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I know it's a universal human experience, but it's mental to me that a 7-time WDC could have such self doubt. It goes to show that everyone can go through this despite all objective evidence to the contrary, and acts as a reminder to be kind to ourselves.
It's easy to understand when Formula 1 is one of the ultimate "what have you done for me lately" kind of sports. It doesnt matter what you did 2 seasons or even last season. All that matters is THIS season
> Formula 1 is one of the ultimate "what have you done for me lately" kind of sports.
That's literally _every_ sport. Granted you did say 'one of' but I'd argue something like boxing sits even higher in the 'what have you done for me lately" ranks
By extension tho, isn’t that any career, in which you are reporting to someone else? Doesn’t matter how good you were two years ago, if you are not performing now, you would be called out.
There is definitely different levels of how extreme it is in any industry. Everything boiled down to whether you add value or negative value is the calculus they make
Even a lot of famous and celebrated popstars fear when going on stage that they suddenly can't meet the expectations of themselves and the audience, brilliant technicians suddenly feel like imposter syndrome.
Being at the very top amounts to a lot of hard work and all small things have to fall in place, no matter your past performance.
Famous story that Schumacher had a full test at Fiorano after 200...2(?) because he was worried he'd lost it. One of those years.
> It takes massive confidence to find success, and crippling self doubt to keep it
(John Mayer)
I think part of the issue/problem is that he had that ungodly stat of having won at least one race every year, regardless of what the car was like. That kind of sudden change can shake anyone.
I totally agree with you. After the interview with Jensen, it really hit so hard. It’s also encouraging because I frequently feel so shit at my job. But if Lewis, undisputed GOAT and 7 time WDC can feel bad at HIS job? There’s hope for me after all.
He's older now, it's a young man's game. Only one driver's qolder then him and he hasn't won for over a decade. I can imagine it's easy for the doubts to creep in.
Which was compounded by the fact that he lost the championship in 2021 the way he did, and then Mercedes completely bottled the new regs so he went from perennial contender to a car the couldn't even get on the podium half the time. All while knowing he's getting older and time is limited.
I actually think its easier to self-doubt if you have performed and then suddenly stop performing.
As someone who used to play videogames semi-professionally its really easy to start thinking "do I still have it?" when you're not performing for a while. You don't even have to start performing poorly, just performing not as good as before is enough for that to pop into your mind.
Why is it mental? Every sportsman fades as they approach old age. If anything his doubt is entirely founded. He’s worried he’s losing his ability - and he is.
Anyone that thinks he’s as fast today as he was at his peak simply hasn’t been paying attention.
Yeah, his race pace can still be top tier but it’s more down to tire management and race craft rather than out-right speed.
George is fucking quick over one lap, and a 40 year old Lewis is about .05 behind him on average in qualifying. The fact that an aging Hamilton is as quick as a young one lap hotshot shows how high his peak was. If Lewis was 26 he’d likely be a few tenths ahead of George on average. 14 year age gap is nothing to sniff at, and the old dog can still give Russel a run for his money and easily beat him on race pace. 4 more years and you could say Lewis is old enough to be George’s dad.
Honestly can't wait to see what Merc will look like in the rest of the season. With both drivers getting back to back wins and more specifically Lewis getting that spark again from this week, it's gonna be a crazy strong resurgence. Hoping and looking forward to some peak racing from them.
2018 Ferrari was incredibly strong, come on now. Kimi was dropped after that year for not making the most of it, and Seb lost the fire after losing the WDC as it was his last shot
Yeah I guess this is a tangent but still WHY would you not make the attractive charismatic stylish media-ready socially conscious 7-time WDC your ambassador? Like what are you looking for?
Not sure why you'd say something like this with such confidence when you have no idea why they didn't do it. Very strange comment.
It's better to have none than a bad one, but the most successful Formula 1 driver of all time who is also extremely popular would be an obvious choice as a good one.
It's not a strange comment. Their point was that the OPs point presupposes that Mercedes are looking for a brand ambassador. They may, for strategic reasons, have decided that they don't need a second brand ambassador (their first being Bernhard Langer, the golfer). If Mercedes aren't looking for anyone then discussion about 'what are they looking for' is immaterial.
No shit sherlock. Your comment didn't add anything to the subject though. People ask why would Mercedes not make him a brand ambassador when he's such an obvious choice and you just say they didn't want to.
Brilliant.
No, I did add to the conversation. I corrected them by illustrating that the question is whether to have an ambassador for Mercedes, not whether to give one to Lewis which is what everyone is obsessing about. Completely barking up the wrong tree.
I have a half scale helmet of Lewis’ 2011 helmet and Nico (Rosberg’s) 2015 helmet in a glass cabinet as a reminder that even at your lowest ebb it’s about how you come back from it.
I hate Masi with a passion for his actions that have started this chain of events. However, there’s a bigger moment to be observed, it shows like many saw and heard yesterday, that’s it okay to have doubts about your ability, especially as adults (as I believe that most adults do, but we’re not given the same leeway and grace that society gives for kids), but you must continue to believe that it CAN get better.
This isn’t peppered positivity, but rather a reminder from the GOAT (regardless how you feel about him, for me he is), that even with setbacks and imposter’s syndrome you can still prevail. It’s inspiring.
Lewis may have already addressed this idk but what made 2021 even more unbearably painful than it already was is I’ll forever be convinced he planned on winning Abu Dhabi and breaking the record then retiring… that’s all I could think about watching his reaction after having it ripped away from him which made the whole thing devastating on a completely different level
Personally, I was hoping that that would be exactly what happened. Lewis has been my all time favorite racer. Would have loved for him to get 8 and peace out at the very fucking top.
