Motorsport on Monday: 21/07/14
PH motorsport columnist Sean explores the Hamilton conundrum
Yes, he's in the best car in the field, but to come from 20th on the grid to finish third, minimising the damage to championship rival, leader and teammate Nico Rosberg was nothing short of spectacular. For me, at least, it proves why Hamilton is the best driver on the grid.
But it also got me thinking about the person and why his racing can sometimes fluctuate between searingly hot performances where nobody can get near him, and more mediocre stints behind the wheel.
Success with McLaren, but tough times also
When he burst onto the scene in 2007, scoring a podium on his F1 debut, he injected a shot of interest for the passing Sunday afternoon fan. For those that had followed him through junior formulae and later GP2, it was no great surprise given the bags of talent and bags of money behind him having been backed by McLaren from an early age.
Here was a British sportsman who was humble but determined, driven yet not at all cocky - someone who was very good at their job and having fun with it.
After his championship victory a year later, Hamilton had a tumultuous time in Woking. The car simply wasn't quick enough, and Lewis' desire to win despite the MP4-24's lack of performance - in fact, the MP4-25, 26 and 27 while we're at it - came across to some as petulance.
Hamilton started in F1 seven years ago!
But when you've been conditioned all your racing life by being part of the McLaren family - knowing that when you get to the pinnacle of world motorsport you'll be racing for one of the most historic teams on the grid in likely one of the most sophisticated and capable race cars that season - for the machinery underneath you to not match your talent must be frustrating. Consistently finishing in fourth, fifth and sixth when you're used to winning and have the talent to must be hard.
Inevitably you're going to complain, which is part of the job. If a driver doesn't grumble, the technical side of things won't improve as quickly - but there's whinging and there's whinging. I'm sure Hamilton's detailed feedback helped further what the team were trying to do in terms of development, but how he faced up to the media, he didn't do himself any favours in the eyes of many.
That a post-race interview is one of the only forms of public outlet, often immediately after the event, it was always likely Hamilton's frustrations would show, but I think it's always been for the right reasons: because he wants to win, not because he expects to win.
This has made 2014 worth watching, right?
It also can't be difficult dealing with the media in your face constantly, but it's not as if Lewis has helped himself over the years.
From his presence on Twitter - including his dog Roscoe and his love of selfies with rap superstars - to misdemeanours on the road (I mean, who'd ever "deliberately lose traction" in an AMG...), his on-off relationship and moves to tax havens around the world, the press has played a big, prying part in Lewis's life.
He's a 'normal' F1 driver if there is such a thing. By that I mean he speaks his mind rather than rolling out the corporate party line. You know, "the car was good today but we couldn't capitalise on our performance during the race" - read it was slow in quali and even slower on Sunday. Hamilton often tells it how it is and for that, whatever else some may or may not like about the person or the driver, he deserves respect. And in fact, since he's been at Mercedes, it seems Hamilton has turned a corner.
Hamilton has fans but detractors too
His time at Merc could be classed as stage three of his F1 career, with his debut and success at McLaren stage one, and the time in between his switch stage two. The drive and determination is still there, but Hamilton is now harnessing his frustrations in a different way.
Nowhere was this more evident than Silverstone. After admitting he made a mistake aborting his hot lap in qualifying, starting the race from sixth, Hamilton heaped an incredible amount of pressure on himself at his home Grand Prix.
The nuances of words are fascinating here. He said, "I didn't feel good. I lost a lot of time at the beginning of the lap. I was already 1.5 seconds down", but that "it wasn't the engineers' fault." At McLaren, the word "we" might have been mentioned a few more times.
Is 2014 another championship year?
This same renewed attitude was present last weekend, with Hamilton seeming to extract even more determination from the unfortunate events in qualifying. Before an accident not of his making might have sent him into a dangerous downward spiral. Not now.
Importantly, he kept his championship hopes alive, too. And as a Brit, I for one hope Hamilton can add another world title to his tally.
Still, the race was quite entertaining as there were battles further down the field. It's all a bit meaningless when only one car is ever going to win though.
,you old sad miserable tw ats.Bizarre.
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