The Top Dog for Spain is...
- Published on May 23rd, 2011 by Benson Jammichello"Hot Rod or Hot Dog" is our regular post-grand prix column where we review all of the driver performances in that race. As part of the process, one driver is declared as Badger's "Top Dog"; it's not necessarily the winner and, to be honest, it could be for anything - even having your teeth done in a not terribly subtle way
It has to be...Hamilton
There will be those who disagree, there always are, but for us in The Sett there was one man who stood above the rest.
For the first part of the race it looked like Alonso might be en route to securing the coveted Top Dog prize at his home GP but then, as his race slipped away, he faded into irrelevance.
After Vettel passed Button, Massa and Rosberg (see here for a rather excellent little piece by Jimmy von Weeks concerning exactly that), it was looking as though Top Dog was his for the taking.
There was even a brief, mad, moment when we considered giving it to Button for his, "I'm doing three stops, so ner" attitude. We like that sort of thing here.
What none of them were counting on was the contribution to the race from a Mr. Lewis Hamilton. Fresh from reconstituting various aspects of his face (we'll leave you to work out which bits), he drove a wonderful race to challenge the Red Bull driver for victory.
No, he didn't win. No, he didn't quite manage to get close enough to have a go at the young German but, in all honesty, the Red Bull is the faster car, so to get anywhere near was quite an achievement.
As long as he can maintain his "best of the rest" position behind Vettel until McLaren provide him with a car capable of taking on, and beating, the Red Bull then we could be in for a blockbuster finish to the season. Or Vettel might just win everything. You never know, it's a toss up.
Anyway, well done Lewis, here's to another Top Dog award!
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On a slightly different note, it's interesting that we're not hearing so much about Hamilton's contract/moving to another team, isn't it? What's been promised, and to whom?
Comments and Discussion
Agreed Lewis is Top Dog. To get so close to Vettel on a track that suits Red Bull is very encouraging for the rest of the season. Counting the days to Monaco......
I don't agree I think vettel should take the prize for holding off Hamilton for so many laps without using kerrs half the time and when it was working he used it to perfection to hold of Hamilton charging at him with drs deployed! Deffo Driver of the day = seb ring da ding ding!
As a Button fan, even i have to admit i would give Top Dog to Lewis here! With Button and Vettel sharing a close joint second....Button chose a different strategy and made it work for him, chased down the field after a dismal start and made the passes where it counted, other than that bad start a flawless drive! Vettel drove probably in my opinion one of the better races of his career, proving at least as a one off he can overtake, then to hold off a charging McLaren was no small feet and even though he may have had the faster car it takes a driver of sheer class to drive 10 odd laps without error under that kind of pressure!
I don't know how I feel about the "ring a ding ding" or whatever it was Vettel said. Three years ago called, it wants its fad back.
I think the problem I have with awarding Vettel any Top Dog prize is that it's difficult to tell how well he's driving, as he's in the best car. Is par in the car Mark Webber's performance, or is it Vettel's? It's really quite hard to judge.
As ever, Ben, it's somewhere in the middle.
Ha - is that your dramatic insight for the day?
More like 10 years hahaha!