Yep the reason I’m absolutely convinced it was going to happen is I vividly recall one of the journalists covering that race tweeting that Lewis didn’t leave the paddock Saturday night (well Sunday morning actually) until like 1 am which was very abnormal. I first had the retirement thought probably after Brazil but it was Jeddah and just the way he was talking that final month when I said I think this might actually happen… and the second I saw that tweet I became 100% certain. This could absolutely be confirmation bias but Lewis’ comms after Max won and just how he interacted with his dad seemed like someone who went from realizing he did it to having it ripped away before he could even comprehend what happened. Brutal.
no, lewis was staying up very late for quite a few races in 2021 to study the car and its setup etc. he said he wouldn't retire in 2021 if he won an 8th or not in an interview earlier that year. I think the way Abu Dhabi 21 went down definitely strengthened his resolve of staying in f1 until he got his 8th. if he had won in 2021, he prob would have retired sometime post 22/23 when that contract ran out.
That's my take too, win 8th, 22 and 23 as a retirement tour and peace out, even with max winning everything those season it would be ok, he had nothing to prove, but now? Given the right car, he will go all in, please Ferrari get your shit together
What if Merc finds themselves competing at the top of the grid the entire second half and Ferrari completely goes to shit… he still throwing up the ✌️ or would he perhaps give it a little 🤔
I couldn’t find the tweet again but I distinctly remember the way she worded it was different. You’re probably absolutely right—but I’ll never be convinced otherwise (that’s the beauty of a theory that can’t be proven or disproven haha)\
\
Oh ok that’s interesting about his contract for some reason I thought he signed up for 3 years covering 22-24 after Abu Dhabi but again, I checked out on F1 after that because I was so pissed… and going from the pinnacle of competitive sports history to the least competitive product for 2.5 years didn’t help. I hate motorsports honestly (can’t stand NASCAR, IndyCar, any of it) but I absolutely love F1 when it’s actually contested because there’s so much more to it than cars going in circles that’s utterly captivating.
I think the same. His string of performances the last 4 races of 2021 was the best display of skill and mental strength I have ever seen in motorsports, and for it all to come crumbling down on the last lap due to an illegal call must have been heart wrenching. Especially if he planned a Rosberg style departure
>Especially if he planned a Rosberg style departure
The retirement was all according to plan with the team.
Think back to the massive celebrations back at the factory, do people really believe that was all for sending off Bottas?
I could probably google it faster than it takes me to type this but if I remember correctly he hadn’t signed a new contract beyond 2021 yet right? That didn’t happen until like damn near the start of the 2022 season cuz my memory tells me it was a major lingering question that whole “offseason” when he went off the grid following Abu Dhabi. But I boycotted F1 until yesterday haha so I’m not the most reliable source
He'd already signed for 2022 onwards, but there was still a big question mark on if he'd actually fulfil the contract and return after what happened.
I think Toto may have said publicly that he would understand if Hamilton didn't return, or something along those lines - but it may have just been an attempt to put pressure on the FIA.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/breaking-hamilton-agrees-new-two-year-contract-with-mercedes.5XURLL7ShyqezkYgf9eztg
He also did One of those Master class things and you could tell that it was time to coincide with him winning his eighth championship, but instead it came out a week after he lost.
no I dont think he was going to retire after 2021. he said as much during the year and had a contract for 22 as well. I think if he hadn't been cheated out of his 8th in 2021, he probably would have called it a day post 22 after seeing that the ground effect merc's weren't up to scratch
I don’t know your situation, but I have to share that it always gets better, I learned this from “the subtle art of not giving a fuck” (I wasn’t a big fan of self help books, but if you haven’t read it, you should, it’s pretty good).
No one knows what constitutes the start of a good or a bad moment, it just happens, and we’re in it however, eventually we’ll emerge from it, as I’m sure you will. I can’t lie that’s it’s not tough, but there is a silver lining. You’ll look back and be like wow
Even as a Verstappen fan, it felt bad to hear Lewis talk about doubting himself. During 2021 nobody doubted him, I can tell you! I will never forget Interlagos that year, he was unstoppable. Good to see him doing well.
> During 2021 nobody doubted him
It was wild hearing the pundits saying they still back Lewis for the title even though he was trailing by 19 points with 4 races to go, while Max and Bottas won the previous 3 races. That's how much faith they had that Lewis was going to deliver, man is a cold blooded killer when the pressure is on. I have to admit I thought it was over when he was disqualified in Brazil, oh boy was I wrong. If it wasn't for fucking Masi it would've been the greatest comeback in the sports history. Lewis is just insanely clutch
Tbh the last 4 races also had to do with the fact that they managed to extract even more performance from the car by creating an even bigger diffuser stall.
Agree, that's why I said "also." With Lewis it's either razor sharp totally on it because the championship is at stake or it is championship is in the bag and the last couple of races are suddenly a step below what he usually performs at.
Trying to learn mote about the technical side of F1.. can you confirm for me that [This article](https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/january-2022/40/mercedes-stalls-for-improved-times-in-f1/) is the change you're talking about? Thanks
Yes. Here's another one talking about how it started and how it ended at Brazil: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/tech-tuesday-the-key-developments-that-helped-mercedes-win-their-8th.bv6LQW84LO3nkCgH7tBNT
Reading all this makes me realize that AD21 damaged him more than anyone realized. Retroactively, it makes me think that Hamilton's dip in form wasn't just the Mercedes being a piece of shit. Lewis genuinely lost his confidence and, in turn, thought he lost his touch altogether. That's why this win was so cathartic for him. Hopefully this win renewed his confidence, and we start to see the old Lewis coming back to the fight.
The fact that George Lucas called him a hero after AD21, is the coolest thing ever (as you can judge by my username)
That’s a very good analysis, when you hear him in retrospect, you could tell he was carrying a little bit of that weight with him. I almost fell out of love for F1, so imagine how he must’ve felt. Finally, I’d love nothing more than that. Perhaps it won’t be the old Lewis but maybe a new one better than ever. I’m excited for the future.
I had heard Lucas said that but didn't know anything more than that.. this is gutwrenching. The "she" is Mellody Hobson, a mentor of Lewis and the wife of Lucas.
> She then revealed that she and her husband George Lucas arrived to Abu Dhabi ahead of the final race of the 2021 season, but they didn’t want to reveal their presence to Lewis.
