Lewis Hamilton wears TAG Heuer

[Pugwash]

Yes, we all know Lewis wears TAGs (as part of his job), but here's a picture of him putting his one on for the podium in Montreal.

... and here he is walking up to the top step.

It's one of these.

Congrats to the man that makes F1 interesting for the first time since 1994.

[docblackrock]

I wouldn't go that far Pug, from what I've read he's only a rookie who's had a flying start - he is also driving the best car and from what I've heard and seen Alonso is not on form right now. Wonder how he'll cope in a different car next season

I also lost interest in the snoozefest that is now F1 pretty much immediately in the aftermath of that crash at Monza in 1994. The Schumacher decade? Meh

That aside, I wonder if the orange dial was "team orders"? I'm sure Alonso gets to wear a more attractive model

[cornerstone]

Nice grab of them putting it on him!

I saw him with a watch on the podium and didn't think they would drive around all afternoon with one on. Duh...

Hopefully things are hotting up in terms of interest. The last umpteen years have been a total snorefest.

Like the team orders idea on the watches....hehehe....

F1 definitely has a new pin-up boy, I mean - whisper it - he may even be more marketable than Nigel Mansell!

[slai]

Massa's got the coolest watch on the F1 grid though. Richard Mille!

[r11co]

Alonso wears a Carrera Chrono, black face (as does Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren CEO).

I wondered how long before we got polluted by the 'story' that is Lewis Hamilton. I'm an F1 enthusiast and I am sick-to-the-teeth of hearing his name every two seconds during ITV-F1 coverage.

The first two words out of Steve Rider's mouth at the beginning of the program covering the Monaco GP were.... Lewis Hamilton.

I'm supporting Massa this year. I used to think he was rubbish and got his drive simply because of his connections with Jean Todt, but he's improved and matured dramatically and is a genuinely nice and personable guy.

[cornerstone]

r11co supporting Ferrari!

Shock horror!

[Pugwash]

That aside, I wonder if the orange dial was "team orders"? I'm sure Alonso gets to wear a more attractive model

That's true. Both Alonso and Hamilton wear Daytonas in private, allegedly.

... and it doesn't matter if he's got the best car or not. He's still got to drive it.

Like I said, he's making it interesting. I never said he's the second coming, even though it is excellent to have some new British talent. I hope the press don't make his life too difficult.

[NRG]

Nice spot Pugwash, I saw him put the same watch on at the end of the Monaco GP but couldn't figure out what it was...

[docblackrock]

I never said he's the second coming, even though it is excellent to have some new British talent. I hope the press don't make his life too difficult.

What like Jenson Button? Deva vu methinks

Not trying to provoke, but this very British and tabloid media thing of building up raw talent as if they're "the second coming" as you say, just annoys the hell out of me to the point of anger. Here's some examples...

Tim Henman aka "Tiger Tim" () - an embarrassment that refuses to retire, as he's deluded into thinking he can still win Wimbledon.

England football team, every World Cup and Euro Champ - apparently chock full of world class players, who play in our "world's best" league, with a world class coach, a team that every other team in the world fears....it's our right that we bring it "bring it back home"....etc. etc.

Arrgghhhh, oh how I could go on.....

[docblackrock]

Now I'm a big Tag fan, but the thing that annoys me about their F1 presence is the overt and cheesy way they promote their wares - making the drivers strap on their contractual watches, looking ridiculous over their sponsor-plastered overalls, pre-podium and ready for the waiting cameras - what is THAT all about FFS?! Just looks so contrived and tacky - god it actually makes me cringe - in fact, has Christophe Babin written all over it

Tag Heuer and motor racing for me is all about classic design and rich heritage, the Jack Heuer side of the business for those who know what I'm on about...vis a vis Monza, calibre 36, Fangio, Targa Florio, Carrera Pan-American, calibre 11, Monaco, McQueen, Autavia and the like.

In comparison, Lewis Hamilton flashing an orange-dialled quartz monstrosity in front of the cameras is a pathetic joke, even not taking into consideration he wears a Daytona in private (how original ).

