its gonna happen doesnt make it so. I think Mr Hill said it to spice up his silverstone race. And this has become the biggest story in F1 ahead of this weekend, just because Hill wants to generate a bit more interest. How can the media be manipulated this way? and in turn try to manipulate us to think that there is bubbling tension ready to burst between our two boys..... this weekend! Webber is a smart guy and has now jump on the bandwagon to redirect us from where the real tension lies between him and his team mate. Most fans with a brain are not naive/. We know that it might not be as cosy and lovey dovey as the Mclaren boys put out, but the fact is that relationship is working and will not boil over until late in the season when the championship is nigh and the stakes are higher and certainly not at silverstone mid way in the season! So instead of supporting our boys and hoping for a one two british media is busy perpetuating a story of rivalry started by a bias secondary source. Shame on you britsh media. Shoddy piece of journalism .

Goodluck LH & JB.... I will be cheering for you both in the stands!!

The Mclaren driver's situation is interesting to me.

Button knows that Hamilton's temperament is fairly child like, so he is playing it cool as a cucumber and biding his time. Hamilton will know this is Button's strategy, so will have to bottle up his tantrams and frustration.

However, at some point Hamilton will lose the plot, and this will reflect in his on track performance. Button will then outshine and prove to be the better grounded and all round driver.

I agree, OriginalJonBlaze. Damon Hill may indeed know more about racing than Matt Slater, but he's hardly a disinterested 3rd party, is he? "Former world champion Damon Hill" should read "BRDC president Damon Hill".

He's blatantly promoting his race, and it's a travesty that no journalist quoting him has bothered to mention the fact.

A very true statement from Matt about a team mate never really being much of a "mate". Let's face it - in the office the people you work with are referred to as colleagues but this rule doesn't seem to apply for professional sports stars. Of course there is going to be competition on the track or field just as there is in an office. Although in a non-sporting working environment "office mates" (let's get on this friendly bandwagon) generally compete for promotion and a higher salary whereas the sporting elite want the glory.

You might have to work with somebody and act professional towards them but how many of us really like our colleagues? Would we think twice about running them into the pit wall, metaphorically speaking of course, in order to get ahead of them? The same can be said in F1 and if either one of the Maclaren duo were to not finish a race for any reason, then I am pretty certain that the other would be secretly smiling to himself en route to keeping hold of or regaining the F1 World Championship.

The beauty of watching sweet rivalry is that it always comes with a sour taste of irony and the fans always like a little turbulent water. Interesting times ahead for the "team mates."

Eaurouge wrote:

I think there is biterness at Red Bull - they look volatile and unstable. Fierce rivalry at Ferrari with Alonso up to his usual tricks and Massa having lost any agression he once had after his 2009 accident.

The McLaren boys are doing well, JB has already proved his critics wrong by performing just as well as Hamilton and they are both well placed in this years championship. Like Matt says, against team mates the better man shall win but I get the impression JB & LH have a great mutual respect for each other and the team they race for. They will work just as hard as they drive to make life easy for themselves, unlike other team rivalries. Having said that....I am a McLaren fan!


-------------------------------


i disagree.i dont think jenson has performed just as well as lewis.
lewis is obviously faster.he has bettered jenson in the dry every time.
yeh lewis may only be a little faster,but they have the same car so a little is a lot.and the bottom line is,if your slower than your team mate,your team mate will beat you most of the time.i can only see lewis extending his lead over jenson.i think lewis is the better driver,he's more exciting,quicker,takes more risks and always pushes his car to its limits.
jenson just seems to follow and wait for others to make mistakes.

#5

LOL!!

As a neutral it's quite blatant that Hamilton has been the better driver and the only way Button will 'wind up' Hamilton is to beat him in the races more frequently - and when was the last time that happened? Button must be performing rain dances at every GP since!

OriginalJonBlaze is dead right in my opinion. There is professional rivalry and then there's tension. At McClaren there's the former and at Red Bull there appears to be plenty of both. On the surface it appears to be down to Vettel's attitude.

