But that does leave him open to questions about his mind management when push
comes to shove. There is also a debate about whether Lewis’s team-mate, Nico
Rosberg, is better suited to this new formula for 2014, when drivers will be
keeping a keen eye on their fuel consumption with the new engines and
limited supply for each race.
I do not subscribe to that view. Quick racing drivers are quick racing
drivers, and the teams are able to manage fuel efficiency without too much
input from the driver. What this does mean, however, is we will see some
drivers on totally different fuel strategies to others.
Whether Lewis will be able to handle being told Nico is faster, because of a
different strategy, and he must be allowed through, is a fair question.
There were times last season when we heard Lewis sounding extremely agitated
on his team radio, whereas Nico seemed able to process the information he
was being given in a calmer way.
If, as it seems from testing, Mercedes are a front-running team, then who
emerges on top out of Lewis and Nico will be one of the most fascinating
stories this season.
The value of both of them to the team, and in F1 generally, will hinge on
their performances alongside each other.
If Lewis is beaten, Nico’s worth will go up considerably, and it could spell
danger for the 2008 champion. It will not take away his skill or his world
championship, but it will not reflect well on his market value, and
therefore on his future opportunities in the sport.
Lewis will not run out of speed, but it may turn out that the amount of
interaction and management required this year will not suit him, compared to
the much more attacking kind of formula when he won his championship.
At the moment, he is delivering. But Nico has kept him honest, much more so
than people had expected.
Even when Nico was alongside Michael
Schumacher, and consistently outperformed his older compatriot,
people were unsure about him.
But as the superstar spotlight has been on Lewis – who I think will be being
paid considerably more – Nico has been quietly working, and delivering
results.
It will be nip and tuck between the pair of them, as with Fernando Alonso and
Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari.
But if the tyres allow him to be aggressive, I think Lewis might just edge
it. He is marginally the favourite, but he must overcome those niggling
doubts.
Lewis is on the crest of the wave, and it is one he needs to take full
advantage of this year. He cannot have another year like 2011, when he was
often out-raced by Jenson
Button and it seemed as if his mind was not fully focused on F1.
He has always cited Ayrton Senna, the great three-time world champion, who
died 20 years ago in May, as his inspiration. And for a long time it seemed
as if, like his hero, Lewis was certain to win multiple championships.
Now it is much more of an unknown. This is not a make or break year for Lewis,
but it will become clear in 2014 whether he is on the right path to becoming
a multiple world champion and true great of F1.