[Pugwash]

In comparison, Lewis Hamilton flashing an orange-dialled quartz monstrosity in front of the cameras is a pathetic joke, even not taking into consideration he wears a Daytona in private (how original ).

This is what bugs me. The poor sod has to wear a quartz chrono because it's aimed at his age demographic.

[docblackrock]

This is what bugs me. The poor sod has to wear a quartz chrono because it's aimed at his age demographic.

Maybe so, although I would guess the demog of F1 viewers is likely to be much older than 22.

Seems the marketing baboons at La Chaud de Fonds are in overdrive...the homepage today *sigh*

[By-Tor]

F1 was briefly interesting when Michael Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen had those battles against eachother. When was that... 1998, 1999 and 2000? After Hakkinen retired it was just a Schumacher show.

Hamilton has been a sensation. Now let's see when the war inside the team starts... you know... Mansell/Prost, Senna/Prost, Piquet/Mansell thing. Alonso is not going to watch this from the sidelines.

[Febus]

The first two words out of Steve Rider's mouth at the beginning of the program covering the Monaco GP were.... Lewis Hamilton.

There's no doubting in my mind Hamilton is driving beyond what one would expect of someone with the level of experience he has in F1. However all the hype is driving me up the wall.

I watched the ITV coverage this weekend with some mates. We decided before the program every time they said Hamilton's name we'd all do the same-in unison. We gave up after ten minutes of shouting 'Lewis Hamilton' about 50 times back at the TV- in addition to getting hoarse my girlfriend was starting to give us funny looks...............

[b16a2]

Placing consistently, with or without the best car, for someone who is so new to the sport, is a massive achievement. I think he could be worth watching, he has a great career ahead of him.

Tim Henman aka "Tiger Tim" () - an embarrassment that refuses to retire, as he's deluded into thinking he can still win Wimbledon

As for as Tim Henman being an embarrassment thats a bit mean. He love his tennis, good for him for sticking it out. He is having a very bad patch at the moment, lets hope he can get some form in Nottingham!

[r11co]

r11co supporting Ferrari!

Shock horror!

You don't know the half of it! I've never supported Ferrari. There have only been two previous occasions before this year that I have wanted a guy in the red cars to win. Mansell way back when, and Michael Schumacher the year it looked like Kimi Raikonnen had a chance of winning the WDC. I dislike Schumacher immensely, but I hate Raikonnen even more!

[docblackrock]

As for as Tim Henman being an embarrassment thats a bit mean. He love his tennis, good for him for sticking it out. He is having a very bad patch at the moment, lets hope he can get some form in Nottingham!

:lol:

As if losing in the first round on his supposedly best surface at Queens against an 18-year rookie wasn't bad enough, he's had to be given a wildcard just to get into Nottingham. I mean FFS, the guy hasn't won a match (MATCH!!!) since October last year.

God knows we Brits love a plucky loser, but it's really quite pathetic and lacking in self-respect to delude himself like this, and embarrassing for most of us to witness. If he loves tennis so much then there are plenty of other ways to get involved where he can actually contribute - not as if he needs the money

Someone should have a quiet 'word', methinks.....Henman is no Agassi or McEnroe after all.

[slai]

Alonso's got a Carrera on this weekend.

[BONDEN]

Alonso wears a Carrera Chrono, black face (as does Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren CEO).

I wondered how long before we got polluted by the 'story' that is Lewis Hamilton. I'm an F1 enthusiast and I am sick-to-the-teeth of hearing his name every two seconds during ITV-F1 coverage.

The first two words out of Steve Rider's mouth at the beginning of the program covering the Monaco GP were.... Lewis Hamilton.

I'm supporting Massa this year. I used to think he was rubbish and got his drive simply because of his connections with Jean Todt, but he's improved and matured dramatically and is a genuinely nice and personable guy.