One member of each team will come out on top and it's up to the loser to grow a pair and take it like a man. I believe Vettel and Alonso are the two men least likely to take defeat well.

It's a non story really and Damon has just managed to get exactly what he wanted. No F1 team mates, are mates, it doesn't happen. Sutil and Hamilton are best mates off the track. Put them both in a Macca and you'd see that disintegrate. Hamilton touted for Sutil in this years seat, for reasons that are beyond me as that would have dusted any friendship.

Big story this weekend, for me, is Ferrari who consistently spend the most money, for ever diminishing returns. They really need to pull their socks up or risk being caught by the championship players (Williams and Force India) and relegated from the premiership. Ferrari need results and results quick. I have arranged to redecorate the lounge this weekend. Will probably take from 1 to around 9.30pm...

I'm firmly in the camp of: they seem to be getting on allright all things considering..

They're battling each other, Lewis being the star of the year, and Jenson doing a really great job too. There's always going to be tensions in any team of near equals, but I sense they genuinely respect each other and respect McLaren, so they'll keep most frustrations bottled up for the good of the team.
Going to be a top GB grandprix for both
If you want to see them "at play".. check this out on youtube--they seem to be doing ok

If you compare LH and JB's personalities, then there are stark contrasts. With Lewis, you have a rather hot-headed race driver, which can work in favour and against him. When something goes wrong, he "throws the teddy out the pram", its almost as if he thinks he has some natural right to be in the best team. Whereas Jenson, vastly more experienced, always reacts calmly to a situation and rarely loses control. If there were to be a any conflict between them, I can only see it by Lewis getting upset over something. In terms of their abilities, I can't really separate them; Lewis is undoubtedly a much better qualifier than Jenson, but when it comes to races, Jenson seems to be able to consistently punch in some very competitive laps, which I think has made them cancel each other out.

Matt, I'm afraid I disagree with your assessment of the Lewis Hamilton vs. Jenson Button relationship.

Yes they are both extremely competitive individuals; yes they will do whatever they can to win. But this is the key, this will happen on track, not off it.
To any clear thinking individual (and appreciate that this may not always apply to the drivers, McLaren or otherwise), surely the best way to get the best out of your team (and teammate) is to have a healthy, cooperative relationship off track, which means no disruption both on camera and off it, sharing team data, etc...
Look how disastrous the Webber/Vettel situation is developing. Look what a mess this kind of disharmony caused in 2007 with Hamilton and Alonso.

Lewis and Jenson are not fools. I am sure they understand this as well and will not jeopardise their WDC chances by creation unnecessary friction in the team.

Damon Hill has a reason for stating his view that the relationship will deteriorate (generating good publicity for the race + pulling in viewing figures).
You on the other hand do not. The ´óÏó´«Ã½ should stand for an unbiased objective view, not a 'sensationalist' stir-up of a team who are leading both driver and constructors championships.

You stated: "In one of the least convincing demonstrations of bonhomie...". Well, what exactly would you consider a convincing demonstration of bonhomie? A definition of 'bonhomie' is "Friendly atmosphere; an atmosphere of good cheer". In what way exactly does their interview not reflect this attitude? They are not exactly going to announce undying love for each other on camera, are they?

Isn't this all just a bit obvious.

