Lewis Hamilton, 11 years ago he came into the sport just aged 22- funny thing is he was young for a driver coming in back then. Now it is a given you enter at 22 years of age. In his first year of formula one he certainly impressed, in his second season he was champion. But 2018, it seems 10 years later, his fifth world title has been labelled as his best.
This is the best, I’ve ever seen Lewis Hamilton.
It’s bee by far his best year. But has it really. Australia, he pulled out a beautiful pole lap once again, showing why he is the qualifying king. But the race, he was let down, by his beloved Mercedes. It seemed from that race in Melbourne to Baku. He faded away, he was not in that form, that we have all come to know so well.
He should have won in Australia; Ferrari alike must admit that. But Vettel he had to take it in his stride and go for it. It seemed that qualifying was the only place he showed up in first quarter, and it was only really one qualifying- Australia. Bahrain, his teammate showed feet was the stand out Mercedes driver that day. Unless, you look at that amazing three car overtake, Hamilton did. But overall, even in China, the Mercedes was meant to be strong, Hamilton was meant to be strong but he wasn’t.
Hamilton, see his qualifying forever his strength. But in those first races of 2018, it really was not. It almost became his weakness, a Saturday, was not where he showed everyone his true pace.
It was almost a worry, among all of us. When Red Bull took a win before Mercedes. However, it seemed Mercedes could have won the first three races so easily, it was just such a little mistake that cost them. Bahrain, was no mistake though, they’d played it perfect. But, it seemed Mercedes were weak in their strategy, they were not at their full capacity.
I don’t think you can describe Hamilton’s year as flawless, due to these first couple of races. But then finally he started to win again. Baku, sure great and everything but not his win to take on his shoulders. However, the Mercedes “tyres” appeared and they had the pace on these thinner tread tyres, it worked so well in their favour.
Barcelona, was where I think it clicked properly. He was finally back in it, finally ready to race. It is where his season started to take off because he took his dominant wins which he knows so well in a Mercedes car. He had the championship lead in his hands just by the factor of him somehow winning the race in Baku.
The triple header, let’s go forward to that. Because you look at Montreal, a track he knows and loves, he did not really turn up did he. It’s another race, where you have to look and say it part of the reason this season was not flawless. But he took a mega win in France. But then Austria. The unknown occurred. A Mercedes double DNF due to a mechanical issue, it just does not seem thinkable. But Mercedes had already lost the race by that point due to that strategy. But, this was the point where, I think Mercedes realised, they were no longer the best car and they were going to have to work so hard to get either championship. Toto Wolff went off and sent an email, to the whole team saying they had to get behind each other and work.
The mental blow to Mercedes, was unthinkable because they just don’t know what they know at all. For Mercedes, the kings of this turbo hybrid era, never to really have reliability problems, especially not two in one race. It must have hurt; it must have been a rude awakening for them.
The Silverstone, it surely has to be the place they would turn it all around. They did not have the quickest car, even at the home of British motorsport. But Hamilton, he found something, the lap was one of his stunning laps, which he had to produce- he needed to produce. He got out of his car after qualifying, and he was emotional. A rare sight for Hamilton, something he is undeniably good at, keeping his emotions away from the track but, you could tell he was on the verge of tears or he was in tears. It was one of those Hamilton magic laps. But the race, the race delivered a blow to him. He didn’t win- to the point where he did not want to do an interview. He came second and thought he let the British public down, when really he provided a brilliant race, climbing his way back through.
Again, he took this utter mental blow. His home race, Hamilton’s love for Silverstone is true. He just wants to please those at home, he wants to make them happy. But the racing gods didn’t want that, not on that day anyway.
But Germany, that had to be the biggest blow to anyone. It was going to be Hamilton- but it wasn’t. His car broke down in qualifying. He started 14th, and drove how you should drive, when something is on the line. But then it started the rain. He reminded everyone, how much talent he had in the rain. The Mercedes easily became the better car in the rain, but Hamilton, he is the standout in the rain. You can’t not praise Hamilton for his skills in the rain. He followed it up with the pole in Hungary to back his performance in the rain up. It seems he can find lines around a track no one else can, and that’s what he did. Germany, that corner, the tiniest of mistakes, into the gravel and into the boards Vettel went.
