Lewis Hamilton tells former F1 Champion Niki Lauda how the season following his first championship win in 2008 was his most difficult season yet.
When Lewis Hamilton entered the world of F1, it didn’t take him long to make an impression. He debuted with McLaren in 2007. And in the first race of the season in Australia, the Briton grabbed a podium.
In his rookie season, Lewis lost the championship title by just 1 point. But Hamilton came back stronger and grabbed his first championship title in 2008. He beat Felipe Massa by a margin of 1 point.
But following the hype after his win, Hamilton suffered a slum in 2009. in the first 9 races, Lewis only managed to finish once above 5th. He suffered a lack of pace and reliability issues. While McLaren was nowhere in contention with Brawn GP and Red Bull.
After the 2009 Hungarian GP, Lewis had a resurgence in form. He finished the season 5th with 2 wins and 3 podiums. Jenson Button won the title with Brawn GP in their maiden season.
Ahead of the European GP in Valencia, 3-time F1 champion Niki Lauda paid a visit. The Austrian gave the young Briton a ride across the city, conversing about the difficulties he faced.
Lewis admitted that the expectations from him after the title weighed him down. He said that he tried to be better on track but it wasn’t as simple as it seems.
Lewis said, “We all know how to win races. But preparing your life to win races and then arriving last is demoralising. And then there are the media talking things about you.”
He adds “As a driver, you want to show the world you are the best and win races. And when people say ‘this person must be better’, you cant fix it by going faster.”
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How Niki Lauda understood Lewis Hamilton
Niki Lauda was an admirer of Lewis Hamilton’s racing. The former F1 champion was the one who wooed Hamilton into switching to Mercedes following his McLaren stint.
While Niki understood this wasn’t about Lewis underperforming. Rather, he did not have a car that could fight for wins. And Lewis confirmed that McLaren did not stop in believing in the young champion.
Hamilton said he was constantly in touch with his engineers, and his team regarding improvements to the car. And he adds, “The most important thing was knowing that my team wasn’t going to give up. If they give up, then there is nothing to race for”
“I want to be a part of a team that always pushes. Because, when I am driving a car, I am always pushing. And if they aren’t pushing then I am in the wrong place.”
And the constant search for success has pushed Hamilton to claim 6 more titles in the seasons since then. He will be racing in his 300th race in the 2022 French GP, becoming only the 6th driver to do so.
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