Good guys can be winners, says McLaren boss

MONACO, May 25: McLaren boss Ron Dennis spoke up for Formula One's 'good guys' on Friday and said championship leader Lewis Hamilton did not need to be ruthless to be a winner.

"Both of these drivers are role models for young people," he said at the Monaco Grand Prix of 22-year-old rookie Hamilton and double world champion Fernando Alonso.

"People relate to the fact that good guys can win," he added.

"There are drivers that are prepared to do anything to win, they've been in Formula One and left, but he isn't one of them," he added of Hamilton. "That's the sort of focus and approach that he has to his motor racing and I think people relate very positively to it."

Sunday's race comes a year after Ferrari's seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher, now retired, raised a furore after blocking his rivals in final qualifying to secure pole position.

The German, Formula One's most successful driver whose stellar career of 91 wins was nonetheless punctuated by highly questionable actions, was subsequently demoted to the back of the grid.

Dennis was speaking a day after he had criticised Formula One's 'rash of so-called experts' for their character assessments of Hamilton.

The British driver is two points clear of Alonso in the standings after becoming the sport's youngest championship leader.

Despite finishing his first four races on the podium, unprecedented for a rookie, Hamilton has had his character questioned by some in the same way that compatriot Jenson Button was once accused of being 'too nice'.

"I think you need a hard edge to your personality if you are going to be a really successful driver in Formula One," former team owner Eddie Jordan told Britain's Guardian newspaper earlier in the week.

"You need to be supremely arrogant...you need to have it and if Lewis doesn't, it will be his downfall."

The driver had rejected that view on Wednesday, saying: "I don't know if I particularly believe that 'win at all costs' is the way forward".

noorie, u interested in f1 ? great !!!

recently watched the championship: hamilton and alonso were awesome. but yes michael schumacher
is considered to be of different genre.


nice honaa bhi koi gunaah hai kya ? ya too nice honaa gunaah hai ?



why they said u need to be supremely arrogant ? for those legal but unaccepted moves ?

btw what do u think of the new idea ? 2009 f1 in india ? delhi/hyderabad or whatever, like to
see it in india ? thanks for the article anyway.

It's my dad, he loves the sport, I just keep him company.

Yes, well i kinda agree with that; the "arrogance" thing. Not really!

Being 'too nice' to people is fraught with lot of risks, but the opposite is too frightful to even contemplate.

Bringing F1 to India is not a good idea, I feel. Laying the tracks itself is going to be a huge expense, and then the expense of maintaining it may not be justified by the returns, and this is a wasteful sport, look at the way it guzzles up the world's energy all for that thing described as 'speed'.

Besides the Capital doesn't have the proper infrastructure to host an event like this at such short notice.

It's an honour that India cud do without. And never mind the tourism prospects by hosting a Grand Prix.

Noorie