Last Updated on January 29 2024, 2:27 pm

In this thought-provoking piece, Carlo, a former Formula Ford racer and veteran contributor to our site, takes us on a journey through the realm of sports legends and the narratives that surround them. Drawing parallels between the debates surrounding football greats such as Pele and Maradona and their modern counterparts, Ronaldo and Messi, Carlo explores the complexities of determining the ‘greatest’ in any field.

Carlos’ article, entitled ‘A professional fan’s empty praise of Lewis’, critiques the subjective nature of such comparisons and the tendency of modern media to distort historical perspectives. As an experienced motorsport enthusiast, Carlo brings a unique perspective to this discussion, focusing in particular on Formula 1 and the often contentious debates about the greatest drivers and their most remarkable achievements.

His insights challenge conventional wisdom and invite readers to reconsider how they judge and celebrate sporting icons.

 

 

A professional fan’s empty praise of Lewis

By Carlo

Back in December 2022, Pele, one of the greatest footballers in history passed away at 82 years old. His global peak had been throughout the 1960’s when he formed part of the legendary Brazilian football team.

Only two years before, another titan of ‘soccer’ passed away at just 60 years old, Diego Maradona. Anybody who had witnessed this little genius had little doubt that his ability was stratospheric. And supporters of both camps have speculated endlessly over which was the greatest.

READ MORE: Wolff breaks cover on W15 progress

 

 

 

Greatest of All Time

I’m not a football/soccer fan, I actually rejoice in fossil fuels powering my interests, hence I doubt I bring too much other than personal opinion to this debate.

Of course I can watch documentaries about Pele’s achievements and how his goal-scoring numbers and three World Cup victories could rank him at the pinnacle of world football but I’m always drawn by the fact that in his greatness he had a team of incredible footballers beside him in battle.

Back in the mid 80’s, in Italy (I am Italian by birth in case my name didn’t give it away), I’d be surrounded by family who were football fanatics. Everyone could see Maradona’s brilliance transform a Naples side from one of the weakest in the league to two domestic championships, and glory in European competition, between 1984-1991.

During this period, he also carried a group of Argentinian players to World Cup glory in 1986 with outrageous audacity when hand-balling the ball to score against England and then scoring arguably the greatest goal in the tournament’s history in the same game – literally the thin line between madness and genius.

Fast forward three decades and the modern fans and media have been disputing who is greater between Christian Ronaldo and Lionel Messi – almost consigning Pele and Maradona to another place of history – and most praise falls upon Messi.

New team boss opens a can of worms at Haas

 

 

 

Useless exercise: Comparing eras

Objectivity causes arguments both for and against, understandably, but I find it erroneous when modern methods are used to assimilate statistics to prove one point or another.

How can a magazine or website post a social media poll for who was the greatest anything. Firstly, there’s nothing but opinion making a person choose one of multiple options, certainly no context. Secondly, most of the users of the aforementioned media are most likely to be the younger generation.I remember one such polling asking who was the greatest  performer in music history. If I remember correctly, the options were Robbie Williams, Elvis Presley, Bono and Frank Sinatra.

Of course, I could state how was Robbie even included but you would need to appreciate who the originators of the poll were aiming this at. I’d imagine it wasn’t aimed at people who had lived through the breakthrough of Elvis, or the Bobbi-sox era of ol’ Blue Eyes.

To this day, you’ll see similar polls on all manner of subjects, and unsurprisingly the greatest guitarist list never has Hendrix or Clapton in the top 5, Beyoncé always outranks Aretha Franklin and the greatest ever film is something released in the last decade, ie something that the short attention span of modern culture seems to champion.

Ricciardo reacts to crazy Red Bull name

 

 

 

Greatest ever in F1

An F1 subject that often gets thrown in to these so-called polls – is which is the greatest ever opening lap of a GP. It’s almost as if the media strives to define and validate this current era. Universally, the 1993 European GP at Donington lays legitimate claim to this accolade.

In my lifetime I consider myself fortunate to have witnessed some incredible Grand Prix when I’ve attended the British, European, Italian and Spanish Grand Prix over the years. In the same period, I have watched hundreds of races on TV.

Albon brazen comments on Verstappen v Perez

 

 

 

Greatest lap in F1?

I was at the Donington race and saw Ayrton Senna passing Damon Hill. The next lap through he was first but the speakers and commentary at the event was so poor that what the crowd had witnessed wasn’t really apparent until viewing it later on TV.

