[F1] De seizoensfinale 2008 @ Brazilië, Sao Paulo

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Schumi: Hamilton could be best in history.
^{Wednesday, 29th October 2008}

As he stands on the edge of F1 title glory in this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos, McLaren-Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton has received high praise indeed - from seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher.

Michael Schumacher has reflected that Lewis Hamilton possesses the potential to go on and overtake his tally of seven world championship crowns in Formula 1 and become the most successful driver in the sport's history – even though the McLaren-Mercedes star has yet to even claim his first.

Regardless of where Ferrari rival Felipe Massa finishes, Hamilton needs to take the chequered flag in just fifth place or better to clinch the 2008 laurels in the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos this weekend – a circuit at which Schumacher four times triumphed and on six further occasions stood up on the podium.

The legendary German won a staggering 91 races over the course of his tremendously successful – if highly controversial – career in the top flight from 1991 to 2006, but he concedes that his records are merely a target, and as such ‘there to be beaten'.

“I would say, absolutely, yes,” the 39-year-old replied when asked on BBC programme Inside Sport whether he believed Hamilton could ultimately claim more titles than he did. “Nobody thought, even me, that I could beat [Juan-Manuel] Fangio – then I did. Records are there to be beaten.

“It might be someone of the current or of the future that could or will do it, but I've got no problem about it. I'm quite relaxed that one day it will happen – whether it's Lewis, whether it's Massa, or whoever.”

Whilst making a point of professing his admiration for Massa – his team-mate at Ferrari in his final season in 2006, and a driver to whom he is now something of a mentor at the Scuderia – Schumacher admitted that he could not fail to have been impressed by Hamilton's scintillating performances that have taken the sport by storm since the 23-year-old made his F1 debut in the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne only 19 months ago.

“When you think about what he has done in such a short time, just arriving and competing last year with [Fernando] Alonso and being very often quicker, that talks for itself,” the man from Kerpen underlined.

“Is he the best? Is he not the best? Is he better than Felipe Massa or not? You look at the circumstances; it is not always very straightforward or clear to understand from the outside.”

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Op donderdag 30 oktober 2008 01:25 schreef Fir3fly het volgende:
Oh nee, geen regen! Dan kun je de beker beter meteen aan Hamilton geven .

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Whose Dad Will Wave The Checkers ?

Family members of the 2008 world champion will be invited to wave the chequered flag at the end of Sunday's championship showdown in Brazil.

Organisers of the race at Interlagos said that, depending on the outcome of the preceding 70 laps, either Felipe Massa's parents Luiz Antonio and Ana Elena, or Lewis Hamilton's father and brother Anthony and Nicholas, will be invited to officially mark the end of the race.

"We believe it would be a very special thing if the families can participate in such a way," race official Carlos Roberto Montagner said, according to Brazilian sports publication Gazeta Esportiva.

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Downpours threaten Brazilian weekend
30 October 2008

As F1 prepares for a thrilling climax to the 2008 season, rain could end up playing a major part in the outcome, as weather forecasters are predicting unsettled conditions throughout the weekend.

F1 weather forecasters Meteorological Services are warning that a number of heavy rain showers will fall from Friday to Sunday at Interlagos.

The forecast claims that conditions will be overcast for much of the time, and that there is a significant risk of thunder showers on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, although conditions will remain rather warm.

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Op donderdag 30 oktober 2008 13:14 schreef Googolplexian het volgende:

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Op donderdag 30 oktober 2008 14:12 schreef Atreidez het volgende:

[..]

We herinneren allemaal deze nog?

[ afbeelding ]

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Op donderdag 30 oktober 2008 01:19 schreef Sally het volgende:
En wat ben ik bang voor vuile spelletjes...

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Ouders kampioen vlaggen race in Brazilië af

De ouders van de wereldkampioen van 2008 mogen de finishvlag zwaaien aan het einde van de Braziliaanse Grand Prix. Zo heeft de organisatie laten weten.

Als Lewis Hamilton zondag kampioen wordt, dan mag zijn vader Anthony de race afvlaggen. En als Felipe Massa kampioen wordt, dan zullen moeder Ana en vader Titonio met het zwart-wit geblokt zwaaien. De organisatie van de Braziliaanse Grand Prix wil op deze manier het feestje voor de nieuwe kampioen nog specialer maken.

Lewis Hamilton heeft momenteel zeven punten voorsprong op Felipe Massa.

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Op donderdag 30 oktober 2008 01:25 schreef Fir3fly het volgende:
Oh nee, geen regen! Dan kun je de beker beter meteen aan Hamilton geven .

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Op donderdag 30 oktober 2008 20:09 schreef bodylotion het volgende:

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Ik kan me herinneren dat regenkoning Schumi er in 2003 afvloog,, evenals Verstappen

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Op donderdag 30 oktober 2008 20:09 schreef bodylotion het volgende:

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Ik kan me herinneren dat regenkoning Schumi er in 2003 afvloog,, evenals Verstappen

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Op donderdag 30 oktober 2008 15:14 schreef TravelCharlie het volgende:
Ben benieuwd naar de finale, als het regent zal Hamilton denk een een voordeel hebben. Mocht het droog blijven denk ik dat Massa wint. Gelukkig dit keer niet heel vroeg het bed uit voor de race.