The media are desperate for a JB/LH bust-up story to materialise and will exploit every angle to foster it. Apart from the choice of the phrase 'boil over' Damon Hill's remarks could be taken as referring to on-track rivalry rather than a personal falling out. As for Webber, despite the denials it is clear that he feels (as most people do) that Vettel has been favoured at RB and he is reflecting his own situation and feelings in his remarks. In contrast, and against poular expectation, Jensen has settled well at McLaren and is being treated as befits the WDC. Lewis has shown no resentment at being replaced as the team's poster boy and in joint interviews often appears to defer to Jensen.
Lewis may have been 'fuming' after the Turkish GP but if so he handled it with some restraint. It seemed to me that his demeanour was more of someone shocked that his team and/or colleague had apparently deceived him, unable to pretend jubilation despite the win but anxious to clear the air before making any inflammatory statements.
I feel that Matt's jounalistic cynicism, or wishful thinking, has led him to misinterpret some laddish humour as 'false bonhomie'. If they are faking the ease of their body language in interview situations and promotional videos then they do indeed have a chance at an acting career.
It is of course possible that the relationship may deteriorate but I believe it would only come about if one genuinely felt that the other had acted to gain an underhand advantage.
Matt's implied view of the fragility of F1 drivers strength of character is interesting. 'Lose to anybody else (other than your team mate) and you have a ready-made excuse.'? Are F1 drivers then less able to accept the ups and downs of their performance than competitors in sports like tennis etc. I have never heard one of those say "I lost because he had a better raquet (or whatever)!"

I wonder if the reason why Hamilton and Button are getting on much better than the Red Bull drivers is because they're both from the same country and therefore understand and like each other a lot more?

Thank of some of the great team rivalries in the past Prost/Senna, Mansell/Piquet, Hamilton/Alonso etc, all of those drivers were from different nations and cultures so perhaps they didn't find it easy to get to know the other? Hamilton and Button do seem to get on very well off track, perhaps they have a lot of the same interests and have a lot of things in common so they find it easier to get on?

Why is there a sudden interest or
spectacle for a feud to generate
between these two?

I do not see any sense in these
besides, if you have a friend with
whom you never have any misunderstanding
then, that's a cause for alarm.

With respect to JB and LH, I
believe LH has stood out so far.
had he earned the points from
Barcelona, we won't be making any
comparisons.

Perhaps any journalist was
interested in controversy, he/she
should have found out why
LH was radioed to slow down while JB
made that subtle move on him in
Turkey. LH behaved very mature after
that race and didn't blow things
out of proportion.

I hope we enjoy the race this weekend,
whoever comes out on top, would earn
not only 25 points but the accolade
befitting a GP winner. Bring on the
MUMMY!

Mind games all round! Webber needs to deflect attention away from his spat with RB and Vettel. That is a done deal. It will never get any better in that camp. In fact, as the year rolls on, RB will probably regret extending Webber's contract. In Vettel, they see a meal ticket to the Championship. That may be well placed (although I suspect Vettel may not get his hands on the title in his lifetime). Webber's own chances of a crown are about as remote as the second coming. He is not championship material. Another Coulthard'esque journeyman. As for the what's occurring at McL, if their management have not learnt from the Prost/Senna and Alonso/Hamilton incidents, they will never learn! Button is a different animal; he is fast and smooth, but raw aggression is not in his pshyche. He needs to be rattled regularly, to perform at the highest level. Hamilton is a man on a mission. He is driven and every injustice adds to the chip on his shoulder. Senna was like that. Mansell was like that, and Alonso is proving to be of that same mould. None of these guys were wholeheartedly loved by the majority of F1 supporters or F1 management. They were tolerated, because they possess a spark of genius. Button is like Hill (and if Hill has not recognised that, then he must have gotten blind in his old age!). When Hill referred to the tort and hare, he was subliminally picturing himself battling Senna (and subsequently Schumacher). In the end, the one who has practiced harder at being lucky will win, out of the two McL peddlars. RB's boys will steal off each other and Alonso.... well, if his car is up to it and his head is straight, he might have a chance. I feel sorry for Massa. He was mind-screwed by Alonso very early doors. In fact, Massa is another journeyman who has fought hard to up his game. In the end natural talent and that extra bit of steely determination will always win the game. Once in a while, a Hill or a Button will interlope.... Should be an interesting weekend. The big question is: Will it rain? will traffic queues bring Northamptonshire to a standstill? Will cars get bogged down in the long grass? Will Silverstone pass the acid test? And.... will Spain take the Cup, or will the Dutch get their just rewards? All will be revealed in the next episode of..... The Press & Media think we are all wan%$£s.... Happy viewing, and don't read the cheap bull-cr"p!

