Former F1 engineer, Sam Michael thinks Lewis Hamilton is too genuine a person to take the same route to success as his heroes Michael Schumacher or Ayrton Senna.
Michael experienced with the Mercedes star, thinks Hamilton is a “clean driver” and will not take any shortcuts to win the Formula 1 title.
Hamilton, Senna, and Schumacher all belong to the elite category of drivers. With multiple world titles under their belt, these super-drivers are anything but feisty and superbly competitive.
With enormous competitiveness under their skin, the drivers like the seven-time or the three-time world champions have showcased everything but sportsmanship.
From the German’s ‘deliberate’ crash with Villeneuve in the 1997 European Grand Prix to the Brazilian’s battles with Prost in 1990, there are extensive examples of it.
With such precedents set in the sport, Michael was asked if he believed Hamilton was of the same category. To which the Australian engineer simply disagreed.
Michael believes Hamilton is different
Sam Michael sat with Tom Clarkson in F1’s Beyond the Grid podcast. There he was asked if the Silver Arrows ace has the same level of devious nature as that Schumacher or Senna.
Speaking about this, the Australian engineer said, “I don’t think Lewis is like that.” Speaking from his experience of working with the British driver, he added that Hamilton might be a bit emotional, but he’s normally not “like that.”
The 52-year-old also conveyed that the Mercedes maestro was not a driver who wouldn’t accept his mistake, something the German driver used to do. This is something he has never seen the Stevenage-born driver do.
On this, Michael further stated, “Lewis has always been a clean driver.” He has never seen him doing anything “dirty” on the racetrack. This even goes down to the recent rivalry between him and Max Verstappen, where he hails the Mercedes man as “too honest.”
Michael’s take on Hamilton and Verstappen’s Silverstone Controversy
The former F1 engineer also opened up on the infamous Silverstone Grand Prix controversy from 2021. The race where Hamilton nicked Verstappen off the track, forcing the Dutchman into the barriers.
Talking about the British GP incident, Michael stated that it’s an interesting one to talk about, and then he went on to convey, “Lewis [Hamilton] is too honest.”
Following this, the Australian engineer added that there is no such this as honesty, “but he’s an honest person.” All in all, Sam Michael finds Lewis Hamilton as a driver and person different from Michael Schumacher or Ayrton Senna when it comes to sportsmanship.
