Records are there to be broken. But there's a whole lot more to Lewis Hamilton than just breaking records.
There were a few talking points as to why Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes agreed a one-year contract extension in February 2021 for the 2021 Formula 1 season. It was never in any doubt, yet rumours circulated about speculated sticking points in discussions. But team principal Toto Wolff set the record straight. Constraints caused by the pandemic had prompted talks to be deferred until the 2020 season was completed. And both sides wanted the flexibility that the duration of a one-year deal provided.
It’s no surprise that Hamilton and Mercedes wanted to continue. Hamilton is now the statistical GOAT in F1. To date, he has secured seven Drivers’ Championships, equalling the record set by Michael Schumacher. He has won 95 Grand Prix’s, the most of any driver in F1 history. He has 165 podiums, the most of any driver in F1 history. He has 98 pole positions, the most of any driver in F1 history. He has accumulated 3778 points, the most of any driver in F1 history. There are races when Hamilton is just unbeatable, and you wonder why rival drivers and teams even bother at all.
But Hamilton’s statistics are even more impressive taken in context with the 266 races he’s started. He has won 35.7% of races. That means one in every three races Hamilton has started, he’s won. He has claimed 36.8% of pole positions in qualifying. That means one in every three races Hamilton has started, he’s been on pole. Hamilton has finished on the podium in 62% of races that he’s started. And Hamilton has finished in a point scoring position in 86.1% of races started. These phenomenal achievements ensure Hamilton is immortalised in F1 folklore.
And with Hamilton and Mercedes agreeing to extend their sporting partnership for a ninth season in 2021, the British driver can target an eighth Drivers’ Championship, an outright record, and move the statistical goalposts of his F1 career even further into the distance. The Hamilton and Mercedes story has written chapters of relentless success. It’s a symbiotic partnership: the Hamilton juggernaut would not be possible without the Mercedes powerhouse. That collaboration subscribes to a shared philosophy focused on continual improvement. It’s resulted in unprecedented domination of the turbo-hybrid era in F1.
"Hamilton is a ruthless winning machine. A sporting superstar. He is the GOAT. You run out of superlatives to describe him"
Hamilton told F1: "Every year, I write down where I’m not great, because there’s plenty of places where I’m not great. I’m not really great at communicating sometimes, so how can I do that better with Bono and the guys. How can I be more positive when I come to work and be more uplifting rather than a drag on people. In the car, how can I understand these buttons better? How can I understand these tyres better? It takes a lot of studying."
What distinguishes Hamilton as a driver is his natural talent, his skillset is sprinkled with stardust. That instinctive understanding of racing gives him an extra edge compared to rivals. But talent without training is nothing. Hamilton has added strings to his bow too. His trademark driving style has adapted to extract the maximum performance potential out of the cars he’s driven during his career. That evolution has also brought out the best in himself as a driver. His special talents are highlighted in changeable track conditions, he often reigns supreme when the circumstances arise.
Hamilton is operating at the peak of his powers. And yet at the age of 36, he continues to develop and improve his driving. There’s no sign of his pure speed, his raw talent fading away. His aggressive race craft has mellowed with experience. Hamilton has tempered his racing with a more cautious approach. His mental capacity has developed greater awareness for better race management. The reduction of reckless risk-taking in races has resulted in him cutting out avoidable mistakes. It’s put another record to his name. Hamilton has scored 48 consecutive points finishes, from the British GP in 2018 to the Bahrain GP in 2020, the most in F1.
Hamilton is a ruthless winning machine. A sporting superstar. He is the GOAT. You run out of superlatives to describe him. That decision to leave McLaren for Mercedes in 2013 has proved to be the right one. A second Drivers’ Championship hadn’t prevailed. McLaren weren’t producing a fast enough car. Hamilton’s faith in McLaren was fading. As it transpired, McLaren were a team in decline. Hamilton had spoken of wanting a change, a fresh challenge. But there were other contributory factors that prompted Hamilton’s departure too.
