Lewis Hamilton equals Michael Schumacher’s F1 drivers’ championship record, sealing title No. 7 with victory in Turkish GP
Love him or hate him, Lewis Hamilton now seven world titles, joining Michael Schumacher at pinnacle of Formula One, so why does he continue to divide opinion?
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Lewis Hamilton has joined Michael Schumacher as the most successful driver in Formula One’s history with victory in Turkey — yet despite all the acclaim, the seven-time world champion divides opinion.
With 20.6 million Instagram followers Hamilton is by a country mile the most popular member of the Formula One grid, supported by an army of loyal fans known as ‘Team LH’.
“The greatest sportsman this country has ever produced — no doubts,” tweeted former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand after Hamilton crossed the finish line in Istanbul.
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Yet Hamilton’s rise to F1 legend status has been accompanied by articles in his homeland exploring the same question — ‘why is he disliked?’ Just as in Schmacher’s all-conquering era with Ferrari, Hamilton and Mercedes have become victims of their own success.
Mercedes are accused in the court of public opinion of being too good and turning the sport into a tedious procession — they have won the last seven constructors titles and Hamilton has won the last four world drivers titles.
Hamilton tackled the issue last season.
“It’s not how F1 should be, but it is what it is right now and it has been like that in the past,” he said.
“But it is not our fault these guys are good at their jobs.”
For The Times’ Rebecca Clancy, Hamilton’s decision to move to first Switzerland and then Monaco — in part to pay less tax — was at the heart of any anti-Hamilton sentiment.
Another obstacle for some British F1 fans was the support of the once mighty McLaren team which powered him to his first title in 2008.
“Britons like underdogs,” explained The Sun.
For The Daily Telegraph, the ‘Marmite’ factor (love him or loathe him) stems from the fact that “Hamilton’s tastes may not always sit perfectly with the traditional motor racing community”.
Celebrity friends, extravagant fashion sense, ‘bling’ jewellery, plentiful tattoos, his spiritualism, reactions which sometimes appear over the top, the negative picture he paints of his hometown Stevenage, his Anglo-American accent — all have been used as ammunition by his detractors.
His ‘detached’ manner also fires up his critics.
“It’s not in the tradition of British sporting heroes to be so removed,” wrote the Daily Mail’s F1 reporter, John McEvoy.
For some, it was Hamilton’s conversion to all things green and veganism in 2017 that jarred, coming from someone who criss-crosses the globe in a private jet — since sold — and spends much of his time behind the wheel of gas-guzzling F1 machines.
McEvoy wrote in the Mail in July: “The chief accusation against Hamilton is one of hypocrisy on several fronts.
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“Many F1 insiders have heard enough of Hamilton’s self-righteous preaching.”
F1’s first black driver has this season pressed for greater diversity in the paddock, a stance sparked by his vocal support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
He spoke out about the killing of George Floyd when no one else in his sport would and won widespread support for his stance.
But some observers have noted that his tone can sometimes be perceived as preaching and “can rub people the wrong way”.
His critics might not agree, but for many, like fellow British driver Lando Norris, Hamilton should be honoured, not criticised.
“There is only one other person in the whole world who has achieved what he has — and that’s Michael Schumacher,” the McLaren rookie said.
“He has led the way in many aspects — on the track, but also off it.
“A lot of athletes who have done such things in other sports have got knighthoods so I see no reason why he shouldn’t.
“It’s a good thing for kids who want to get into racing or who don’t know much about racing to be inspired by him and, obviously, try to achieve similar things.”
‘FOR THE KIDS’: SEVENTH HEAVEN FOR HAMILTON
By Michael Randall
Lewis Hamilton has joined legendary racer Michael Schumacher with a record seventh Formula 1 drivers’ championship after a stunning drive in brutal conditions in the Turkish Grand Prix.
The Brit negotiated the soaked track with the expertise of a driver who has now won 94 races from his 264 starts, with 163 podiums.
An elated — and tearful Hamilton — dedicated the race to young dreamers.
“That’s for all the kids out there who have dreamed the impossible, you can do it too, man, I believe in you guys, thank you so much everyone for your support,” Hamilton said over the team radio on his way back to pit lane celebrations.
7 x World Champion – that’s insane! Massively deserved. Surely one of the greatest achievements in the history of sports. Congratulations Lewis and enjoy the celebrations with your family and friends. #TurkishGP #F1
— Nico Rosberg (@nico_rosberg) November 15, 2020
Hamilton — with tyres almost worn to slick — crossed the line more than 30 seconds ahead of Racing Point’s Sergio Perez — who is yet to secure a drive in 2021, but did himself plenty of favours — and long-time rival Sebastian Vettel in his Ferrari.
