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And here's some evidence that a Hamilton fan can write a few paragraphs about Hamilton that even a Ferrari fan can't disagree with.
I do hope we can him in some proper title fights, I can't see it happening before 2022 and I imagine he'll be past his peak then (though wouldn't be surprised if he was still scooping up championships). Definitely seems like the field has enough promising talent for a 2010-style season with Verstappen, Leclerc, Sainz, Norris & Russell on the grid. Not to mention the raft of talent coming in from F2/F3.
mmccarthy
Unfortunately I've seen this conversation play out too many times to think that opinions can change on Hamilton. He's learned that he can't please everyone and his fans (myself included) need to move on and accept that other people simply can't warm to him.
He's a total cliche of child talent that's had to focus 100% of his youth on becoming the best in difficult circumstances and then has tried to find space to develop his personality later in life. Some of his life choices have been totally cringeworthy but he goes for it regardless of what other people or team/press management say (McLaren). To me he's an exciting and exceptional driver that hasn't been tested enough in recent years but has continued to mature and develop his personality off the track. More recently I think Verstappen in the same car would likely get the better of him but that's because of the youth and determination MV has on his side.
By comparison no matter how boring I find Vettel to watch race, how many mistakes he makes or how much whining he does I still like him as there's an interesting funny personality there. Listening to him in past interviews it's clear he grew up in a much more rounded environment and appears much more comfortable when discussing out of motorsport topics.
I'm hoping Hamilton's legacy will remember how he helped change the face of a sport that needed (imo) to change. I'm not sure how many drivers before him can claim to have had much of an impact on F1's out dated culture.