Now I have always valued Hamilton’s ability as much as the next man. I thought he was a brilliant racer from when he first ruffled Fernando Alonso’s feathers in his rookie season. Irrespective of whatever sleight Fernando believed Mclaren and Ron Dennis manufactured against him in 2007, the confidence of Hamilton to push a double World Champion signalled a great future.

At times it was uncomfortable to watch his growing pains within the bubble of existence that is F1. To witness the ravaging that the media and fans imposed on him can also be disconcerting; especially when everyone tries to psychoanalyse his every utterance.

But as he matured into a multiple World Champion – an emergence of two parties of professional have emerged. We have the ex-racers and their journalistic correspondents who wish to invoke their narrow-minded opinions of how this young superstar should behave and the manner he should lead his life; ie a monastic style.

Additionally we have the media professionals who demonstrate such bias in his favour that it almost destroys any credibility of performance. Be it theirs with the keyboard or Hamilton’s with the wheel.

Norris new deal signals seismic shift in F1 driver contracts

 

 

 

 

Bias British Journalists guilty

In 2016, I remember reading a column written by the BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson, the week following the British Grand Prix. I normally enjoy his writing, he is a respected journalist and yet at times his bias is as transparent as the wind.

Hence a little history to set the scene as written by the BBC writer.

“…after five laps behind the safety car on a wet track, the world champion produced what was surely one of the great opening laps of all time. By the time the field reached Luffield, Hamilton was already an astonishing three seconds in the lead. Three seconds. In the nine corners the cars had negotiated up to that point – including Stowe, Vale and Club at the end of the previous lap – as Hamilton sprinted away once the safety car was no longer an issue.”

I re-watched the start after the safety car. The spray off the track surface was almost blinding (I love old school wet weather) and as Lewis crossed the start finish line he looked to have an advantage of around a second.

By the time he got to Luffield he was supposedly a further two seconds ahead. So we have the THREE seconds Benson described. Just one thought comes to mind whilst I am writing this.

Nico Rosberg was USELESS in the wet. There I’ve said it. Shoot me down in flames! Remember the 2014 Japanese GP when Lewis sailed passed him into the first corner. Or is that is too far back to recall? What about Nico’s abject performance in the wet 2016 Monaco event? You know, the race that he was asked to let Lewis pass – despite not carrying any issue with his car!

On with the narrative, Benson continued – “By the end of the first lap, he was 3.7secs clear.”

So halfway around the first lap, Lewis had led by 3 seconds.

It would be reasonable to believe at that incredible rate that he would have doubled his advantage right? Wrong! Half a lap later he had extended his lead by just 0.7 of a second. I accept that there will be countless people around the world who will burn effigies of an Angry Cloud Yeller, which brings a whole new meaning to going up in smoke!

READ MORE: Iconic F1 circuit now at risk

 

 

 

Hamilton ‘overhype’ at Silverstone

In fact, I am fairly certain that some of the members of this site will have already cast spells on me. All I say is I have given thanks to some higher power that I have already had a cardiac arrest.

Either way, I do not apologise. I do not believe that this lap, well actually half a lap against a very poor wet weather driver deserves a place in any list that begins ‘Greatest Ever’.

Some of you will undoubtedly imagine that I’ll call up that first lap of the 1993 race. But I don’t consider that the greatest lap either and intriguingly, Senna didn’t particularly rate this race that highly – (STOP PRESS: My young editor asked what the hell I was talking about…).

My sincerest apologies – for the readers who didn’t know Formula One B.L. (Before Lewis) – the 1993 race was when Ayrton Senna went from fifth to first in a lap.

No. If you want to witness the greatest ever opening lap, search for Fernando Alonso driving the Renault in 2006 at the Hungarian GP.

Having qualified down in 15th place he crossed the line in 6th position after just a SINGLE lap. By the 18th tour he was leading and if the team had secured his wheel properly at the pit-stop he would have won the race.

Then again, this proved to be Jenson Button’s first ever victory. But for Fernando’s ill fortune, how different would Jenson Button’s F1 story have been…

READ MORE: Ferrari announces new driver(s)

 

 

 

MORE F1 NEWS: Africa announce new purpose built F1 circuit

Lewis Hamilton has stated it is his “dream” to see Formula One return to Africa, yet the project to date has been beset with trouble. The content last hosted a race on 1985 at the famous Kyalami circuit which had been developed for international motorsport in the 1950’s

Apartheid international sanctions were the reason the race in South Africa was cancelled and the circuit fell into disrepair with the final Grand Prix held in…READ MORE ON THIS STORY