Hamilton now owns F1 crowns in 2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 — the last four consecutive.
“I’m definitely a bit lost for words,” he said on the podium. “To my family, we dreamed of this when I was young when we were watching the grand prix and this is way, way beyond our dreams.
“It’s so important for kids out there to hopefully see this and know (not to) listen to (those who) tell you you can’t achieve something. Dream the impossible … never give up, never doubt yourself.
“It felt so far-fetched (seven titles), I remember watching Michael winning those championships.
“Just to get one or two or even three, it’s so hard to get, so seven is just unimaginable.”
Hamilton, 35, issued a warning to the rest of the F1 world: he’s going nowhere.
“I feel like I’m only just getting started, it’s really weird.”
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
The son of a black father and a white mother, whose parents separated in his youth, Hamilton, 35, grew up on a municipal housing estate.
His father Anthony, at one time, held down three jobs to fund his son’s embryonic racing career in karting.
Hamilton’s journey was unprivileged and without luxury, but it was clear from an early age that he had an outstanding gift for speed and all the gutsy natural instincts of a born racer.
In 1995, aged 10, and wearing a jacket and shoes borrowed from his predecessor as British Formula Cadet karting champion, he went to a glittering awards ceremony in London where he met McLaren’s then-boss Ron Dennis.
He asked for an autograph and told him “one day I want to race for you”.
Dennis replied: “Phone me in nine years and I’ll sort you a deal.”
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MERCURIAL, TEMPESTUOUS
Bold, determined and individual, he almost won the title in his first record-breaking season as he reeled off nine successive podiums from his debut in Melbourne, rocking the establishment along the way with his speed and his style.
On and off the track, he was fast, somewhat mercurial and occasionally tempestuous and the combination led to a fierce rivalry with teammate and two-time champion Fernando Alonso at McLaren.
That was a signal of how tough it was to be for all his future teammates as Hamilton, who narrowly missed out on the 2007 title, returned to triumph in 2008 with a dramatic last-gasp fifth-place finish in Brazil.
He also showed frustration as McLaren failed to deliver the speed to beat Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull, who reeled off four straight title triumphs from 2010 to 2013, by which time Hamilton had departed for Mercedes.
Escaping the management regime of Dennis and his father, Hamilton found freedom at Mercedes alongside teammate Nico Rosberg, his teenage karting friend and rival.
This enabled Hamilton to express himself with a headline-grabbing trans-Atlantic lifestyle, mixing with musicians and ‘fashionistas’.
He showed little love for any duty to obey conventions and, for many observers, gave his sport a welcome injection of freshness and diversity as champion again in 2014 and 2015.
Rosberg broke Hamilton’s sequence of supremacy in 2016 and then retired, leaving the Englishman to dominate.
His former McLaren teammate Jenson Button summed up Hamilton’s pure speed when he said: “For me, over one lap, I don’t think there is anyone as quick as Lewis and I don’t think there ever has been.”
NEVER SATISFIED
That speed, which has always been a natural talent, has in recent seasons been allied to a more mature attitude to his job as team leader.
Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff once summed up: “He is never satisfied. He never settles. He is never happy with where he is as a racing driver and a human being.” Having achieved so much as his sport’s best-known ambassador, Hamilton’s interest in social issues has emerged more frequently.
Last season, he began voicing his concerns for the environment and revealed a fleeting despair at the state of the world when he used Instagram to declare that the planet was “a messed-up place” and he felt he wanted “to give up”.
That commentary, including revelations about his vegan lifestyle, led to the man who frequently used private jets and occupies a sport hardly know for its green credentials being accused of hypocrisy.
“I’m only human,” he retorted. “Like everyone, we have up and down days. That’s what I’ve been really trying to convey.” This year has seen him press for greater diversity in the paddock, a push sparked by his vocal support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
His own career and his quest for self-expression and freedom has shaped his advice for young drivers.
“What I can definitely advise any kid that’s out there trying to race is don’t listen to people who tell you that you need a mental coach or you need someone to help control your mind,” he said.
“You need to let it run wild and free and discover yourself. It is all about discovery. And only you can do it.”
When Hamilton wrapped up his sixth world title in Texas last year, his father summed up his son’s achievement: “It’s absolutely amazing and not bad for a boy from a Stevenage council house.”
— With AFP
Originally published as Lewis Hamilton equals Michael Schumacher’s F1 drivers’ championship record, sealing title No. 7 with victory in Turkish GP
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