As I experienced in my career, the growing-up process in the public eye can be
a tricky one to navigate, and Lewis has been the focus of more attention
than most have had. In some senses you are thrust into maturity so young in
karting that you go through puberty later as a racing driver.
It has always felt like a roller-coaster journey with Lewis: that is part of
his appeal and what makes him a superstar sportsman. Far be it for me, as a
runner-up in the world championship, to give him advice, but you endear
yourself to the masses when it goes well, and open yourself up for ridicule
when it does not. Through moving away from his father’s guidance, to some
troublesome years at McLaren
and a difficult start to his Mercedes
career, Lewis has been put on that bumpy ride.
But this year there is an extra level of maturity. The way he dealt with
disappointment in Australia was hugely impressive. Whereas in the past we
might have seen a sullen Lewis, this year he took the positives and has been
flawless ever since. We saw controlled aggression to hold off his team-mate
in Bahrain, and displays of dominance in Malaysia and China.
Formula One has back at centre stage the polite, well-mannered, enthusiastic
young racer who we all knew and liked, that burst on to the scene in such
spectacular fashion all those years ago. As I found, you can fool others but
you cannot fool yourself: happiness comes from within and Lewis clearly
feels happy at this point in life. I believe Niki Lauda, Mercedes’ F1
chairman and a three-time world champion no less, has been instrumental in
Lewis’s new-found level of commitment. You do not go through what Niki has
been through, on and off track, and not have enormous amounts of wisdom to
impart to someone like Lewis. It is my understanding that over the winter
Lewis spent time with Niki, and he learnt from the man who is effectively
his boss what is required. The transformation has been obvious from Lewis’s
demeanour.
Gone are his dogs from the Mercedes motorhome, we have not seen his celebrity
girlfriend, Nicole Scherzinger, at races so far: the frills have been
stripped away and we are left with a honed, happy driver, who is putting his
unquestionable natural talent to excellent use. All we have really seen is
Lewis himself.
Heard but not seen: Nicole Scherzinger, Lewis Hamilton’s pop-star
girlfriend, has stayed away
Although he is four points behind Nico Rosberg – who should not be written off
in any respect – on form it will not be long before Lewis assumes the
championship lead. In the past, there was always the worry that something in
Lewis’s personal life, or an incident on track, could derail him or disturb
his progress. But for me, as F1 arrives in Spain at the start of the
European season, that worry seems to have evaporated.
Barcelona is traditionally a good indicator of how the rest of the season will
pan out. But even if Red
Bull make a further step forward after the remarkable transformation
of their fortunes from winter testing, history suggests a lead like the one
Mercedes have in performance will not be overcome. If Renault make the
promised improvements, it may be that Red Bull can mount a late charge, and
someone other than a Mercedes driver wins a race. But it is unlikely
Mercedes will suddenly fall off the pace away from the podium and towards
the rear of the top 10.
When Lewis won his famous victory at Interlagos six years ago it seemed as if
multiple world championships beckoned. Through growing pains, and the
failure of McLaren to deliver a consistently quick car, the story has had to
be rewritten somewhat. But finally the potential we all saw is coming to
fruition. Only Nico stands in Lewis’s way.