Hamilton laments too-safe modern era F1

07/05/2013
NEWS STORY

Lewis Hamilton admits to yearning for the days of Ayrton Senna and Gilles Villeneuve, when Formula One was closer to the edge, literally.

Days after the nineteenth anniversary of his hero, Ayrton Senna's death, and the day before the thirty-first anniversary of Gilles Villeneuve's, Lewis Hamilton has admitted a certain nostalgia for those 'distant' days - when the cars were more hands-on, the circuits that more dangerous and the drivers closer to the edge… often with fatal consequences.

"I drove one of Ayrton Senna's cars, the 1989, for a few laps around the national circuit at Silverstone once," he told the Daily Mail. "It was one of the best experiences I've ever had.

"Senna, Gilles Villeneuve - they were very similar," he continued. "That's what I wanted to adopt, I wanted to be like them, and I think I drive now in the way I imagine Senna would drive. That's the only way I know. They were the best, what they did was the best, and I want to master it as well."

As F1 gradually moves out of its traditional European heartland and into the east, where Hermann Tilke's creations are more style over substance, Hamilton laments the old fashioned circuits and the racing they created.

"If you watch Sebastian Vettel now, he always runs over the astroturf and over the kerb a little more than he should," he says, "going beyond the white line, which you're not actually allowed to do but they let you get away with it. In Senna's day, if he went one foot over that kerb, it would be grass and he would spin, and be penalised. He would be right on the limit, rather than over the limit - and I respect that style of driving more.

"Now you can go beyond and get back because modern tracks have run-off areas. They used to be gravel. Hit that, and your car was damaged or stuck. Now you can push beyond, go wide and come back on.

"When you do and get away with it, you think, 'Great', but the reason I love street circuits like Monaco is there is no room for error and if you make a mistake, you pay. I don't want people to pay by being hurt, but losing time, or having the car stop; that's what racing is about.

"That's why you've got to have so much admiration for the guys who did it back then. I like that it's safer now but the cars then were raw - they had a gear stick. You watch Senna at Monaco and he's one-handed most of the time, over-steering. That's really cool. So cool.

"I think that would have brought a lot more out of me, the time before the driver aids came in. Now it's so technical, sitting around talking about hydraulic dip. I have tons of buttons - 26 on a Mercedes steering wheel - and to understand and utilise them all is a science in itself.

"If I could choose an era, I would love to have driven in Senna's time, 1988, 1989. The cars were dangerous then. When I went around Silverstone in his car, I went flat-out and my head felt so exposed. I thought to myself, 'Jeez... those guys'," he admits.

"I've driven the Mercedes W125 from the 1930s, too - no seatbelt, you turn too quickly and you just roll out of the thing. The challenge now is different. It's more of a technical challenge.

"Formula One changes every year. I have to dissect every piece of information about tyres, about downforce, about fuel-saving, and then still take on the other drivers. After Monaco, you get a big headache, because your eyes are moving all the time and you're so focused. Ayrton described Monaco as an out-of-body experience by the end, when you get in that zone. It can take a couple of hours to come down after the race, with the dehydration, too. My knees kill me after races. That's the pressure you put through the brake and the throttle.

"You hear some drivers who become more cautious with age, maybe they have kids and they lose the will to put the car on the edge. But I'm not the type to do that. I won't be more cautious for anything, that's not the way I'm built. It's got to be dangerous for me. If you take away the danger from Formula One, I wouldn't do it any more. But it's still dangerous enough. When I'm driving a qualifying lap right on the edge, it's dangerous all right."

Asked about his controversial move to Mercedes, a move which, contrary to widespread media speculation, appears to be paying off, he revealed part of the thought process that went behind his shock decision.

"I stayed up a lot thinking about the move," he admits. "I can over think things at times. I did consider what my dad would feel, but I tried not to involve too many people because the call had to come from me. I went to Thailand on my own and made that decision on my own. I had two options, but as someone who likes adrenaline and excitement, one was riskier than the other. So I went with that one.

"It felt like leaving home - taking that leap. Had I stayed, I would have been protected but been in the same environment with people I had known my whole life. Mercedes was all brand new and it was all on me, to build those relationships with no time to mess around and no time for mistakes. That felt most interesting.

"Sure, there are parallels between leaving Ron Dennis and redefining the relationship with my father," he adds. "They are both powerful, ambitious people. My dad is the head of the whole family. He's like the Godfather and everyone goes to him with their problems. And Ron is like that at McLaren."

Referring to the media criticism, particularly in terms of his move to Mercedes, he admits: "I think I've definitely developed a thicker skin. In the early stages, I was affected by everything. At the start, it's easier to get stung. I'm more consistent now because my mental strength has improved. So when Jackie Stewart talks about me, I just laugh it off.

"Some people are nosey, or they've nothing better to do. They're entitled to their opinions, but Jackie talks a lot. It was my worst decision moving to Mercedes and then he flipped it and said we can win the World Championship.

"It's taken me all that time to get here. In my personal life, about three years ago I had someone saying things that were affecting me and the racing wasn't going well, so there was a lot of negative media, too. It bothered me. It felt like an attempt to put me in that position and it caused a lot of problems.

"There was a lack of energy, a lack of motivation. It almost felt like depression because it did a lot of the same things, sapping your will to act, to perform. I couldn't focus on the job.

"There was a point where I was driving and crashing - for no reason. I just wasn't on the ball. In this job you can't be thinking of anything else, you need to be focused all the time. I could still drive fast, but I couldn't stay focused. I was distracted. That person wasn't aiming to help me. Somehow I got through it. I no longer let negative energy surround me and I've learned how to deal with it."

Asked about his rivals, the 28-year-old replies: "It's funny, but the driver I admire most is Fernando, for his sheer speed, his simply incredible speed. I don't think anyone can match him in the sport."

Reminded of that tempestuous season in 2007, he quickly adds: "Now I'm older, I'm sure we would have a different relationship. There would still be intense moments because we are both quick, so we would be very close to each other, but we've both matured a lot. I think I'm much better at nurturing relationships between team-mates now. It depends on the drivers.

"Put Sebastian with Fernando Alonso and the team would be in trouble straight away," he adds, "the chemistry would just... You know, I even think I could drive with Sebastian... I just wouldn't turn the engine down."

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Published: 07/05/2013
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