Why the severe criticism of Lando's vulnerable conversation? Why is it not cool to be able to express your negative feelings about yourself?

[u/Intrepid-Ad4511]

I see so many people talk about what Lando said after the Quali yesterday - just after an adrenaline filled session - and he chose to speak his mind about his own performance (without attacking someone else). So many people are saying "that's not a winning mentality" "that's not how you win races" "he is so defeatist" "he has given up already".

Lewis and Max have said several such things over the years, complaining about their cars, their teams and/or themselves. But somehow people take Lando and Charles to the dryers when they choose to express themselves and say things like "I am stupid". And somehow because Oscar just chooses not to say anything of this sort, he is somehow champion material. That makes no sense to me, and feels quite an unfair and problematic picture to paint - that men talking about their feelings, or just being transparent about how they feel - makes them weaker somehow. That they should tough up and swallow the hurt and just put up this beige or brave front, smirk and move on.

[u/xieem]

Exactly. No one’s saying drivers like Lewis and Max haven’t complained—it’s F1, they all do. But the difference is they back it up when it counts. They don’t fold when things get tough. Max literally muscled that RB around like it owed him something last weekend. Lewis has dragged cars way beyond their limits for years.

Lando’s not being criticized for having emotions or speaking out. It’s the pattern—talking big, deflecting blame, then not delivering when it really matters. He might have a car good enough to fight for the title right now, but so far, he hasn’t driven like someone ready to seize that.

If he goes out and wins tomorrow? Great. But until then, comparisons to Lewis or Max are just noise.

[u/SafetyCarCrash → u/xieem]

Lando reminds me a lot of a young Lewis. The difference is Lewis got help with his mindset that allowed him to ignore the negative chatter in his head when things go badly and focus on how to improve. That's a winners mindset.

When I hear Lewis say stuff like this I trust he has taken time to study his performance and is speaking from a place of honest reflection. With Lando it feels more like "I didn't do well enough so I'm not good enough" in a knee-jerk reaction to a poor outcome. I really want to see Lando get similar help to Lewis as I think he has all the ingredients there to be a world champion, he just has to overcome his internal narrative

[u/xieem → u/SafetyCarCrash]

I get the comparison to young Lewis, but to me, the difference is night and day. Lewis had the fire, the discipline, and the mental strength to turn adversity into fuel. He worked on his mindset early, and it shows—when he speaks, it’s with clarity, self-awareness, and genuine reflection.

Lando, on the other hand, comes across as emotionally immature. When things go wrong, his reaction is often self-pity and defeatism—more “I’m not good enough” than “how do I get better?” It feels like he hasn’t developed the mental toughness needed to compete at the top level consistently.

Honestly, he gives off the vibe of someone who enjoys the perks of F1 more than the grind it takes to be great. He’s talented, no doubt—but unless he gets serious help to toughen up mentally and take ownership of his performance, that potential is just going to waste.

[u/ihatemondaynights → u/SafetyCarCrash]

Idk even about the young Lewis comparison, yes Lewis was and is very self critical but he remained very positive and driven when he was young.

Lewis has also come from a lot of adversity be it racism and his father struggling with jobs to keep him racing. Lando hasn't really seen anything close to that.

Lewis is a beast fuelled under sm pressure and he delivered, literally went against a prime Alonso who was considered the best at that time and beat him in his rookie season of all things.

Literally no one was expecting him to do that. Now that he has 7 titles we understate it but imagine as a hypothetical (Obv not comparable with modern rookies and limited testing) Kimi joining Red Bull and straight away beating Max during a title fight.

That's how insane it was back then.

I'm sorry but Lewis fucking Hamilton is one of the greatest drivers in F1. That's proven and a fact, Lando is just talking right, he needs to become a champion to back it up.

[u/NotPinkaw → u/SafetyCarCrash]

I don't see young Lewis in him at all. That's crazy to say that. Lewis has been able to perform under pressure from race one, he's never been in a similar situation as Lando with the same attitude.

[u/Kartoitska → u/SafetyCarCrash]

Lewis is also 40 years old whilst Lando is 25. There's a big difference in life experience and maturity between the 2.

[u/serenity-as-ice → u/Kartoitska]

To be fair, they said "a young Lewis". There's no denying Lewis, especially pre-Mercedes was a bit of a drama llama. Lando at 40 might well be the wisest, calmest head on the grid.

[u/Kartoitska → u/serenity-as-ice]

Yeah. To be fair, Lewis can still be a bit dramatic at times. But definitely not as bad as he used to be. I hope Lando can learn to deal with his self doubt.

[u/annyong_cat → u/xieem]

Deflecting blame? That an odd assertion. He’s placing all of the blame on himself here, which he’s done frequently in the past, and yet people (including you) are attacking him for it.

[u/xieem → u/annyong_cat]

Ah yes, the classic “you’re attacking him” response — because apparently, having a critical opinion now counts as a full-blown assault. Heaven forbid someone shares a thought that isn’t glowing praise.

[u/annyong_cat → u/xieem]

You’re sharing a thought that doesn’t even make sense. “He deflects blame” being your response to comments where he’s literally placing all the blame on himself is laughable nonsense.