Lewis Hamilton is one of the greatest and most successful F1 drivers of all time. The Brit has won just about everything in the sport and holds the record for the most number of race wins, pole positions, and fastest laps. He has also won seven world championships, which puts him level with Michael Schumacher on the number of title wins, but it is a record he plans on breaking soon.
Even though Hamilton has achieved everything there is to achieve, he has had his share of gut-wrenching losses. There have been times he came agonizingly close to tasting success but they ended in heartbreak. The most famous example would be that of his title loss on the final lap of the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP which led to one of the most controversial moments in F1 history.
Max Verstappen’s overtake on Lewis Hamilton in Abu Dhabi 2021 https://t.co/oLQo9N4WZV pic.twitter.com/NA537rCd6g
— Kieran (@kie_SF1) January 12, 2023
Hamilton, however, took the loss well on camera, which earned him praise from all over the world. Mercedes’ trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin insists that no one in F1 takes a loss better than Hamilton does.
Also read: Who is Lewis Hamilton’s brother Nicholas Hamilton and what does he do?
Lewis Hamilton always looks forward to the next race, says Shovlin
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Shovlin talks about how naturally talented Hamilton is. There have been very few on his level in terms of driving but he emphasized on the fact that when it comes to work ethic, the Brit stands out. When drivers lose a race, they are upset and no one can expect them to not be unhappy about it.
“it’s about the result at the next race, not whether he’s smiling or giving a nice interview.” Shov has been hitting every nail on the head!!! 🔨🔨🔨🔨💯#F1 #MercedesAMGF1 #LewisHamilton 🐐 pic.twitter.com/tKNlfMQfqh
— Hamilton Insights (@LH44_insights) February 10, 2023
This is true in Hamilton’s case too, but Shovlin says that he handles it far better than others. According to the 49-year-old, Hamilton is always motivated to work on improving in the upcoming race which helps him handle the loss well. After a race, the seven-time world champion sits down with the team to work on understanding what went wrong.
After analyzing where he can improve, he resets his mind and shifts his focus to the next outing, so that he can avoid a similar loss.
Also read: F1 Expert Claims McLaren is Wasting Lando Norris Like Fernando Alonso
Hamilton aiming to bounce back from difficult 2022 season
The 2022 season was incredibly difficult for Hamilton. Since making his debut in 2007, he won a race in every single season but his incredible streak came to an end last year. On the other hand, his new teammate George Russell had a stellar debut season for the Silver Arrows.
The 24-year-old finished in fourth, two places above Hamilton in the drivers’ championship and also managed to guide Mercedes to their only race win of the season. Hamilton will be hoping that 2023 turns out to be a much better year for him as he looks to fight for his eighth world championship this season.
