Five-times champion is the dominant force in grands prix and on social media, with no other driver coming close to his publicity generating profile in the wider worldTwo years into their tenure as the owners of Formula One and Liberty Media have known only one champion. With Lewis Hamilton taking the title in four of the last five years Liberty have inherited a period of singular supremacy by the British driver. Ordinarily this might be cause for concern as they seek to expand the sport but right now they must be positively relieved that if there is to be a dominant star, it is Hamilton.Hamilton and his Mercedes team have been the pre-eminent force in F1 since 2014. They have...
Mercedes maestro has complimented his adherence to grand prix track etiquette with a trail-blazing love of rap music and fashion designAs Lewis Hamilton has just discovered, five is a magical number in motor racing. It means one thing and one thing only. It is the number of times Juan Manuel Fangio won the drivers’ world championship in Formula One between 1951 and 1957. For almost half a century, that feat looked as likely to be equalled as Don Bradman’s Test average. Like the Australian genius, the Argentinian maestro enjoyed an eminence setting him apart not just from his contemporaries but from those who preceded and those who followed his era.Then along came Michael Schumacher, who rewrote every significant record –...
The reigning champion is already the third British driver to clinch the crown in Mexico, following Surtees and Hill, but he will hope to do it in finer style than he did last yearIt seems almost certain that Lewis Hamilton will finally close out his fifth world title in Mexico City on Sunday, seven days after being denied in Austin. He will take huge pleasure in having done so regardless of where it is secured yet it is not hard to imagine that he will want to give this remarkable achievement a fitting finale, one of panache, confidence and control to reflect a superlative season.John Surtees, without doubt among motor sport’s greats, won his championship here in one of F1’s...
The speed with which Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes learn from mistakes has been critical in the F1 title raceThe title is long gone for Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel and they know it. Indeed it would be hugely surprising if Lewis Hamilton does not win his fifth championship in Mexico this weekend. Yet for Vettel and the Scuderia presenting a coherent and constructive challenge for the last three races could be cause for optimism in a season when they have let the championship slip away.After showing strong pace at the US Grand Prix, where Kimi Räikkönen won and Vettel believed he had the speed to do the same but for his grid penalty and spin, Ferrari seem to have found their...
Former world champion’s typically forthright reaction after US Grand Prix reveals frustration of five-year wait for victoryKimi Räikkönen is clearly a popular winner and there was a sense of relief that in his fifth year since rejoining Ferrari he returned his first win for the team in his second stint. It was a long time coming, 2,044 days since his last victory, for Lotus at the 2013 Australian Grand Prix. “Fucking finally” was the Finn’s typically forthright reaction. He had earned it, with a perfectly executed drive begun by beating Lewis Hamilton through turn one. Ferrari may have dispensed with his services next season but the US Grand Prix proved that Sauber will have a driver still able to bring...