Iam a big Mclaren fun and also Alonso s too

Hamilton is a ok driver very fast but also very lycky one two

in his first year in F1 he has the best car and ofcource all the support of the team

that and the reason that Alonso is trying to adapt to a new teem and is struggling to learn the Briggestone tyres ( the same Briggestone that hamilton was racing last year in GP2) gives him the advantage for the first half off the season

but one way or the other Alonso will beat him remember that he beat Michael and Raikkonen and every teammate he had

After all he is a double world champion Hamilton is just a rookie with one win

Dont get me wrong Hamilton is going to be a champion one day but its too early

P.S Alonso wears a carrera with black dial always Tag Heuer is the teams CORPORATE PARTNER

[Pugwash]

After all he is a double world champion Hamilton is just a rookie with one win

Dont get me wrong Hamilton is going to be a champion one day but its too early

Too early? Maybe, maybe not. We'll see at the end of the year.

One thing is for sure: No-one has been this good in their first year before. This much can't be taken away from Hamilton.

[longshot]

funny, i have always felt that alonso was high maintenance, and possibly high strung

when he has the best car and is obviously the fastest he does very well. but when pushed or presented with a challenge he does not always seem to respond well.

i found his comments, and the comments of his fans, after canada to be quite ironic. he was simply incapable of being a sportsman and congratulating his team mate hamilton.

alonso claimed that canada was "a lottery" and that hamilton just got "lucky". did he forget that at the last race at monte carlo hamilton was ordered NOT to chase him down and given a pit strategy designed to prevent that? handing alonso the win?

and the "well alonso is adapting to a new team, so..."

unless i'm mistaken hamilton HAS NEVER RACED AN F1 CAR before this season?

no need for him to need to adapt i suppose

once a driver starts making excuses nothing good ever comes of it

[Pugwash]

unless i'm mistaken hamilton HAS NEVER RACED AN F1 CAR before this season?

You are not mistaken.

[By-Tor]

It's part of the fact that F1 cars are easier to drive than ever before: traction control, etc.

Not to take anything away from Hamilton though. The guy has been a sensation, and there's absolutely no reason to talk down his achievements. Kimi Raikkonen has been driving like a slug. It's amazing how much talent this guy supposedly has, but it looks like he just doesn't give a damn. Rumor has it that he's a heavy drinker and a party boy, and doesn't really care about developing the car. Not to mention he has a personality and articulation of a beached whale.

[longshot]

Kimi Raikkonen has been driving like a slug. It's amazing how much talent this guy supposedly has, but it looks like he just doesn't give a damn. Rumor has it that he's a heavy drinker and a party boy, and doesn't really care about developing the car.

i have read the same from many sources. that he is a terrific talent, and very fast. but just wants to show up and drive the car and has essentially zero interest in working with the engineers to make it better. i was never a fan of michael, but he was most certainly brilliant at that technical aspect of the sport.

personally i'm old enough to have very little respect for modern F1 drivers anyway. they seem more like pilots than drvers.

paddle shifters, launch assist, traction control, remote telemetry, incredible aero packages are all nifty technology. but where is the skill of the drivers in the old days who at monaco had to shift 4000 times during the race. matching clutch, engine revs etc. when a single missed shift could cost you a position, or the race?

while making an essentially fragile car last to the end?

F1 cars were truly dangerous then. suspension parts etc just broke during races without hitting anything. tires failed. brakes faded. yet the drivers got back in them week after week...

[By-Tor]

I think Raikkonen got everything too easily. One year at Sauber, then straight to the top team. His performance in 2003 with a POS McLaren was unbelieveable though. He almost won the WDC, and made ZERO mistakes in the whole season!

After that it has been a downhill. Now he just collects the biggest paycheck and laughs all the way to the bank. I'm sure if he's even motivated... a spoiled little brat that he is. If he doesn't get his shit together he'll be out of F1 soon. Talent alone won't make you a champion.

Hamilton should be careful to not suffer the same faith. But he looks much more like "down to earth" guy.

I really hope Hamilton will win the WDC. For some reason I can't stand Alonso... there's something so ghey about him. And his last whiney about McLaren favoring Hamiton was LAME and uncalled for.

Edited June 16, 2007 by By-Tor