Will all due respect to Damon, I am a fan of both Lewis and Jenson. I find intra-team rivalries to be an interesting psychology study but I certainly don't want things to turn nasty between my two guys.

Will they? Well I'm happy to take things at face value for now, I do think that Alonso has proven himself king of the mind-screws though.

In a season with a noticeable lack of genuine on track action we're left with promoters and media alike trying to whip up some personal rivalry. Not only does Damon Hill have an interest in "bigging it up" but the ´óÏó´«Ã½ has also. Wouldn't we all rather watch an exciting race rather than listen to people telling us that "he hates him but he hates him more"? I mean, we are talking about a sport rather than an episode of Eastenders here.

There's been a noticeable increase in this type of "journalism" on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ of late. Reports or columns based on nothing more than assumption. It's all getting a bit boring really.

@21

Couldn't agree more - not sure when the ´óÏó´«Ã½ got these tabloid writers in. The ´óÏó´«Ã½ used to be were you went for real news now its bloggers trying to make a name for themselves.

There may well be a bit of needle between Hamilton and Button but on the basis that this lot would make it up if there wasn't it's impossible to tell.

Post 6 has it nailed on. Damon Hill who is the president of the BDRC has to promote a race that his club has got a huge interest in promoting press interest in. How convenient that the British Grand Prix was scheduled for World Cup Final Day!

Damon has been desperately trying to push this story all week to anyone who would listen to him.

I for one reckon Button will come out top by season end as Hamilton's volatile temper which can be a benefit and equally can be a hindrance to him causes him to make mistakes. In this he is like Alonso. No wonder they didn't get on in the same team. I imagine it was like two five year olds arguing over the last sweet in a tin.

I for one loved Alonso's crying to "Mummy Ferrari" over the radio at Valencia. Remember Hamilton's moan re tyres going off in Australia.

It may end in tears but probably not this weekend.

An excellent piece, ahn2908!
Here's a man with a level head, wearing a thinking cap that fits perfectly..

Two’s up for the big wooden spoon please Mr Webber !!

In a season with a noticeable lack of genuine on track action we're left with promoters and media alike trying to whip up some personal rivalry. Not only does Damon Hill have an interest in "bigging it up" but the ´óÏó´«Ã½ has also. Wouldn't we all rather watch an exciting race rather than listen to people telling us that "he hates him but he hates him more"? I mean, we are talking about a sport rather than an episode of Eastenders here.

There's been a noticeable increase in this type of "journalism" on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ of late. Reports or columns based on nothing more than assumption. It's all getting a bit boring really. - #21 John.

Couldnt agree more. The justifications that Matt gives in his reply are weak. Some people on this blog have made some very strong points about why Hill said what he said, and Matt finds it easy to just paper over those points by making a weak counter-point. OF COURSE Hill is trying to wider publicise the race by stirring up the muck. To think otherwise is trully dellusional. To think that he's not concerned with ticket sales is even more so. Lets remember that the British GP was at threat of being removed from the calendar not all that long ago, and they had to spend a LOT of money to keep it on the calendar. Matt's reply on this point to me stinks of denial.

P.S The World Cup blogs on this site have been just as bad. I am convinced that the standard of writing on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ is lowering.

Sorry, are you lot more qualified to speak about team mate rivalry than 1996 world champion Damon Hill? Of course JB Hamilton will boil over.

And when it does, Lewis will spit his dummy and scream at the team for not getting everything his own way, whereas Jense will get on with it and capitalise.

Probably this weekend

This story demonstrates why Britain struggles to produce any champions of any sort. We hate winners. For goodness sake, we currently have a British team leading the championship, with their drivers as 1 & 2. And what do we get? People/ Media characters with their own agendas trying very hard to tear down the harmony that has produced this success so far.

Shame on you Damon Hill. Shame on you Andrew Benson. You are like the proverbial lobsters in a bucket tearing your compatriots down to ensure they don't rise above the rest. I hope you don't succeed.

