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Lewis Hamilton seems to have become an entirely different beast since the climax of the 2016 season. Not that he wasn’t winning championships earlier. But after Nico Rosberg broke his streak, Hamilton’s performances have only gone from strength to strength.
While that could lead many to believe that Rosberg was the one who unleashed the animal inside Lewis, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff does not think so.
According to Wolff, Rosberg’s victory in the 2016 championship did not contribute to Hamilton being the untamed machine that he is today.
Wolff said: “I don’t think that played any role. I think that pissed him off at the time and he just moved on. I don’t think there is anything in particular to learn that year.
“Nico was strong, Lewis had some retirements leading races and in the end, he is what he is.”
Hamilton went on to sweep 3 consecutive championships after the 2016 season. As it stands, you don’t want to bet against him reaching 4, equaling Michael Schumacher’s record in the process.
Instead, Wolff didn’t give credit to anyone but Lewis himself for unlocking an extra level within him.
He said, “What I see or realized in the last few years is their permanent self-analysis, how to improve, it has become really good at identifying weak points and then addressing them.
“And he has progressed over the years as a racing driver in the car and as a personality outside the car.”
Toto Wolff on what he admires in Lewis Hamilton
There is good talk of Hamilton’s constant desire for success and hunger for perfection. Heck, the man has the stats to prove it too.
But Wolff, as someone who has been there with Hamilton for a long time, spoke about how much he was and remains in awe of Lewis.
He said, “That is something that you see very rarely in people who are critical enough without punishing themselves to progress.
“Many others in Formula 1, or outside of Formula 1, you are quite stubborn, you are not very good at identifying your own shortcomings and therefore you get stuck in your development.
“And it is a pattern of thought that simply does not exist with him, it is the constant search for perfection.”
The Mercedes ace is just one good run away from sealing his seventh championship title. Could Turkey be the place where Hamilton makes the deal? We will find out soon.