Hamilton was in a controlled environment at McLaren. His dad Anthony and McLaren team principal Ron Dennis exerted excessive power over Hamilton’s F1 career and life. Hamilton wanted to break free from those shackles. Mercedes and Hamilton had been talking since the start of 2012. The final straw came in the summer, when Dennis made damaging personal accusations about Hamilton to Daimler boss Dieter Zetsche in an attempt to discourage Mercedes from recruiting him. When Hamilton got wind of what had happened, he was incandescent. At the time, the actions broke Hamilton’s relationship with Dennis beyond repair.
In September 2012, Hamilton and Mercedes had brokered a three-year contract. Hamilton’s fate was in his own hands. He felt a strong allegiance to McLaren, the team that had given him his big break in F1. But the prospect of the Mercedes project and the contract package proved too tempting to turn down. It was a huge blow for McLaren and a master stroke for Mercedes. Non-executive chairman Niki Lauda was said to have been pivotal in persuading Hamilton to join the team.
Looking back, Hamilton told BBC Sport: "That was one of the most difficult moments. I have been a very loyal person, I had been with McLaren since I was 13, so to decide to leave a team that had given me a place in the sport and to call your boss and tell them you’re leaving was damaging and emotionally difficult."
The contract package that Hamilton and Mercedes had agreed included aspects that had been denied in the contract package with McLaren. Hamilton wanted greater liberty to develop his own brand. The terms with McLaren restricted his aspirations, whereas the terms with Mercedes granted him that opportunity. Hamilton has interests that transcend F1. Having reclaimed his independence, he attended fashion shows and events. And when Hamilton – who has a passion for fashion – met American designer Tommy Hilfiger – who has an interest in racing – the latter proposed creating a capsule clothing collection.
"Hamilton’s foray into the fashion industry flies in the face of the conservative culture that exists in some sections of the F1 establishment"
Since that initial iteration, the collaboration has extended to five instalments. The partnership has distinguished itself with a contemporary but urban identity that reflects the DNA of the Tommy Hilfiger brand, and mirrors Lewis Hamilton’s fashion sense. The Fall 2020 TommyXLewis Collection focused on greater use of sustainable materials in outfits. Close to 80% of pieces feature recycled denim and organic cotton. Hamilton’s foray into the fashion industry flies in the face of the conservative culture that exists in some sections of the F1 establishment. In doing so, Hamilton has defied convention and expectations of an F1 driver.
Hamilton told UBS: "This is like the height of my career, but I really want to capitalise on it and build foundations strong enough that when I stop, I have something decent to do. But what I have discovered is designing and fashion has become my super main focus. As soon as I leave the track, I’m focused on giving absolutely everything on building that with this opportunity I have."
But Hamilton’s exploits off the track reach beyond the realms fashion though. He has become an influential voice in areas of activism too. Hamilton is the advocate of several worthy and just causes, one being the Black Lives Matter movement. In the wake of the death of George Floyd in America, the atrocity sparked a backlash of worldwide protests demanding greater action for equality and inclusivity for BAME people in society. But F1 stayed silent on the issue. Hamilton single-handedly compelled F1 to respond in solidarity with the rallying calls for change.
Hamilton told F1: "When you talk about Black Lives Matter, and when you talk about diversity, it doesn’t mean you want to swap people out and make it all a completely different colour, it’s about making it more diverse and more reflective of the outside world, and the opportunities are systemic, the racism is systemic."
For Hamilton, the time for token gestures was over. He was the first black driver to race in F1 in 2007. He still is in 2021. To tackle this disparity, The Hamilton Commission has been set up in partnership with the Royal Academy of Engineering. It will conduct research to understand the institutional barriers that block BAME people from being recruited in UK motorsport. This project has been in motion since December 2019, but was publicly revealed in June 2020 to correspond with the exposure of the Black Lives Matter movement. It's been considered in the new contract between Hamilton and Mercedes too. A joint charitable foundation will be established with the aim of increasing diversity in motorsport. Part of Hamilton's legacy is intertwined with this long term project.
Hamilton said: "I’m determined to continue the journey we started to make motorsport more diverse for future generations and I am grateful that Mercedes has been extremely supportive of my call to address this issue. We are taking that effort further this year by launching a foundation dedicated to diversity and inclusion in the sport."
