F1 Racing - UK (2020-03)

GP RACING MARCH 2020 43

Had Hamiltonfi nished third, behind

Räikkönen and Alonso, he would have been

champion. But McLaren left him out too long on

worn intermediate tyres in drying conditions.

The rubber was down to the canvas by the time

he was summoned in, and he lost the car in the

pit lane, sliding agonisingly into a gravel trap,

where he became stuck.

Räikkönen won the race and then, when

Ferrari held team-mate Felipe Massa in the pits

at the fi nale in Brazil just long enough for the

Finn to pass him for thelead, and Hamilton

struggled to seventh after a problem-afflicted

race, Räikkönen snatched the title from

McLaren’s grasp. Hamilton’sfi rst championship

would haveto wait for another year. It was not

as good a season as he had driven in 2007 –

there were too manyerrors – but when Hamilton

famously passed Timo Glock’s Toyota at the

last corner of the last lap at Interlagos, while

Ferrari and FelipeMassa celebrated a title

they believedto be theirs, few would have said

Lewis didn’t deserve it.

At that time, it seemed impossible that

Hamilton would have to wait another six years

to win again, such an impression had he made.

But McLaren’s 2009 car was a dog – although

Hamilton still managed to win two races with

it after a mid-season upgrade. And from 2010

McLaren was alwaysthere or thereabouts

but could rarely matchthe pace of Red Bull’s

Sebastian Vettel, who romped tofour titles in a

row as Hamilton watched through gritted teeth.

Even Hamilton’s reputation as the fastest

driver in F1 was beingundermined by Vettel’s

blizzard of poles, and therewere dark periods

and controversies. ‘Lie-gate’ in 2009, when

Lewis had to apologise for misleading stewards

in Australia, on the instruction of team manager

Dave Ryan, who lost his job. And then the

‘Ali G’ storm in Monaco 2011, when Hamilton

referenced Sacha Baron Cohen’s spoof character

in an ill-advised attempt at a joke after the race

and seemed to suggest the number of penalties

he was receiving wasdown to racism.

As a whole, 2011 was a difficult year for

Hamilton. His break-up withgirlfriend Nicole

Scherzinger hit him hard. He was involved

in a number of incidents. And through these

four years the frustration in Hamilton grew.

He thought he knew hewas better than Vettel,

so it hurt watching the German win allthose

races. At the same time, Hamilton’s relationship

with Dennis deteriorated, and by the summer of

2012 was in a really bad place.

Mercedes grasped the opportunity. Team

boss Ross Brawn and non-executive director

Niki Lauda worked on Hamilton toconvince him

that they were in good shape for the forthcoming

hybrid era and he should join them.

1991

BELGIAN GP

Debutsfor Jordan,

but snapped upby

Benetton after

one race

1996

Moves toFerrari and is

joinedbyBenetton’s Ross

Brawn and Rory Byrne

1995

Wins second

drivers’ title with

Benetton

1992

BELGIAN GP

Winsfi rst race a

year after his debut

1994

AUSTRALIAN GP

Beats Damon Hilltowin

fi rst championship in

controversial fashion

2000

JAPANESE GP

Wins third drivers’ title andfi rst

withFerrari with a racetospare

PICTURE

:RAINER SCHLEGELMILCH

MERCEDES

GP RACING MARCH 2020 43

Had Hamiltonfi nished third, behind

Räikkönen and Alonso, he would have been

champion. But McLaren left him out too long on

worn intermediate tyres in drying conditions.

The rubber was down to the canvas by the time

he was summoned in, and he lost the car in the

pit lane, sliding agonisingly into a gravel trap,

where he became stuck.

Räikkönen won the race and then, when

Ferrari held team-mate Felipe Massa in the pits

at the fi nale in Brazil just long enough for the

Finn to pass him for thelead, and Hamilton

struggled to seventh after a problem-afflicted

race, Räikkönen snatched the title from

McLaren’s grasp. Hamilton’sfi rst championship

would haveto wait for another year. It was not

as good a season as he had driven in 2007 –

there were too manyerrors – but when Hamilton

famously passed Timo Glock’s Toyota at the

last corner of the last lap at Interlagos, while

Ferrari and FelipeMassa celebrated a title

they believedto be theirs, few would have said

Lewis didn’t deserve it.

At that time, it seemed impossible that

Hamilton would have to wait another six years

to win again, such an impression had he made.

But McLaren’s 2009 car was a dog – although

Hamilton still managed to win two races with

it after a mid-season upgrade. And from 2010

McLaren was alwaysthere or thereabouts

but could rarely matchthe pace of Red Bull’s

Sebastian Vettel, who romped tofour titles in a

row as Hamilton watched through gritted teeth.

Even Hamilton’s reputation as the fastest

driver in F1 was beingundermined by Vettel’s

blizzard of poles, and therewere dark periods

and controversies. ‘Lie-gate’ in 2009, when

Lewis had to apologise for misleading stewards

in Australia, on the instruction of team manager

Dave Ryan, who lost his job. And then the

‘Ali G’ storm in Monaco 2011, when Hamilton

referenced Sacha Baron Cohen’s spoof character

in an ill-advised attempt at a joke after the race

and seemed to suggest the number of penalties

he was receiving wasdown to racism.

As a whole, 2011 was a difficult year for

Hamilton. His break-up withgirlfriend Nicole

Scherzinger hit him hard. He was involved

in a number of incidents. And through these

four years the frustration in Hamilton grew.

He thought he knew hewas better than Vettel,

so it hurt watching the German win allthose

races. At the same time, Hamilton’s relationship

with Dennis deteriorated, and by the summer of

2012 was in a really bad place.

Mercedes grasped the opportunity. Team

boss Ross Brawn and non-executive director

Niki Lauda worked on Hamilton toconvince him

that they were in good shape for the forthcoming

hybrid era and he should join them.

1991

BELGIAN GP

Debutsfor Jordan,

but snapped upby

Benetton after

one race

1996

Moves toFerrari and is

joinedbyBenetton’s Ross

Brawn and Rory Byrne

1995

Wins second

drivers’ title with

Benetton

1992

BELGIAN GP

Winsfi rst race a

year after his debut

1994
AUSTRALIAN GP
Beats Damon Hilltowin
fi rst championship in
controversial fashion

2000

JAPANESE GP

Wins third drivers’ title andfi rst

withFerrari with a racetospare

PICTURE

:RAINER SCHLEGELMILCH

MERCEDES