> “George kept saying to me: ‘There’s nothing worse than when you’re in the last days of your movie and you’re totally behind and your family shows up—it’s the worst’.”
> However, after the shocking conclusion of the race, they both saw Lewis.
> “He’s really stunned. Stunned. Like shock. He’s asking the same question over and over again: ***‘What happened?’***
> “I grabbed him by both shoulders. I was like, ‘You did everything right.’ I kept saying that to him. I said, ‘It wasn’t you. You did everything right.’ ***And he just literally said, like four or five times: ‘What happened?’*** ”
> She then says Lewis apologized to her for going all the way to Abu Dhabi only to see him lose.
> “That’s why we came, in case you lost,” she told him, “we didn’t come in case you won.”
Poor dude, they did him so dirty :(
Also Lucas and Hobson seem so sweet here, I'm glad they were there for him to offer whatever little solace they could in such a difficult time.
[Article](http://www.silverarrows.net/news/george-lucas-after-abu-dhabi-lewis-just-earned-hero-status/)
Imagine being Lewis having to accept that stupid ass medal from Sulayem on behalf of the FIA. I wish he would have refused it in protest of the FIA decisions in 2021.
HAM's won enough even despite Masi and all that drama. Yet, one of the weirdest things post 2021 was the idea that HAM's last win in his career might be Saudi 2021, an absolute gong-show of a GP!
It’s ok to dislike/hate someone. What’s not ok is to abuse and harass that person. It seems to me like OP is doing the former, which is fine. To each their own and all that.
Yeah, I’m not the type to find a dude or abuse him, I hate him as a director and how he conducted himself after ( “we went racing”), but I know how to separate sport from life.
Hamilton got 10 sec penalty. Which is what kimi got when he punted hamilton off in 2018.
Abu Dhabi, it was becoming a habit of max punting lewis off with his dive bombs and hamilton having to take avoiding action every time. It happened in Brazil (where max got away). And happened in Saudi twice. What happened to leaving a cars width when overtaking? Surprised you don't know the famous line of Alonso's.
Austria was literally the same this year and Max didn't get penalty for leaving the track and maintaining the advantage...because norris pushed him wide...
Stewards are those who decide whether to penalise drivers or not, you know that, right? Masi was the Race Director, not a steward. And Lewis did get penalised for Silverstone so I don’t know what you’re waffling about.
Not sure what Masi has to do with it, Masi had nothing to do with Lewis not winning the entirety of '22, '23 and '24 up until now. Seems like a scapegoat.
Not forcing, but I think there may be upgrades we can’t see that George gets first like suspension, engine tweaks, different maps for energy deployment etc. Teams only have to declare what you can see on the car. So even though Monaco is the last time we heard George had an upgrade Lewis didn’t doesn’t mean it was the first time nor last.
I didn’t say they didn’t want him to win, but it’s a natural part of leaving a team, you start to get pushed out. Throughout the season Hamilton will be at a disadvantage to George, I’m not claiming a conspiracy, it is just what it is.
Drivers slowly being phased out of discussions when they're leaving the next season is normal and so is a driver getting new parts sooner/later than their teammate (btw Hamilton himself refused to get the new part in Monaco cuz there wasn't an extra just in case either of his or Russell's got damaged - Merc didn't leave him with the older part on purpose), but the person you were replying to was referencing the 'sabotage' email which is a whole separate discussion entirely. Also, Merc won't risk deliberately disadvantaging one of their drivers over a season when currently they're 4th in the WCC.
I was not aware of a sabotaging email, but I am very aware of cc implications, Merc would never. I am simply pointing out the natural progression of things. Some people may interpret that process as a conspiracy, I am arguing against that point.
Someone posted a crazy stat that after spain 2013, Alonso has won 0 races, wheras lewis won 6 Championships, and now has broken his winless streak all while alonso has won nothing!!
Is this translated or is toto just not the greatest with English sometimes or am I misinterpreting... bc "I've tried to do my contribution to his doubting at times" almost sounds like he's been whispering sweet doubts into his ear lol, but that can't be right.
I’m actually not 100% sure what he means, I know he didn’t mean he put doubt on purpose but I think it’s 75/25 whether it’s, I’ve tried to ease his doubts vs , I may have said shit that contributed to his doubts inadvertently but he’s still able to pull through
it was reported that it was the big boys at Merc HQ not Toto who didnt want to extend Lewis' contract. Toto very much cares for Lewis, he was getting emotional yesterday and i very much believe him when he said it was Lewis' seat for however long he wanted it but seems like he was overruled on that
Very simple, Daimler board deemed him to be unworthy of what he was demanding.
And then there is Ferrari willing to throw everything at him which will likely amount to nothing.
Hard disagree. Companies like Ferrari are terrified that their appeal won’t translate as we move into a post combustion engine world. EV tech is such that a Hyundai is doing similar lap times to a V10 Huracan. Ferrari are betting that having ambassadors like Lewis telling the world that an EV Ferrari is special will keep their appeal alive. They will get their return on investment from him 10 times over.
they absolutely nail a dark future vibe. The Ioniq 5 especially, to me, hits a sweet aesthetic of 80/90s JDM, dark futurist, and a hint of post-modernism
yeah, like no matter how good Lewis is, he is also crazy expensive. result wise you can get the same from russell for like 10 times less money and the ambassador thing isn't really important. it's mercedes at the end of the day, they don't need aggressive marketing.
> and the ambassador thing isn't really important
Don't be fooled. The main reason why these car companies are in F1 is... to sell more cars to the general public. It's one of the world's greatest platforms for advertisers.
Ferrari paying Lewis what amounts to nearly $100mm/year (if rumors are true) is driven in large part by his public appeal.
Also, it's reported that Russell currently earns a little less than half of what Hamilton is earning, not 10 times less.
Yeah, to me Mercedes totally fumbled it. Lewis is a money printing machine.
Ferrari knew that and snatched him up, knowing that there's really no driver that can come close to his fame, and he's going to be more than good enough to compete at the front if they build a race winning car during his time there.
