18/04/2007
FEATURE BY CHRIS BALFE
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One only has to take the most fleeting of glimpses at the various F1 forums and message boards to realise that some people are already sick to death of the words "Lewis" and "Hamilton".
No offence to the youngster who has taken Formula One by storm in just three races, but there are already signs of a backlash from fans tired of the (British) media's reaction to this 'new kid on the block'.
Writing in the Daily Mail on Monday, Alan Fraser, who concentrates on televised sport in his 'Screen Test' column, wrote: "Alonso looked as if he had a piece of chorizo stuck in his craw when, in a post race interview, Louise Goodman said "Another great race for our man Lewis?"
Previously, interviewing Jenson Button, just minutes after his race ended in the first complex of corners, Goodman, somewhat insensitively said: "At least you can watch the race in comfort".
"Drive of the day?" race commentator James Allen asked of (Martin) Brundle, adding: "As if I need to ask."
He wished he hadn't, observes Fraser. "For me, Felipe Massa," Brundle replied. Allen did well to hide his surprise.
Fraser best sums up how bad things were with the following: "back at the hub of ITV's F1 coverage, Steve Rider was breaking all records for the number of times he could mention a single sportsman's name in one broadcast.
"He is going to wake up in the middle of the night screaming "Lewis Hamilton" if he is not careful," warned Fraser.
A brilliant, and most accurate observation. However, it is not only the TV people going overboard. The mainstream media has been similarly OTT, with the Daily Telegraph, in particular, and The Times leading the way. Reading the gushing, somewhat flowery, eulogies, one feels almost embarrassed, indeed the phrase "get a room" regularly comes to mind.
It was only a couple of years ago, when Schumacher - the other one - was dominating Formula One, that much of the mainstream British media came close to turning its back on F1. After all, why send a journalist all over the world following a sport in which Britain/England is not leading the way - though that hasn't stopped them covering football, cricket, rugby, etc, for much of that time.
Jenson Button was out there but the media was clearly tired of waiting for that first win, especially as the Englishman was now into triple figures in terms of the races he'd contested.
Today, one would have to have a heart of stone not to feel sympathy for Jenson, who has largely been deserted by the (British) media, along with Coulthard and Davidson, in favour of young Lewis.
The most worrying aspect of all this however, isn't the fact that people will turn against the McLaren driver, they won't, however, they will probably watch the races with the sound off - though many do already - and avoid reading about F1 in those places prone to Hamilton hyperbole.
No, the most worrying thing is that one day the press will turn, and then God help poor Lewis.
Only a couple of weeks ago, the British media was collectively stirring the nation's indignation at the fact that 15 sailors and marines had been captured by Iranian forces, having been allegedly caught spying in Iranian waters.
The media demanded the return of our 'heroes', and expressed concern that the government wasn't doing enough.
When, after almost two weeks, the Iranians released the fifteen, as "a gesture to the British people", the media was there to capture the moment, to hear their first words.
Within hours of their arrival back in the UK however, the 'heroes' had become 'zeroes', thanks to a ruling from the Ministry of Defence that the fifteen could sell their stories to the press.
The media reacted with typical outrage, once again stirring the nation's conscience; how dare these people sell their stories, why had they been captured so easily in the first place, why were they seen laughing and joking whilst being held captive, seemingly getting on well with their captors.
In no time at all, the media had turned on the fifteen, yet it was media money that was being used to buy the sailors and marines stories in the first place. Such is the power of the media, especially in the UK, it's a win-win situation. Be you a sailor, soldier, pop star, actor, sportsman or racing driver, the media will make you and then, when it decides that the time is right, break you.
Thanks to the media, in Britain certainly, we have a generation of youngster who believe that it is entirely within their grasp to be rich and famous. They have seen the media make 'stars' of total nonentities, and they are sold the dream that this could be you.
There are kids today who have no other ambition than to be rich and famous - the two must go together - even though they show no particular talent, no aptitude. Why learn to kick a ball or play an instrument when you can become a star simply by having breast implants, sleeping with a D-list celebrity or being obnoxious on a reality programme on TV?
To be where Lewis is today has taken many years of hard work, dedication and sacrifice, both by the man himself, and his family. Sadly, it's all too easy to become famous these days, to be termed a 'celebrity', but to be a winner, a champion, that requires much more, and there are few willing to give that sort of commitment.
Any Warhol famously said that in the future everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes, the sad thing is that there are thousands of kids out there who would be happy with just that, no matter the eventual personal cost.
And at the heart of this is the media in all its forms.
With three English teams in the semi-finals of the Champions League, we are told by the media that English football has never been in a better state, that English football is the envy of the world.
Of course, the reality is that a majority the players playing for these three clubs are foreign, as are most of the players in the Premiership. When the English national team isn't making excuses, claiming "it will be difficult", ahead of matches with Estonia, Andorra, Macedonia and Israel, then we can say English football is in a good state. Until then we will plod on, the media getting up a nation's hopes, harping on about a victory that took place 41 years ago, and pillorying players and managers which it has hyped out of all proportion in the first place.
It was only on January 25, less than three months ago, that Lewis made a mistake at Valencia, badly damaging one of just two cars his team had at its disposal.
The following day the British media, armed with a handful of quotes from 'the usual suspects', questioned Ron Dennis' decision to bring the youngster straight into F1, worrying that the GP2 Champion had made the step up just a little too early.
When, just a week later, Lewis stepped back into his car at the same circuit and topped the timesheets, the British media let out a collective sigh of relief.
Never mind the on-track pressure on the 22-year old, and that's bad enough. What really is of concern is the extraordinary pressure he will be under from the media, for now everyone will want a piece of him.
Thankfully, there are two major calming influences in his life, his father and Ron Dennis.
Even during the short interview with his brother on Sunday - what member of the Hamilton family will ITV recruit next? - it was clear that Anthony Lewis is a father who should be a role model for all parents. If anyone will remind Lewis who he is and what he is, it is Anthony Hamilton.
Then again there's Ron. Lewis couldn't be at a better team. Never mind the mind games with Alonso - and make no mistake they will begin before much longer - Ron had Prost and Senna in the same team, he can deal with it. Ron will be fully aware of just how dangerous the media can be and will close ranks in order to give Lewis the support and privacy he needs.
Ahead of his F1 debut, although we at Pitpass were fully aware of Lewis's unique talent, we doubted whether contemporary F1 cars would allow him to race his way. Thankfully, we were wrong.
Assuming that Kimi Raikkonen can snap out of it - he really hasn't looked the business in the last two races - and assuming Felipe Massa can continue to improve, we have the fabulous prospect of a real four-way battle for the 2007 World Championship title.
Let's put the jingoistic bull to one side, and give thanks that Formula One has another great new talent, someone of whom we can all be proud as we sit back and watch his career develop.
However, let's also keep a careful eye on the media, for as quickly as it can create a hero it can destroy it, it doesn't take prisoners.
Chris Balfe
Editor