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There is no doubt that Lewis Hamilton is one of the best drivers in the history of Formula 1.
You could say that Hamilton is perfect. Quick in qualifying, quick in the race, great with car and tire handling, while providing detailed feedback in briefings to help improve the team and the car overall. If you were Toto Wolff, you couldn’t ask for more.
His inspiring action in recent times to promote equality, both in sport and in society, shows how sensible and passionate he is. Almost single-handedly, he has convinced the rest of the grid to join him in his battle.
Hamilton, however, has a problem, and it could be argued that it is his only problem, his victim complex that rears its ugly head at times and kicks in 10 minutes before the start of a race and for about an hour afterward.
We’ve gotten used to your constant musings on the team radio over the years, whether it’s about the condition of the tires, why the team opted for a certain tire or faced it at a certain time, strategy calls, etc. . These discussions, as bad as they look, seem to inspire during difficult periods of racing.
But Hamilton went one step further during post-race interviews in Russia. After effectively losing the race, one that had he won would have seen him match Michael Schumacher’s 91-win count, via two five-second penalties, the six-time defending champion suggested: “They [the FIA] They’re trying to stop me, right? ”
It was a poorly judged comment from someone held in high regard, who is destined to be a role model for emerging runners.
Hamilton may have raised his hands on social media two days later, blaming the tension for being high and saying that he is “just a human”.
That may be true, but in the end, Lewis has no one else to blame but himself and Mercedes for what happened in Sochi.
In fact, the same can be said for the 10-second penalty that the victory cost them at Monza. There is an unerring parallel between the two incidents.
The position of the practice start area in Sochi, and the pit closed signs in Monza, were described in the event-specific briefing notes of the FIA race director Michael Masi instead of the rule book.
So what was Hamilton doing at these briefings, and what is Mercedes doing over a weekend to break from such directives?
The situation is even more puzzling when he believes that the team and the driver communicated as the situation unfolded, believing he was perfectly within the guidelines to slide to the end of the pit exit before the start of his practice.
On the subject of the rule book, Hamilton needed to remember that because the penalty was served so early in the race, he couldn’t just add it to his time at the end. It’s not good looks when one of the most experienced drivers in the field is unaware of those basics.
On the other hand, Daniel Ricciardo received praise for his reaction to his own penalty. The Renault driver picked up a five-second addition for missing turn two, but instead of complaining, he simply apologized and drove faster to make up for it.
“It was actually pretty good in hindsight. It lit a little fire under my butt and I just kept going,” the Australian said.
The main thing was that Ricciardo directly blamed himself and no one else.
I understand why Hamilton and Mercedes thought the penalties were harsh, but would they have thought the same if the AlphaTauri coming out of the pit lane had crashed into the back of their stationary car? If it had stopped in the same place during the race, a safety car would have been deployed for safety reasons.
Ross Brawn, one of the men responsible for Hamilton’s switch from McLaren to Mercedes, advised in his weekly F1 column. he would “go away, lick my wounds and think about how I could prevent such incidents again in the future,” if he were in Hamilton’s position.
To be fair, there is some rationale as to why the Brit would have an “them versus me” mentality at this point. The new engine regulations surrounding ‘party modes’ were, to some extent, apparently an attempt to stifle Mercedes’ dominance.
But it may be time for Hamilton to realize that the FIA is not taking sides, and is leaning toward his at any rate at the moment. The organization, along with F1, is desperately trying to lay the groundwork to help Hamilton’s drive for equality and diversity in the sport, and rightly so.
The sport tends to distance itself from any political movement, demonstration or the like, but Hamilton was not penalized for his Breonna Taylor jersey at Mugello. Again, with good reason. Any punishment for that would have been absurd, but we must also remember that it was contrary to the FIA statutes.
The Motorsport governing body was keen to lean towards Hamilton on that occasion, one might assume that is due to the positive message he has conveyed in general to end racism, although it has now updated its guidelines for the future.
Leaving Sochi, Hamilton is still on his way to a seventh F1 title, as his 44-point lead over teammate Valtteri Bottas is dominant. It’s not that the penalties you’ve received lately have reduced your mattress to practically nothing.
Petulant and disposable comments, similar to those of the Russian Grand Prix, needlessly erase a rather outstanding notebook.
Before you leave…
Red Bull hopes for a cure for Albon’s “sensitive” car problems
Schumacher, a “champion in the making”: Alfa Romeo boss
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