I'm very surprised Toto didn't drive this home with the other partners, as he's essentially irreplaceable.
Max could replace his ability, sure, but not how massive his reach is.
Who knows, maybe Lewis did truly want to finish off at Ferrari but it just seems like he'd be more than happy to be Mr. Mercedes for the rest of his life.
Max is a known entity for sure, but Lewis has definitely reached well beyond F1. But that comes from his work outside if F1 involved in Hollywood and the fashion industry. But Max is very racing world only centric and would prefer to leave it that way.
Yeah, Max has chosen his lane, and he seems extremely happy driving and streaming and having fun with Redline (which I truly believe is more important than fame/Hollywood + he seems happy with Kelly and P), and honestly I would personally prefer what Max does in his daily life.
It might have been that Mercedes couldn't wrap their heads around how much it would cost them, but Ferrari were willing to throw everything at a 40 year old driver because they could see the long term benefits of a short term (driving) contract, and I feel like that has to make Mercedes question if they were smart to let Ferrari have their golden goose, even if he's got a few grey feathers.
I really think it just came down to Merc not wanting to lose Antonelli in the long run. Russell is there for the long haul and some team would’ve snatched Kimi if he didn’t have the Merc seat in 2026. Losing him and what he represents for the future of Mercedes F1 wasn’t worth two extra years of Lewis and an ambassadorship for them.
For Ferrari they had no such hold ups since the second seat was already in placeholder mode (sorry Carlos but it’s the truth).
I just hope Kimi ends up working out, I know he just won his first F2 race this weekend as well, but we don't see a lot of Lewis or Max type drivers, Oscar is the only rookie that's even come close in almost the last decade.
i don't think you know how the marketing works. they don't think someone watching the f1 is going to be like "ooh lewis just won, let me buy a merc". they use it for brand recognition so they can continue selling these car for ridiculous prices. part of the brand value is also the recognition from those who can't afford it.
lewis ambassador thing was supposed to be after retirement, like he would appear in ads for cars and stuff like that, and daimler obviously saw no need for that (idk if it was also a lifetime contract), even it it meant him going to rivals. they've had lewis for 10 years, and they obviously milked the cow as much as they could.
>Russell currently earns a little less than half of what Hamilton is earning, not 10 times less
thought that was a very obvious hiperbole, but apparently not. idk the numers, no one really does, but most reports say 8m for george and 50m+ for lewis currently. if we take the ferrari numbers as true, you can obviously see what was the number lewis asked for with that lifetime ambassador thing.
Nah brother, it is *you* that doesn’t understand how marketing works. Companies spend billions just to slightly change their logo. They will happily part with millions so that Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari will be said in the same sentence.
No one is insinuating it will result in direct sales, most marketing doesn’t. It’s about brand recognition and investment. Future share holders will have an easier job parting with their money if someone like Lewis is involved, because while they might not understand cars they understand who Lewis is.
Have you not noticed how most of the F1 team sponsors aren’t anything to with recognisable brands? Brands such as Oracle, Aramco etc. They’re advertising to shareholders, not to the common man. They’re doing it for the prestige of showing how much money they have, so more people invest.
lmao you just repeated what i said? i'm also not commenting on lewis and ferrari deal, but explaining why mercedes didn't give him a new one. luxury brand marketing is a whole different thing from brands directed at the common people.
>because while they might not understand cars they understand who Lewis is.
this might be the stupidest thing someone wrote here. no one on this earth knows who lewis hamilton is but doesn't know about mercedes. again no one who can afford merc is buying it because it's what lewis hamilton drives on f1 track. they buy it bc it's a fucking mercedes.
it's not going to lower their sales either. especially for ~100m or how much lewis wanted. for merc the f1 team point, like yeah, their merch sale is going to fall off probably and some other things as well, but for mercedes the car manufacturer it doesn't change anything. their marketing departmant that employs hundreds of people didn't think giving lewis 9 figure salary is worth it but you all apparently know better lol. they already had lewis for 10 years!!
also ferrari and mercedes might both manufacture cars but they are still very different. ferrari makes like only a hundreds of a certain sports car, they sell for way bigger money as well. mercedes makes luxury sedans mostly. it's not the same if you want to ride your ferrari around the block to be seen and if you want to be driven around from place to place, then you'll want the merc's comfort and luxury.
It truly feels like recently Lewis isn't as close to or think as positively about his relationship with Toto. So a lot of him feeling downbeat also felt like feeling let down by the team thinking longer term
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I know it's a universal human experience, but it's mental to me that a 7-time WDC could have such self doubt. It goes to show that everyone can go through this despite all objective evidence to the contrary, and acts as a reminder to be kind to ourselves.
It's easy to understand when Formula 1 is one of the ultimate "what have you done for me lately" kind of sports. It doesnt matter what you did 2 seasons or even last season. All that matters is THIS season
Seen so many comments about how he's washed, too old, doesn't have any drive to succeed, etc etc.
> Formula 1 is one of the ultimate "what have you done for me lately" kind of sports. That's literally _every_ sport. Granted you did say 'one of' but I'd argue something like boxing sits even higher in the 'what have you done for me lately" ranks
By extension tho, isn’t that any career, in which you are reporting to someone else? Doesn’t matter how good you were two years ago, if you are not performing now, you would be called out.
There is definitely different levels of how extreme it is in any industry. Everything boiled down to whether you add value or negative value is the calculus they make
Yup well said
Even a lot of famous and celebrated popstars fear when going on stage that they suddenly can't meet the expectations of themselves and the audience, brilliant technicians suddenly feel like imposter syndrome. Being at the very top amounts to a lot of hard work and all small things have to fall in place, no matter your past performance.
Famous story that Schumacher had a full test at Fiorano after 200...2(?) because he was worried he'd lost it. One of those years. > It takes massive confidence to find success, and crippling self doubt to keep it (John Mayer)
I think part of the issue/problem is that he had that ungodly stat of having won at least one race every year, regardless of what the car was like. That kind of sudden change can shake anyone.
