Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

DB - thoroughly agree ..... hamilton's ok i suppose, but frankly, f1 this year was only ever a two horse race, and in any case, so much is dependent on pit stops and other non-driving skills

Ditto db, national disgrace.

But Rory was playing crap till he split up with his bird!

He's awesome to watch on television, but to see him in " real life" on a practice ground is even more awesome. A golf swing to die for!

Shortie - his mind was scrambled!!

Yep but Hays is correct.

Hamilton is a non tax payer, no way should he have won.

not sure that that's entirely true either .... check the rules re F1 winnings (or any other international sport i guess) and the taxes thereon ..... i think, but am not certain, that they are taxed at source in the country of origin

You have to also remember that when the public vote a lot of votes will go to the most popular person. Rory still has a way to go in the media's eye to add some showmanship to his game in much the same way Tiger did finding fame and fortune with it.

Shortie remember Faldo? A great player as was Steve Davis but both boring bxxxxxxs.
Alex Higgins was a joy to watch as is MCIlroy.

Hamilton hasn't got a great personality, in fact I think he's a sulky pain when things aren't going his way!

Tiger was an awesome competitor when he was in his prime, but he's an utter jerk as a person. I don't agree that Rory needs to add showmanship to his game, the golfing galleries at tournaments love him the way he is right now.

Hamilton pays plenty of tax in uk. He earns his money in 19 different countries. His team keeps 1,000 people in employment in the UK. I like golf a small amount but would not vote for golf. Despite there being several contenders for the title of SPOTY, he took 34% of the votes. Hamilton and F1 are just more popular. You play golf so you would vote for it. I used to race cars so I voted for Hamilton.

Maybe they do but the money and fame is in the sponsorship and for that he needs some showmanship in today's world. You can't compare with the time of Faldo, today's media is no longer paper and TV based, the world has moved on and so has our perception and expectation of sporting stars.

Very few racing drivers have nice personalities. At the top, most drivers are borderline psychopaths. They like winning, but really hate losing.

" You play golf so you would vote for it. I used to race cars so I voted for Hamilton."

How narrow minded can you get.

You like what you like. I would vote for darts before I would vote for golf. It is a matter of personal taste. I have played golf in Canada quite a few times, but it never got me excited. I like watching big matches on TV. With motor racing, I have been to most of the tracks in the UK as a competitor and spectator. I used to go to watch F1 testing at Silverstone. I have been abroad to watch F1 and Le Mans. I have friends who still race in classic races like Le Mans for classic cars. I don't think that is narrow minded. I am with Mark Twain regarding golf.

It is supposed to be a vote for individual sporting achievement irrespective of which sport you prefer on a personal level, or am I wrong in saying that? I like many sports, I just think F1 isn't just about the excellence of the drivers any more.

Mr me me me.

Ed: Not you DB.

Aye your right Hays, Mark Twain was crap at golf too :0)

i'm afraid nick faldo had the personality of a garden gnome, though he has improved considerably since he retired from golf and started commentating

on the other hand, gary player is still quite extraordinary in his enthusiasm for the game (and ability) and his general bonhomie with whoever he meets

As a sports 'personality' Hamilton pips my hooter (and I drive a fast Merc, too) so I actually did him a few votes with the 'repeat dial' on my phone.

And he has enough personality to pull and hold someone like Nicole Sherzinger as his girlfriend too.

'Sportsmen?' some of you say? F1 drivers are actually some of the fittest men on the planet!

eg. Jenson Button who is a regular Ironman competitor and did a 42 km run, 3.86 km swim and a, 180km cycle ride in the Philippines earlier this year and came 11th in his age group.

It's not the drivers, they are all good.

It's the tech...which has got out of all proportion...the costs are unreal.


And since Bernie and his mates at CVC got their mits on it, it has gone downhill quite badly. The foreign races are to mostly half empty tracks..it's all for tv and advertising.