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Lewis Hamilton targeted by racists in Spain
^{Edward Gorman, Motor Racing Correspondent, in Sao Paulo}

Lewis Hamilton claims that he does not read about himself in the media or on the internet, which is just as well because, as he prepares to try to close out the Formula One World Championship this weekend, the McLaren Mercedes driver has again been the subject of vicious racial abuse in Spain.

A Spanish website called Pincha la Rueda de Hamilton - “Burst Hamilton's Tyre” - that encourages visitors to leave virtual nails on the track at Interlagos to stop Hamilton becoming world champion at the Brazilian Grand Prix, is full of racist and personal abuse directed at the 23-year-old. Among the comments left by some of the 24,000-plus visitors to the site, which was launched this time last year when Hamilton was battling for the drivers' championship with Fernando Alonso, the Spaniard who was his McLaren Mercedes team-mate at the time, are people referring to Hamilton as “n*****”, “half-breed” and “son of a b****”. One, calling himself Carillo, tells Hamilton: “Half-breed, kill yourself in your car.” A message from a man called Alberto, says: “I hope you run over your dad in the first pitstop, Hamilton.” In another posting, Charly writes: “If you don't get a puncture, then Massa will crash into you.”

The website suggests that, if enough people participate, placing either nails, drawing pins or, bizarrely, porcupines on the track, they will be able to “will” punctures to occur to Hamilton's car, in a similar way to voodoo practitioners sticking pins in an effigy.

The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the sport's world governing body, condemned the website last night. “The FIA's position is very clear,” it said in a statement. “Discrimination and prejudice can have no place in sport or in society. Everyone in our sport will join us in condemning these abusive and hateful comments.”

An FIA spokesman rejected suggestions that it could have tried to shut down the websiteAs a source said: “We are not a Spanish equal rights organisation.” However, The Times understands that the FIA is likely to raise the issue with the Real Federación Española de Automovilismo, having previously threatened the Spanish motorsport authority with losing the Spanish Grand Prix if it did not get to grips with racism.

The website was launched after Hamilton and Alonso had a bitter falling-out last year and it is clear that many of the messages refer to that dispute, although the site has remained open since then and new messages were still being added last night.

Hamilton was abused by sections of the crowd during a pre-season test at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona in February, when a minority of Spanish fans blacked up their faces, wore wigs and T-shirts emblazoned with the words “Hamilton's family”, booed the British driver and called him a “black s***”. That episode led to the FIA launching “Every Race”, a campaign to rid the sport of racial abuse.

Jaime Rodríguez, the Formula One correspondent for the Spanish daily El Mundo, said: “It is difficult to know who is behind this website. It could be some kind of freak and it is not moderated in any way. I am sure. The trouble is we have such a bad name in Spain after the episodes with Luis Aragonés [the former Spain coach, who made racist references to Thierry Henry] and Montmeló [the Circuit de Catalunya], that this cannot help."

Hamilton, who leads Felipe Massa, of Ferrari, by seven points and needs to finish fifth if Massa wins the season-ending grand prix on Sunday to win the title, made no comment on the affair. But a McLaren Mercedes spokesman said: “McLaren was one of the earliest supporters of the FIA's “Every Race” campaign, and we support that campaign still. We've seen today's [FIA] statement and we can only echo it.” In addition to racist comments, the site also contains homophobic references, attacks on Ron Dennis, the McLaren team principal, and Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula One commercial rights holder, although one message of support for Hamilton reads: “I'll love you for ever.

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Op vrijdag 31 oktober 2008 00:13 schreef DoomCow het volgende:
Ik vind het hele gebeuren rond Hamilton een beetje overschat, hij heeft te weinig hoeven te bewijzen (superieure wagen, snelle tijden, maar weinig echte acties gezien deze twee jaar dat hij op dit niveau meedoet), en hoop dan ook dat Massa doet wat van hem verwacht wordt in de thuisrace en dat is het kampioenschap binnenhalen... Al wordt het moeilijk...

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Op donderdag 30 oktober 2008 22:50 schreef Atreidez het volgende:
We zijn dit jaar wel verwent met regenraces, maar weinig met wisselende omstandigheden.. Laat het eerst maar 10 rondjes droog zijn en dan plenzen, dat lijkt me een leuk slot van t seizoen

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Op vrijdag 31 oktober 2008 13:06 schreef bodylotion het volgende:
in de OP

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Op vrijdag 31 oktober 2008 13:09 schreef Googolplexian het volgende:

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fenks Live Timing lijkt het niet te doen, trouwens

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Op vrijdag 31 oktober 2008 13:15 schreef Sally het volgende:
Oh, als je opent in de site, doetie het wel, Googol.

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Op vrijdag 31 oktober 2008 13:26 schreef Googolplexian het volgende:
LT doet het weer (hier)

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Op vrijdag 31 oktober 2008 13:31 schreef Schuifpui het volgende:
Regen? Livetiming geeft 1 aan bij wet/dry.

Kan alleen niet kijken, heb zo tentamen.