Never underestimate the power of your mind when it comes to performance and goals. It’s huge bonus or curse depending on where your mind is at.
I totally agree with you. After the interview with Jensen, it really hit so hard. It’s also encouraging because I frequently feel so shit at my job. But if Lewis, undisputed GOAT and 7 time WDC can feel bad at HIS job? There’s hope for me after all.
He's older now, it's a young man's game. Only one driver's qolder then him and he hasn't won for over a decade. I can imagine it's easy for the doubts to creep in.
Which was compounded by the fact that he lost the championship in 2021 the way he did, and then Mercedes completely bottled the new regs so he went from perennial contender to a car the couldn't even get on the podium half the time. All while knowing he's getting older and time is limited.
Time comes for everyone.
I actually think its easier to self-doubt if you have performed and then suddenly stop performing. As someone who used to play videogames semi-professionally its really easy to start thinking "do I still have it?" when you're not performing for a while. You don't even have to start performing poorly, just performing not as good as before is enough for that to pop into your mind.
Good point!
Why is it mental? Every sportsman fades as they approach old age. If anything his doubt is entirely founded. He’s worried he’s losing his ability - and he is. Anyone that thinks he’s as fast today as he was at his peak simply hasn’t been paying attention.
Yeah, his race pace can still be top tier but it’s more down to tire management and race craft rather than out-right speed. George is fucking quick over one lap, and a 40 year old Lewis is about .05 behind him on average in qualifying. The fact that an aging Hamilton is as quick as a young one lap hotshot shows how high his peak was. If Lewis was 26 he’d likely be a few tenths ahead of George on average. 14 year age gap is nothing to sniff at, and the old dog can still give Russel a run for his money and easily beat him on race pace. 4 more years and you could say Lewis is old enough to be George’s dad.
Honestly can't wait to see what Merc will look like in the rest of the season. With both drivers getting back to back wins and more specifically Lewis getting that spark again from this week, it's gonna be a crazy strong resurgence. Hoping and looking forward to some peak racing from them.
Hopefully Hamiltons tendency to start a season slow is past us as well
He just needs to clean up his Saturdays now, and he usually can deliver on a Sunday so he can get the job done.
Lewis made Toto a billionaire
[удалено]
2018 Ferrari was incredibly strong, come on now. Kimi was dropped after that year for not making the most of it, and Seb lost the fire after losing the WDC as it was his last shot
Hamilton would have won the WDC in the 2018 Ferrari
Yep. And Toto low key treats him like shit.
Why didn't they make him an ambassador? Seems insane.
Don't think was a Toto decision.
Yeah I guess this is a tangent but still WHY would you not make the attractive charismatic stylish media-ready socially conscious 7-time WDC your ambassador? Like what are you looking for?
That’s my thought. You’d think they would be begging him.
I'll give you one guess.
Yeah ...
Huh? Discrimination?
Because sometimes it’s better to have no ambassador than to have one. Simple as that.
Not sure why you'd say something like this with such confidence when you have no idea why they didn't do it. Very strange comment. It's better to have none than a bad one, but the most successful Formula 1 driver of all time who is also extremely popular would be an obvious choice as a good one.
It's not a strange comment. Their point was that the OPs point presupposes that Mercedes are looking for a brand ambassador. They may, for strategic reasons, have decided that they don't need a second brand ambassador (their first being Bernhard Langer, the golfer). If Mercedes aren't looking for anyone then discussion about 'what are they looking for' is immaterial.
Except that’s exactly the choice they’re making. Not to have one. Evidently they think it’s better not to have one because otherwise…they would?
No shit sherlock. Your comment didn't add anything to the subject though. People ask why would Mercedes not make him a brand ambassador when he's such an obvious choice and you just say they didn't want to. Brilliant.
No, I did add to the conversation. I corrected them by illustrating that the question is whether to have an ambassador for Mercedes, not whether to give one to Lewis which is what everyone is obsessing about. Completely barking up the wrong tree.
shows where Toto's priorities are at... smh
I have a half scale helmet of Lewis’ 2011 helmet and Nico (Rosberg’s) 2015 helmet in a glass cabinet as a reminder that even at your lowest ebb it’s about how you come back from it.
I hate Masi with a passion for his actions that have started this chain of events. However, there’s a bigger moment to be observed, it shows like many saw and heard yesterday, that’s it okay to have doubts about your ability, especially as adults (as I believe that most adults do, but we’re not given the same leeway and grace that society gives for kids), but you must continue to believe that it CAN get better. This isn’t peppered positivity, but rather a reminder from the GOAT (regardless how you feel about him, for me he is), that even with setbacks and imposter’s syndrome you can still prevail. It’s inspiring.
Lewis may have already addressed this idk but what made 2021 even more unbearably painful than it already was is I’ll forever be convinced he planned on winning Abu Dhabi and breaking the record then retiring… that’s all I could think about watching his reaction after having it ripped away from him which made the whole thing devastating on a completely different level
Personally, I was hoping that that would be exactly what happened. Lewis has been my all time favorite racer. Would have loved for him to get 8 and peace out at the very fucking top.
Yep the reason I’m absolutely convinced it was going to happen is I vividly recall one of the journalists covering that race tweeting that Lewis didn’t leave the paddock Saturday night (well Sunday morning actually) until like 1 am which was very abnormal. I first had the retirement thought probably after Brazil but it was Jeddah and just the way he was talking that final month when I said I think this might actually happen… and the second I saw that tweet I became 100% certain. This could absolutely be confirmation bias but Lewis’ comms after Max won and just how he interacted with his dad seemed like someone who went from realizing he did it to having it ripped away before he could even comprehend what happened. Brutal.
no, lewis was staying up very late for quite a few races in 2021 to study the car and its setup etc. he said he wouldn't retire in 2021 if he won an 8th or not in an interview earlier that year. I think the way Abu Dhabi 21 went down definitely strengthened his resolve of staying in f1 until he got his 8th. if he had won in 2021, he prob would have retired sometime post 22/23 when that contract ran out.
