Is Hamilton desperate or what?

[myurr]

ah ,I see from were you are coming...
I also love the spectacular stellar performances...no question about that..But you cannot ignore the fact that Buttons approach and performances have netted somehow only 12 points less than Hamilton has in the same time.... it is a bit like the soccer world cup ,
where the result orientated teams did win the trophy ,not those who played the most attractive games..
I would like to leave it at that and look with big curiosity towards the season finals to see just how many points the difference of these two will be in the end.

I agree that Button is driving really well this year, qualifying blips aside. I would say he is punching at the weight of the car whilst Hamilton is starting to really come into his own and is punching above the weight of the car. I'm in danger of being a fan boy, and Hamilton is my favourite driver, but I can't think of another driver on the grid this season who has extracted as much from their car as consistently as Hamilton has. Aside some strategic mistakes early on I think Hamilton has really moved up a gear this year and is, to steal a phrase, probably the most complete driver on the grid at the moment.

That Button is hanging on in there and keeping Hamilton honest is a testament to how well he is driving, IMHO.

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

But it IS the points that count at the end of the year. That's what everyone looks at.

You are not "everyone", it may be what you look at, but that does not mean everyone. Points are just a snap shot of the entire picture, a very blurry one at that, if some or even most are satisfied with that level of information then so be it... ignorance is bliss as they say.

It gets blurred by dissenters who cannot respect that finishing in said position will reward a specific amount of points.
There is no better way of finding the best driver throughout the season than points.
Argue if you will, but if you do, know that it will always descend into a chaotic mish mash of opinions.
Button is best because of blah blah.... Or Hamilton is best because he did such and such.
Points eradicate the need for pointless argument.

[speedsense]

Points eradicate the need for pointless argument.

Well said and beautifully crafted pun, well done =D>

[Richard]

Button mostly "Scavenges" in the race.

What's wrong with that? This is a racing formula, not time trials against the clock. Race craft and strategy is an important part of the objective.

[ISLAMATRON]

But it IS the points that count at the end of the year. That's what everyone looks at.

You are not "everyone", it may be what you look at, but that does not mean everyone. Points are just a snap shot of the entire picture, a very blurry one at that, if some or even most are satisfied with that level of information then so be it... ignorance is bliss as they say.

There is no better way of finding the best driver throughout the season than points.
Points eradicate the need for pointless argument.

Yes there is... watch the races and make an informed/educated decision, deferring to the points table is just laziness. (This) Points system eradicates the need for thinking, but some are very happy about that.

[PlatinumZealot]

Yes very true, the points moslty determine the winner, but not the best player.

[andrew]

Points are what win prizes.

If you want a sport that rewards on the day performance may I point you in the direction of figure skating?

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

Yes there is... watch the races and make an informed/educated decision, deferring to the points table is just laziness. (This) Points system eradicates the need for thinking, but some are very happy about that.

Points eradicates the need for thinking? What is that all about?

[ringo]

Points determine a winner, but it doesn't truly determine the best driver.
Team principals don't use points alone to determine which driver they want for the next season. Kubica and Alonso are the perfect example. I am sure their driving speaks louder than the points they had last year.
But to stick to the topic of Hamilton, the points gap to him and Button so far will grow. You simply cannot be competitive if you are average speed.
If it so happens that ferrari, Mercedes, are equally fast as the Mclaren, then the driver's speed is what puts him ahead.

I don't believe this talk of Button keeping Hamilton honest. Now Webber is keeping Vettel honest, because they both seem to be equally fast, the same can be said of Hamilton and Alonso in 2007. A slower driver cannot keep the faster one in check.

I also notice some journalists saying button's qualifying is only .083s slower than hamilton. This is skewed by australia and malaysia, both freak qualifying sessions but british journos like to push this number up as if any given session Button is on Hamilton's heels. We all know button is 2 to 4 tenths slower on average in qualifying. Button is nowhere close to Hamilton in either qualifying or race pace.
The funny thing is that the .083 average has probably grown to .2s by now, and will level out at about .3s by the end of the season.

Button is a top 6 driver, but it's difficult to conclude that he would be leading the championship right now, if his teammate was someone else.

[ISLAMATRON]

Take the example of Spain(just 1 race)... Hamilton's DNF was a 20 point swing in Button's favor, that is 8 more points than the 12 Hamilton has over Button after thoroughly whooping him in 8 out of ten weekends so far this year. So is LH's 1 DNF more important, pointswise, than 7 other races where he outclassed Button? Or is the 2010(and all previous) arbitrary points sytem way out of whack?

1 race = 20 point swing
8 dominating weekends to 2 lucky ones = 12 point lead

....

[speedsense]

Yes there is... watch the races and make an informed/educated decision, deferring to the points table is just laziness. (This) Points system eradicates the need for thinking, but some are very happy about that.

In a race, there's only one lap that "Pace" counts, that's the last lap where you need to be the fastest guy on the track and first to take the flag....nothing else matters.

In a championship race, the only pace is the one that collects points and how consistent that is. Finishing third in every race of a season, could lead to a championship, consistency, not the fastest pace is far more important than pace.

There's a lot of informed and educated decisions by teams that haven't lead to a championship or race wins, tell those guys that points aren't important and just laziness in judgment of their team.

Though I will agree with you on one thing, a fast driver in a slower pace car, has the best chance of moving to a team that has a faster, more consistent car.

Pace does matter in this example, but for the driver not the team.

IMHO

[speedsense]

Take the example of Spain(just 1 race)... Hamilton's DNF was a 20 point swing in Button's favor, that is 8 more points than the 12 Hamilton has over Button after thoroughly whooping him in 8 out of ten weekends so far this year. So is LH's 1 DNF more important, pointswise, than 7 other races where he outclassed Button? Or is the 2010(and all previous) arbitrary points sytem way out of whack?

1 race = 20 point swing
8 dominating weekends to 2 lucky ones = 12 point lead

...

I suppose you favor Bernie's Medal idea?.

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

DNF's and mechanical failures cost all drivers at certains stages of their careers.
Sometimes the drivers themselves are to blame for for this.
To make the argument that points dont allow for this, I say so what?
To finish first, first you need to finish.

Whatever the circumstances and whatever the reason, a race encompasses a specific amount of laps, and reward goes to the driver who finishes those laps ahead of anyone else.

This has always been.

I would say if you dont like the system or even to rubbish it, you need to put forward an idea that not only exceeds points as a system, but also somthing that everyone agrees to.

Good luck with that by the way....

[vall]

Yes very true, the points moslty determine the winner, but not the best player.

Points always determine the winner, which most of the time happens to be the best player also

I agree that everyone following F1 has an opinion who the best driver is based on performance and whatever. However, this is highly subjective (see Islamatron's obsession with Hamilton). Take for example Hamilton and Vettel. If LH overtakes, it is always because of his superior skills, bla-bla, when Vettel does it, it is down to the car, other cars being slow or making mistakes, his overtaking moves are sloppy, etc.

[bean]

Take for example Hamilton and Vettel. If LH overtakes, it is always because of his superior skills, bla-bla, when Vettel does it, it is down to the car, other cars being slow or making mistakes, his overtaking moves are sloppy, etc.

You've summarised the difference between Hamilton and Vettel perfectly. Well done