Mentally, that was probably it for Vettel. It hit him so hard, he kicked the gravel, and his tone on the team radio, you could just tell he was broken from that moment. But Hamilton, he went from this mental low, where he was crouched down next to his car, crying on Saturday to this unbelievably sublime Sunday, where he was on top and mentally at his strongest.
It was not Germany, that turned the season. That simply was not the greatest race of Hamilton’s life, it just wasn’t- Turkey GP2 was the race of his career. But, a projection to the second half of the season, the second race. That was where it all started. The season changed there.
Not on qualifying day, it was a Ferrari 1-2, at their home. It was race day. We qualified third, which [in itself] wasn’t really a psychological blow because we’d lost the race before so we knew we were up against it coming into Monza.
It didn’t realistically change over the length of a race but at turn 5 (I believe) Hamilton and Vettel touched. Vettel on the outside defined the law of physics and spun. That moment, it changed. Suddenly, Vettel was on a recovery drive, with Hamilton lurking for the lead. That race, at Monza, was plain and simply a master class of how to work as a team to win a race. Bottas, was key, and used so perfectly. Riakkonen didn’t have to go near Bottas, but he was backed into him, he should have over taken him- it didn’t happen. So Mercedes provided a show. Hamilton, he used his team’s tactics to his advantage and drove to his strengths. And he won the race.
Physiologically, there could not, and would not have been a bigger blow to Ferrari as a whole united team, than this. Going from a 1-2, to not even having the winning driver. It was mentally the biggest blow they could have taken because they had it, they should have won. They, by a country mile, had the fastest car, and Monza is the circuit of speed, straight lines all around. The fact, they didn’t win and so easily could, was one of the hardest things for them to endure.
But, Hamilton, he knew the blow. He’d endured it once before- Silverstone. I have already talked about it. But, he knew what it was like to take pole, he knew exactly that. To lose it so quickly, the win in fact. He knew that due to Silverstone, but Monza was an easy and happy taste for him.
Then, Singapore wanted to yet again confirm this championship. 1:36.015. A Mercedes, should never, should never have got that time. But, it is Lewis Hamilton we are talking of here. The man with 81 pole positions to his name, a record number. The lap was almost perfection, or if you watch it just is perfection. The lap was almost a signalling to why the he is the king on a Saturday, like Mark Webber said, there is probably nobody better on a Saturday afternoon since Ayrton Senna.
From Monza onward, Mercedes took control. Hamilton took control and showed why the hell he needed, was going to be world champion. Within the races past Singapore, I felt it a given that Mercedes would win in Russia and Japan. But, Hamilton, put in the pole laps, the Sunday racing. Showed exactly why he needed to be world champion- while Vettel went on several recovery drives.
This is the best, I’ve ever seen Lewis Hamilton. I agree with so many. He had year, which you cannot deny he was the best driver. He simply deserved the title. Too top it all off, he did not have the best car for a large amount of the year, that should be painful for Ferrari and Vettel. Hamilton’s driving has been one of class, but he is better than we saw him in 2008, better than we saw him in 2012, than in 2014, than in 2016 and 2017. If this is Lewis Hamilton’s peak, he should not be ashamed.
It almost feels like Schumacher’s records are too close for comfort. He need two more titles and 20 more wins, to equal him. It is crazy to think, but it seems likely. If he continues like this, and Mercedes continue to dominate and or get better than this year- it will seem like it just is going to happen.
It feels like we could, that we are, witnessing one of the greatest of all time. In my opinion, I can’t say I’ll hold him above, Clark, Schumacher and Senna. But, I think he can challenge. Seems, like until its past, we have no clue what we are witnessing. It’s history alright, but maybe we have to wait till Hamilton retires to realise, why he was so good.
But title number five- it is his best. Yes, he had his mistakes, they cannot be over looked, but the key was he has to fight so hard for this title. 2014 and 2015, he had an extremely dominant car and did not really have to go and fight for it. But 2018, he did. He prevailed, because he did not make mistakes, like Vettel did. It’s part of the reason he won this title. But overall, this is the best Hamilton has driven. He is the rightful champion.
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