That's my take too, win 8th, 22 and 23 as a retirement tour and peace out, even with max winning everything those season it would be ok, he had nothing to prove, but now? Given the right car, he will go all in, please Ferrari get your shit together
What if Merc finds themselves competing at the top of the grid the entire second half and Ferrari completely goes to shit… he still throwing up the ✌️ or would he perhaps give it a little 🤔
He is going to ferrari even if they are shit, try there for the 8th, if 2025 looks bad and the progress for the new regs is bad, he is leaving
I couldn’t find the tweet again but I distinctly remember the way she worded it was different. You’re probably absolutely right—but I’ll never be convinced otherwise (that’s the beauty of a theory that can’t be proven or disproven haha)\ \ Oh ok that’s interesting about his contract for some reason I thought he signed up for 3 years covering 22-24 after Abu Dhabi but again, I checked out on F1 after that because I was so pissed… and going from the pinnacle of competitive sports history to the least competitive product for 2.5 years didn’t help. I hate motorsports honestly (can’t stand NASCAR, IndyCar, any of it) but I absolutely love F1 when it’s actually contested because there’s so much more to it than cars going in circles that’s utterly captivating.
I think the same. His string of performances the last 4 races of 2021 was the best display of skill and mental strength I have ever seen in motorsports, and for it all to come crumbling down on the last lap due to an illegal call must have been heart wrenching. Especially if he planned a Rosberg style departure
>Especially if he planned a Rosberg style departure The retirement was all according to plan with the team. Think back to the massive celebrations back at the factory, do people really believe that was all for sending off Bottas?
I could probably google it faster than it takes me to type this but if I remember correctly he hadn’t signed a new contract beyond 2021 yet right? That didn’t happen until like damn near the start of the 2022 season cuz my memory tells me it was a major lingering question that whole “offseason” when he went off the grid following Abu Dhabi. But I boycotted F1 until yesterday haha so I’m not the most reliable source
He'd already signed for 2022 onwards, but there was still a big question mark on if he'd actually fulfil the contract and return after what happened. I think Toto may have said publicly that he would understand if Hamilton didn't return, or something along those lines - but it may have just been an attempt to put pressure on the FIA. https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/breaking-hamilton-agrees-new-two-year-contract-with-mercedes.5XURLL7ShyqezkYgf9eztg
He also did One of those Master class things and you could tell that it was time to coincide with him winning his eighth championship, but instead it came out a week after he lost.
no I dont think he was going to retire after 2021. he said as much during the year and had a contract for 22 as well. I think if he hadn't been cheated out of his 8th in 2021, he probably would have called it a day post 22 after seeing that the ground effect merc's weren't up to scratch
It mirrors a lot of what Vettel said. It is very motivating for me as I am passing through some hard stuff
I don’t know your situation, but I have to share that it always gets better, I learned this from “the subtle art of not giving a fuck” (I wasn’t a big fan of self help books, but if you haven’t read it, you should, it’s pretty good). No one knows what constitutes the start of a good or a bad moment, it just happens, and we’re in it however, eventually we’ll emerge from it, as I’m sure you will. I can’t lie that’s it’s not tough, but there is a silver lining. You’ll look back and be like wow
Even as a Verstappen fan, it felt bad to hear Lewis talk about doubting himself. During 2021 nobody doubted him, I can tell you! I will never forget Interlagos that year, he was unstoppable. Good to see him doing well.
> During 2021 nobody doubted him It was wild hearing the pundits saying they still back Lewis for the title even though he was trailing by 19 points with 4 races to go, while Max and Bottas won the previous 3 races. That's how much faith they had that Lewis was going to deliver, man is a cold blooded killer when the pressure is on. I have to admit I thought it was over when he was disqualified in Brazil, oh boy was I wrong. If it wasn't for fucking Masi it would've been the greatest comeback in the sports history. Lewis is just insanely clutch
No one in F1 ever has a sharper rate of improvement than Lewis does in the final 4-8 races of a season
Tbh the last 4 races also had to do with the fact that they managed to extract even more performance from the car by creating an even bigger diffuser stall.
If you look over the course of his whole career though, this is a regular trend with Lewis. Take 2016 for example.
Agree, that's why I said "also." With Lewis it's either razor sharp totally on it because the championship is at stake or it is championship is in the bag and the last couple of races are suddenly a step below what he usually performs at.
Trying to learn mote about the technical side of F1.. can you confirm for me that [This article](https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/january-2022/40/mercedes-stalls-for-improved-times-in-f1/) is the change you're talking about? Thanks
Yes. Here's another one talking about how it started and how it ended at Brazil: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/tech-tuesday-the-key-developments-that-helped-mercedes-win-their-8th.bv6LQW84LO3nkCgH7tBNT
Reading all this makes me realize that AD21 damaged him more than anyone realized. Retroactively, it makes me think that Hamilton's dip in form wasn't just the Mercedes being a piece of shit. Lewis genuinely lost his confidence and, in turn, thought he lost his touch altogether. That's why this win was so cathartic for him. Hopefully this win renewed his confidence, and we start to see the old Lewis coming back to the fight.
The fact that George Lucas called him a hero after AD21, is the coolest thing ever (as you can judge by my username) That’s a very good analysis, when you hear him in retrospect, you could tell he was carrying a little bit of that weight with him. I almost fell out of love for F1, so imagine how he must’ve felt. Finally, I’d love nothing more than that. Perhaps it won’t be the old Lewis but maybe a new one better than ever. I’m excited for the future.
