THE TIMES - He is on top of the world but "aloof" Hamilton is still struggling to win over large sections of the sporting public.
When Lewis Hamilton roared across the finishing line at the Brazilian Grand Prix, he not only became the youngest world champion in Formula One history, the first British champion since 1996 and quite possibly the most bankable sporting commodity on the planet. He also became, unexpectedly, one of the most divisive British sporting figures for a generation.
On internet forums and radio phone-ins across the nation yesterday, thousands of fans took the time to express their pride and joy in a British driver who held his nerve to triumph in one of the most pulsating, dramatic and emotionally charged sporting events of recent years.
But thousands of others took a different view, dialling in to express their dislike for a man who, they believe, symbolises everything that has gone wrong with modern sport.
There is also a pervasive feeling that the driver is aloof and manipulative: a cleverly spun, commercially groomed media creation with whom many feel little or no affinity. “He is confrontational. He is arrogant. He is selfish. In short, he is an entirely un-British sportsman,” wrote one blogger.
It is striking that Hamilton’s capacity to divide opinion is not confined to the British public: it also extends to the security-controlled perimeter of the Formula One paddock. Although adored by many within his McLaren Mercedes team, which has cultivated his formidable talent for more than a decade, Hamilton is despised by many rival teams, including many of his fellow drivers.
Hamilton has won the world title. He faces a tougher battle to win the heart of his nation.
L3wi5 Hamiltoff's NOTE> CAN THE WORLD LEARN TO LOVE LEWIS HAMILTON?
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