Your comments are fair enough Matt and I'd accept that Damon Hill had no interest in "bigging it up" if he did it at any other time than on the week leading up to the race on his patch. The comments would be more believable after the race.

In general I find the coverage of F1 on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ very good and that is also true of most sports covered by the ´óÏó´«Ã½. However it seems to have generated with it a lot of journalistic opinion and a lot of it adds nothing to the subject.

It's OK having an opinion but like it or not I have to pay for your opinion as do millions of other people. If we consider that standards of ´óÏó´«Ã½ reporting are falling then that is OUR opinion and we're just entitled to have it.

The fact that one of their championship rivals and a person with an interest in making sure the race goes down well are talking up the McLaren rivalries isn't really much of a story at all.

Excuse me, I meant Shame on you Matt Slater, Not Andrew Benson!

Jenson had a bad moment when his team left that part on his car and he had a DNF, he could very easily be leading the championship now. I like that fact as it proves how capable of competing with Hamilton he is.

If you won races due to your agression Hamilton would of won every race, there is so much more to it and Jenson is aware of that.

Jenson is a brilliant driver!

Why bother with lots of overtaking, its risky. You can just pass people trouble free at pit stops. (Jenson does actually overtake, just not as much)

I like both British drivers by the way but lots of people go for Hamilton so I thought I would just give my two cents on Jensons 2010

Apologies for the short message. suppose to be working right now :-P

"But please spare me the histrionics about declining standards at the ´óÏó´«Ã½."

And please spare me the histrionics of F1. I'm well aware that the British GP has a 17 year contract and I'm more than well aware of everything Hill had to go through to get that contract. That meant upgrading the layout of the circuit, facilities, etc.

No matter the length of the contract, you think all those upgrades were done cheap? Okay they have 17 years to claw back their investment, but Bernie charges a lot to host GP's so he'll be taking his cut.

You seem to be missing the point matt, that despite how long their contract runs for, they do still need to make money. No good having a 17 year contract when you have nobody coming though the gates.

3) It really isn't just Hill talking about Button/Hamilton. Everybody is at it. I see my mate Webber chipped in y'day.

And here's my real point. No, everybody is not talking about Button/Hamilton. SOME people want Hamilton/Button to blow up because it will benefit them. Mark talks about it because he hopes it will happen, why? Because it will benefit his championship. The tabloids are talking about it. Why? Because it sells papers. Hill's talking about it. Why? In my honest opinion he wants the fullest gate he can get.

Do you see the pattern here, Matt? The only people really talking about Hamilton/Button blowing up are those with a vested interest.

For the record, I consider myself a McLaren and Hamilton fan. You know how much I DONT want it to blow up? I want Button to win the race because he's never won a British GP and Lewis still has his whole career in front of him. THATS how much I want it to blow up.

And a poster previous to me summed it up perfectly. We dont breed champions in this country because we dont support them. We set them up, help them to the top, and then ogres like you help shoot them down by helping to wind situations up.

I stopped reading tabloids over a decade ago because of things like this. And now it IS permeating the ´óÏó´«Ã½ in the form of blogs. And no, I'm not that happy about it.

My point of view is this. It's not just that the only people talking up the Button/Lewis relationship have some vested interest in talking it up. Which, by the way, Mr Jordan has just as much reason to do being part of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ team.

My opinion is that Formula 1 is a complex and technically challenging sport. We can only scratch the surface of the work that goes into making a F1 car and the upgrades that go on during a season. On top of this there are the many challenges a driver faces from qualifying through to the end of a race. Many of these also very complex.

But the story that's being peddled is the "do Hamilton and Button get on". Would it really surprise anyone if they didn't? For me, there are much greater things to write and read about. Ted Kravitz covers some of these issues very well in his own column.

I appreciate the fact that it may be "blog like" and that someone somewhere decided that there should be a piece written by you on this ite at a certain time. Also I appreciate the fact that it's not just F1 that suffers from these type of articles. But to use a age old and still valid radio presenter rule, "If you've nothing to say then say nothing", and in general the world is a better place for a reduction in the white noise.