“On the other side, there is a guy like Lewis who is more of a pure racing
driver. But I think he [Hamilton] should change a little bit and look into
other things because he could be surprised.
“Before, you had the car in your hands. It was a raw package. But now it is a
package that will suit someone like Sebastian.”
To talk to those in the know in Formula One, it seems it is difficult to
overstate just what an impact the new ‘power train’ is going to have on the
racing next year.
The introduction of a far more powerful energy-recovery system than we have at
present – a “hairy-chested” version of the current KERS to quote Renault F1
technical director Rob White – allied to a 60kg reduction in starting fuel
loads, means that drivers will have to think extremely carefully about when
and how to deploy the power at their disposal.
Even more so than this season, outright pace is likely to be sacrificed for
consistent lap times, wheel-to-wheel racing for predetermined race
strategies. Efficiency and consistency will be the buzzwords in this new
formula.
Prost feels that Hamilton’s particular skill set – great natural pace, raw
aggression and innate overtaking ability – might have been better suited to
a less complicated era of racing.
“Now you are not driving by yourself,” the Frenchman explained. “You are going
to have all this computerised equipment behind you and you might get a
different reaction. Maybe when we meet in March, maybe we will say something
different, but at the moment, I have to say yes [the regulations will suit
Vettel rather than Hamilton].
“I consider Lewis as one of the quickest drivers, maybe one of the best. But
is he using his fully potential? Maybe not. Maybe next year he will find
another motivation, but at the moment he is finding it very hard to beat
Sebastian.”
Prost’s assessment came as Hamilton conceded that he might never win another
title.
In an admission one could never have imagined him making when he exploded on
to the scene in 2007 and declared his intention to emulate his hero Senna,
Hamilton said that he was no longer as bothered by winning as he used to be.
“I have confidence we’ll be competitive next year but you never know,” the
28-year-old wrote in his BBC column.
“Maybe circumstances mean that I never win the world championship again. A
while ago, that would have been a scary thought, but it isn’t so much any
more.
“To have opened up doors to other cultures and races trying to get into F1
means a lot to me. Now, there are black people at grands prix, as well as
Indians and other Asians.
“I’m massively proud to have been in the privileged position to be a
trailblazer in my sport, someone who has broken the mould, in the same way
as the Williams sisters are in tennis or Tiger Woods is in golf. Hopefully others will come through in the future.
“I want to race as long as I can and win as much as possible, but I also want
to contribute to positive things in the world.”