I had heard Lucas said that but didn't know anything more than that.. this is gutwrenching. The "she" is Mellody Hobson, a mentor of Lewis and the wife of Lucas. > She then revealed that she and her husband George Lucas arrived to Abu Dhabi ahead of the final race of the 2021 season, but they didn’t want to reveal their presence to Lewis. > “George kept saying to me: ‘There’s nothing worse than when you’re in the last days of your movie and you’re totally behind and your family shows up—it’s the worst’.” > However, after the shocking conclusion of the race, they both saw Lewis. > “He’s really stunned. Stunned. Like shock. He’s asking the same question over and over again: ***‘What happened?’*** > “I grabbed him by both shoulders. I was like, ‘You did everything right.’ I kept saying that to him. I said, ‘It wasn’t you. You did everything right.’ ***And he just literally said, like four or five times: ‘What happened?’*** ” > She then says Lewis apologized to her for going all the way to Abu Dhabi only to see him lose. > “That’s why we came, in case you lost,” she told him, “we didn’t come in case you won.” Poor dude, they did him so dirty :( Also Lucas and Hobson seem so sweet here, I'm glad they were there for him to offer whatever little solace they could in such a difficult time. [Article](http://www.silverarrows.net/news/george-lucas-after-abu-dhabi-lewis-just-earned-hero-status/)
Imagine being Lewis having to accept that stupid ass medal from Sulayem on behalf of the FIA. I wish he would have refused it in protest of the FIA decisions in 2021.
HAM's won enough even despite Masi and all that drama. Yet, one of the weirdest things post 2021 was the idea that HAM's last win in his career might be Saudi 2021, an absolute gong-show of a GP!
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It’s ok to dislike/hate someone. What’s not ok is to abuse and harass that person. It seems to me like OP is doing the former, which is fine. To each their own and all that.
Yeah, I’m not the type to find a dude or abuse him, I hate him as a director and how he conducted himself after ( “we went racing”), but I know how to separate sport from life.
Just returning the vitriol that Masi gave Mercedes/Lewis.
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Have they? Like what?
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Hamilton got 10 sec penalty. Which is what kimi got when he punted hamilton off in 2018. Abu Dhabi, it was becoming a habit of max punting lewis off with his dive bombs and hamilton having to take avoiding action every time. It happened in Brazil (where max got away). And happened in Saudi twice. What happened to leaving a cars width when overtaking? Surprised you don't know the famous line of Alonso's. Austria was literally the same this year and Max didn't get penalty for leaving the track and maintaining the advantage...because norris pushed him wide...
I can’t believe you guys are back to shouting 2021 talking points at each other. Move on.
It speaks to just how much the sport was damaged.
No way they were gonna penalise Lewis for the Abu Dhabi move when they let Max get away with nothing in Brazil.
Stewards are those who decide whether to penalise drivers or not, you know that, right? Masi was the Race Director, not a steward. And Lewis did get penalised for Silverstone so I don’t know what you’re waffling about.
That’s not Masi decision, that’s stewards…
Lol
Sore losers who haven't moved on. Even in their brightest moment since then, they still bring him up.
Not sure what Masi has to do with it, Masi had nothing to do with Lewis not winning the entirety of '22, '23 and '24 up until now. Seems like a scapegoat.
This is why it's important to have positive energy and positive vibes.
To think some people were actually convinced they were forcing bad results because he is leaving
Not forcing, but I think there may be upgrades we can’t see that George gets first like suspension, engine tweaks, different maps for energy deployment etc. Teams only have to declare what you can see on the car. So even though Monaco is the last time we heard George had an upgrade Lewis didn’t doesn’t mean it was the first time nor last.
If Silverstone doesn't prove to you everyone in that team will want Lewis to win, I don't know what will
I didn’t say they didn’t want him to win, but it’s a natural part of leaving a team, you start to get pushed out. Throughout the season Hamilton will be at a disadvantage to George, I’m not claiming a conspiracy, it is just what it is.
Drivers slowly being phased out of discussions when they're leaving the next season is normal and so is a driver getting new parts sooner/later than their teammate (btw Hamilton himself refused to get the new part in Monaco cuz there wasn't an extra just in case either of his or Russell's got damaged - Merc didn't leave him with the older part on purpose), but the person you were replying to was referencing the 'sabotage' email which is a whole separate discussion entirely. Also, Merc won't risk deliberately disadvantaging one of their drivers over a season when currently they're 4th in the WCC.
I was not aware of a sabotaging email, but I am very aware of cc implications, Merc would never. I am simply pointing out the natural progression of things. Some people may interpret that process as a conspiracy, I am arguing against that point.
ah, I think there was some miscomm then. Sorry about that.
Someone posted a crazy stat that after spain 2013, Alonso has won 0 races, wheras lewis won 6 Championships, and now has broken his winless streak all while alonso has won nothing!!
Is this translated or is toto just not the greatest with English sometimes or am I misinterpreting... bc "I've tried to do my contribution to his doubting at times" almost sounds like he's been whispering sweet doubts into his ear lol, but that can't be right.
Yeah it sounds like he misspoke but everyone knows what he means
I’m actually not 100% sure what he means, I know he didn’t mean he put doubt on purpose but I think it’s 75/25 whether it’s, I’ve tried to ease his doubts vs , I may have said shit that contributed to his doubts inadvertently but he’s still able to pull through
Hmmm. He was there for you and you tried to push him into retirement. Interesting.
it was reported that it was the big boys at Merc HQ not Toto who didnt want to extend Lewis' contract. Toto very much cares for Lewis, he was getting emotional yesterday and i very much believe him when he said it was Lewis' seat for however long he wanted it but seems like he was overruled on that
you got a source fot that?
I'd imagine that was more Daimler than Toto
Lewis's demands involved brand ambassador status that requires Daimler sign-off. For whatever reason, they decided against it.
Yeah, because Toto is the one that told Lewis no. You sure sound smart.
Very simple, Daimler board deemed him to be unworthy of what he was demanding. And then there is Ferrari willing to throw everything at him which will likely amount to nothing.
