Lewis Hamilton may divide opinion, but there can be no doubt that he is one of the Formula One greats after his third World Championship. Some might point to the dominance of the Mercedes package the last two years, but his car has been no more dominant than Vettel’s Red Bull, Schumacher’s Ferrari or even Ayrton Senna’s McLaren and Williams. The only thing missing from his CV, perhaps, is that he has not had a teammate who has been his equal, winning the first of his championships with Heikki Kovalainen, the McLaren number two, and his last two championships with Nico Rosberg in his mirrors.
Last season appeared closer than it was owing to the large share of Mercedes bad luck going Hamilton’s way, but this year a relentless Hamilton has made it look easy, and the pressure has been reversed. The Hamilton of last year would have released his anger after the Mercedes pit-stop strategy failure in Monaco; this year, he contained his emotions, saying only that he “will come back and try to be a bit stronger”. And that has been the theme of the year. The struggles of last year appear to have brought out the very best in Hamilton, so that virtually from race one in Melbourne, there has been no doubt about where the championship has been heading, even as early media coverage hoped to make the most of the Mercedes rivalry. Rosberg’s refusal to congratulate Hamilton on the Austin podium won’t have off ended him; if anything, it just underlines the extent to which Hamilton has beaten Rosberg both on and off the track.
To his detriment, at times Hamilton wears his heart on his sleeve. In always telling it how it is, he gives us an insight into the emotions of a Formula 1 race driver. This makes him easy to relate to at times, but also incredibly frustrating. It’s also refreshing to see genuine emotion in a sport that often gets called boring because “it’s just about who has the quickest car”. In 2007, it was arguably the pressure of leading the world championship that caused his bid to crumble in the closing stages of the season. Over his five barren years at McLaren, the frustration often showed.
One wonders how he would have felt if he had stayed at McLaren and had to endure this year. Certainly there wouldn’t have been the humility and patience that Jenson Button has shown. Formula 1 never has been the most action-packed version of motorsport on track, but Hamilton has carved out a niche in being as much a celebrity personality as he is a racing driver.
Although it’s been a relatively comfortable third title for Hamilton, Vettel’s Ferrari has been closing the gap all season and Singapore showed that, on a circuit where power matters less, the chassis on both the Red Bull and Ferrari cars are more than a match for the Mercedes. It’s fair to say that Formula 1’s oldest and most successful constructor is due a world title – and who better to lead the charge than the other triple champion on the current grid? A dormant Fernando Alonso, considered by many to be the strongest driver, could also produce a challenge and he would only need half a chance to seize his third world championship. Hamilton may say that his aim has always been to match Senna’s three world titles, but I have no doubt that his eyes are already on Vettel’s four and perhaps even Schumacher’s seven.
Hamilton is no longer the boy who launched onto the scene in 2007 with bundles of talent but a hot head. He now knows what it takes to win a world championship and he will be straight out of the blocks in Melbourne next year.