Hamilton has also supported philanthropical ventures. He donated £383,000 to fire services and animal welfare charities in the aftermath of bushfires in Australia in 2020. The fires were cause by the escalating climate crisis, another subject Hamilton has spoken about. In extension to that, he has entered a team into the Extreme E racing series, called X44. Electric SUVs will race at five remote locations against nine other entrants to raise awareness of environmental problems. It's evident that Hamilton wants to have a constructive impact on the world and create positive change. Extreme E fuses two of Hamilton's interests in one. His involvement brings publicity, and it shows that he does care.
Nevertheless, Hamilton is a polarising figure. Some people just love to hate him. I find the reasons why mildly amusing. Detractors will claim that Hamilton’s interests outside F1 are a distraction, and that he’s not focused on his F1 career. Critics will prattle on about his passion for fashion with a sense of bafflement. Denigrators will gabble on about how he likes composing music with a tone of derision. Hamilton has broken the mould of a traditional racing driver, and some people don’t like that. In that close-minded view, people chastise him for what they see as an affront to what an F1 driver should be.
"Hamilton can reach demographics that no other driver can, demographics that would otherwise be hard for Mercedes and F1 to connect with"
But these bizarre claims cited for disliking Hamilton can be quashed. Exploring his interests don’t seem to have had a detrimental impact on his F1 career. Hamilton is the statistical GOAT in F1. Far from having negative influence, Hamilton’s interests outside F1 can be interpreted as positive. Hamilton can reach demographics that no other driver can, demographics that would otherwise be hard for Mercedes and F1 to connect with. That lucrative marketability of the Lewis Hamilton brand is invaluable to Mercedes and to F1. From a marketing perspective, Hamilton is box office.
However, the vitriol he receives in response is curious. Hamilton does good deeds and explores his interests to the benefit of Mercedes and F1. What motives can people possibly have for disliking him? Perhaps some don’t like him because they are jealous of his achievements. Maybe his relentless success drains interest from the sporting spectacle of F1. Or possibly some don’t like him for a more sinister reason, like that he’s a black person from a disadvantaged background in an industry that’s monopolised by white people from privileged backgrounds. That's all I can deduce. There is one example of plausible discord though. The only justifiable bone of contention with Hamilton is that he is resident in Monaco. We all know why. It’s notorious for income tax avoidance. That fact doesn’t do Hamilton any reputational favours. It is legal, but it's not moral.
All the same, Hamilton’s story is still inspirational. Lewis came from a disadvantaged background. His dad Anthony lived in a council house in Stevenage and worked in IT. Lewis’ karting needed significant financial support to sustain it. That meant his dad working up to four jobs at a time as a double-glazing salesman, putting up signs for estate agents and dishwashing. But money wasn’t the only problem. Lewis was the first black driver ever to race in the sport. The Hamilton family were often the only black people at kart races, and there was racial abuse. The struggles have scarred Lewis. But Anthony is the man behind the man that made the rags to riches story of Lewis possible.
Hamilton told UBS: "The struggles with me and my dad, struggling to provide for the family, to keep us Karting, that’s really what ignited everything. I’ve had parents of other drivers come and tell me, ‘you’re just not good enough, you’re never going to make it’. I’ve had teachers tell me ‘you’re never going to make it’. To see that I was able to lean back and have a father figure who was right there to back me up. This guy would, you know, go to war for me. That’s something very empowering."
Yet Hamilton won't be racing forever. Everyone's time must pass. The commentariat get hysterical about who will replace him. But it's a debate to no avail. From my perspective, I don’t see any driver on the current F1 grid that can match Hamilton’s reach. There isn't a driver that can tick all of the boxes that Hamilton does. His interests outside F1 make him the most recognisable driver on the current F1 grid to casual and non-F1 fans. And that makes Hamilton bigger than Formula 1. Hamilton is irreplaceable. He’s one of a kind on and off the track. Make the most of him.
Photos: Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, Tommy Hilfiger, teamX44
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