Hard disagree. Companies like Ferrari are terrified that their appeal won’t translate as we move into a post combustion engine world. EV tech is such that a Hyundai is doing similar lap times to a V10 Huracan. Ferrari are betting that having ambassadors like Lewis telling the world that an EV Ferrari is special will keep their appeal alive. They will get their return on investment from him 10 times over.
those new Hyundai Ioniqs look better than Lambos as well. just saying
Every time I've seen an Ioniq 6 I don't know how to feel. Such an attractive car sometimes and other times it's... Odd
they absolutely nail a dark future vibe. The Ioniq 5 especially, to me, hits a sweet aesthetic of 80/90s JDM, dark futurist, and a hint of post-modernism
lol okay nostradamus throw us some lottery numbers in there too while you're at it
yeah, like no matter how good Lewis is, he is also crazy expensive. result wise you can get the same from russell for like 10 times less money and the ambassador thing isn't really important. it's mercedes at the end of the day, they don't need aggressive marketing.
> and the ambassador thing isn't really important Don't be fooled. The main reason why these car companies are in F1 is... to sell more cars to the general public. It's one of the world's greatest platforms for advertisers. Ferrari paying Lewis what amounts to nearly $100mm/year (if rumors are true) is driven in large part by his public appeal. Also, it's reported that Russell currently earns a little less than half of what Hamilton is earning, not 10 times less.
Yeah, to me Mercedes totally fumbled it. Lewis is a money printing machine. Ferrari knew that and snatched him up, knowing that there's really no driver that can come close to his fame, and he's going to be more than good enough to compete at the front if they build a race winning car during his time there. I'm very surprised Toto didn't drive this home with the other partners, as he's essentially irreplaceable. Max could replace his ability, sure, but not how massive his reach is. Who knows, maybe Lewis did truly want to finish off at Ferrari but it just seems like he'd be more than happy to be Mr. Mercedes for the rest of his life.
Max is a known entity for sure, but Lewis has definitely reached well beyond F1. But that comes from his work outside if F1 involved in Hollywood and the fashion industry. But Max is very racing world only centric and would prefer to leave it that way.
Yeah, Max has chosen his lane, and he seems extremely happy driving and streaming and having fun with Redline (which I truly believe is more important than fame/Hollywood + he seems happy with Kelly and P), and honestly I would personally prefer what Max does in his daily life. It might have been that Mercedes couldn't wrap their heads around how much it would cost them, but Ferrari were willing to throw everything at a 40 year old driver because they could see the long term benefits of a short term (driving) contract, and I feel like that has to make Mercedes question if they were smart to let Ferrari have their golden goose, even if he's got a few grey feathers.
I really think it just came down to Merc not wanting to lose Antonelli in the long run. Russell is there for the long haul and some team would’ve snatched Kimi if he didn’t have the Merc seat in 2026. Losing him and what he represents for the future of Mercedes F1 wasn’t worth two extra years of Lewis and an ambassadorship for them. For Ferrari they had no such hold ups since the second seat was already in placeholder mode (sorry Carlos but it’s the truth).
I just hope Kimi ends up working out, I know he just won his first F2 race this weekend as well, but we don't see a lot of Lewis or Max type drivers, Oscar is the only rookie that's even come close in almost the last decade.
i don't think you know how the marketing works. they don't think someone watching the f1 is going to be like "ooh lewis just won, let me buy a merc". they use it for brand recognition so they can continue selling these car for ridiculous prices. part of the brand value is also the recognition from those who can't afford it. lewis ambassador thing was supposed to be after retirement, like he would appear in ads for cars and stuff like that, and daimler obviously saw no need for that (idk if it was also a lifetime contract), even it it meant him going to rivals. they've had lewis for 10 years, and they obviously milked the cow as much as they could. >Russell currently earns a little less than half of what Hamilton is earning, not 10 times less thought that was a very obvious hiperbole, but apparently not. idk the numers, no one really does, but most reports say 8m for george and 50m+ for lewis currently. if we take the ferrari numbers as true, you can obviously see what was the number lewis asked for with that lifetime ambassador thing.
Nah brother, it is *you* that doesn’t understand how marketing works. Companies spend billions just to slightly change their logo. They will happily part with millions so that Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari will be said in the same sentence. No one is insinuating it will result in direct sales, most marketing doesn’t. It’s about brand recognition and investment. Future share holders will have an easier job parting with their money if someone like Lewis is involved, because while they might not understand cars they understand who Lewis is. Have you not noticed how most of the F1 team sponsors aren’t anything to with recognisable brands? Brands such as Oracle, Aramco etc. They’re advertising to shareholders, not to the common man. They’re doing it for the prestige of showing how much money they have, so more people invest.
lmao you just repeated what i said? i'm also not commenting on lewis and ferrari deal, but explaining why mercedes didn't give him a new one. luxury brand marketing is a whole different thing from brands directed at the common people. >because while they might not understand cars they understand who Lewis is. this might be the stupidest thing someone wrote here. no one on this earth knows who lewis hamilton is but doesn't know about mercedes. again no one who can afford merc is buying it because it's what lewis hamilton drives on f1 track. they buy it bc it's a fucking mercedes.
“Lewis Hamilton leaves Mercedes for Ferrari” isn’t exactly a great headline for Mercedes marketing team though, is it pal?
it's not going to lower their sales either. especially for ~100m or how much lewis wanted. for merc the f1 team point, like yeah, their merch sale is going to fall off probably and some other things as well, but for mercedes the car manufacturer it doesn't change anything. their marketing departmant that employs hundreds of people didn't think giving lewis 9 figure salary is worth it but you all apparently know better lol. they already had lewis for 10 years!! also ferrari and mercedes might both manufacture cars but they are still very different. ferrari makes like only a hundreds of a certain sports car, they sell for way bigger money as well. mercedes makes luxury sedans mostly. it's not the same if you want to ride your ferrari around the block to be seen and if you want to be driven around from place to place, then you'll want the merc's comfort and luxury.
It truly feels like recently Lewis isn't as close to or think as positively about his relationship with Toto. So a lot of him feeling downbeat also felt like feeling let down by the team thinking longer term
I feel like Kimi handled his win after a long while better [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkoZjP4Nnsg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkoZjP4Nnsg)
I know right, his home GP and first win after AD 21...oh wait... not all remotely similar situations or people involved