As Formula 1 gets its feet back on European soil for the Spanish Grand Prix next week, the lingering issues of Ferrari’s upgrades, Red Bull’s pace, Mercedes struggles and yes, Lewis’s jewelry are on everyone’s minds.
Speaking of Lewis Hamilton, it’s been a difficult start the season for him. His teammate, George Russell, has had the measure of him—regardless of the reasons, that’s what the math says—and while that would normally be very praise-worthy from team boss Toto Wolff, he’s been relatively mum about George’s pace but doubled down on trying to help Lewis remain positive despite a car that is a real challenge.
Many wonder if Lewis has lost his edge but there’s more to it than just having an edge to you. It’s the car—which for the past 8 years Hamilton fans have played down in favor of ascribing his immense talent as the reason for 8 constructor’s titles—the team and talent on that team, the mental space Lewis is in and many other factors beyond his control.
In time, all champions lose that edge and age has a lot to do with it. Is F1 a young man’s sport? Not if you read about Juan Manuel Fangio but those were different days. Today, it is a young sport as evidenced by Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, George Russell, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Esteban Ocon, Mick Schumacher, Yuki Tsunoda, and Zho Guanyu.
If you consider Lewis, Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen (last year), Valtteri Bottas, and Sergio Perez, the older class is, well, getting older. None of them are battling at the sharp end of the grid and is that also because they’ve lost their edge? I doubt it. They, like Lewis, have many things contributing to their challenges of fighting at the front of the grid.
However, there is no doubt that at some point in time, there is always a changing of the guard. Senna could feel it coming, Prost felt it, Schumacher experienced it, Alonso could see it and eventually Lewis will know it as well. Is that time now? Maybe not but former F1 driver Jacky Ickx said:
“Age is incredibly important in racing,” Ickx told Rick Winkelman of the Ziggo Race Cafe. “You can’t beat a Verstappen, Leclerc or Norris if you are already over your top.”
“Once you weaken, it’s very fast. Much harder than the rate at which you grow.
“What is important is that he still wants to fight. He will definitely win some more races, but he doesn’t have the time on his side.”
He’s right, Lewis doesn’t have time on his side. Every person feels this moment at one time or another whether they are an F1 driver, Indycar driver, IMSA driver, banker, farmer, lawyer, plumber or any other occupation that time erodes. Unlike other trades, F1 as well as other sports are typically much quicker to reach that pivotal point. That’s why sports stars demand such high wages. The time for their total earning potential is much shorter than, say, a loan manager at a bank.
Lewis also got embroiled in a row with the FIA over jewelry and he has until the end of May to decide if he’s going to remove his jewelry for the Monaco Grand Prix or face fines or worse. The rule has been on the books for a long time but hasn’t been enforced previously. With a new president comes a new focus and safety is chief among them it would seem.
While the media and fans seem miffed about making such an issue over jewelry, Lewis may not have 100% support in the paddock with McLaren boss Andreas Seidl saying:
“From drivers and also from the media side. In the end, it’s a rule that has been in place for I don’t know how many years,” Seidl told Motorsport-Total. “If you have worked in other categories, it’s not even a discussion.
“If you don’t like to take off your jewelry or if you don’t want to put the fireproof underwear on you just don’t drive, it’s quite straightforward and simple.”
Now, that may sound harsh but keep in mind, this is a blood sport and there are few friends amongst competitors. From the other team’s perspective, Seeing Lewi struggle in his Mercedes or entertaining the thought of him not driving is good for your team. Especially when you are battling Mercedes for best-of-the-rest.
FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem confirmed that fines may be the result of defying the rule.
“That’s up to him. There are fines that apply,” he told the Daily Mail. “It’s like if someone speeds on the roads – you can’t stop them doing it but they get fined, even if it was accidental.
“You can’t let people off because they are your friends. There has to be one rule for all, and that’s that.” He added: “I love jewelry.
“I absolutely love it. But in the car there can be no choice. People say they (the rules) haven’t been implemented before. Don’t ask me why not.
“People can ask the old regime why that is the case.”
Andreas is right, other racing categories aren’t even having this discussion because that’s the rule.
So the debate continues about Lewis’s jewelry and whether or not he’s lost his “edge”. I don’t think Lewis has lost his edge nor am I worked up about the jewelry regulation—although I think he needs to follow it because that’s the rule and if you are setting an example for young talent coming into the sport, then perhaps it’s the right thing to do.
Whether Lewis is falling out of love with the sport, I don’t know. I will say that I get the feeling that F1 is getting to the point where it’s about done with Lewis Hamilton. There isn’t the universal paddock accolades, apart from Toto Wolff, that were so prevalent. His comments about the sport and in the paddock seem different these days, and the sport seems to have moved its focus to the young guns who have things well in hand. I got this same feeling when the conversation stopped being about Schumacher and was focused on Alonso.
Leclerc leading the championship in a resurgent Ferrari with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen chasing with massive pace and prey drive. Lando Norris managing his veteran teammate and leading McLaren’s new future with some brilliant performances. Carlos Sainz digging in and trying to stay with his teammate. Pierre Gasly trying to find a new home at a top team. George Russell unseating a world champ in a team that has stubbed its toe in a very serious way in 2022 and doing so with little public support from his boss.
The world’s gaze is not being viewed through the Lewis Hamilton lens like it used to be. That happens. The world used to view F1 through the Schumacher lens and the Senna lens before that. It used to be focused on Alonso and then Lewis. Now it is focused the young drivers who grew up karting together and that is normal.
I’m not sure what FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem’s background it, and I don’t like even dipping a toe into conspiracy theories, but this seems like an odd and convenient time to start enforcing these particular rules. It seems to me that it would have been easier to change the rules that it is to enforce it. I wonder if someone with more spare time than I have were to read the entirety of the rule book, that they would no doubt find more obscure rules lost to the practicalities of time that would no longer apply in modern day. I… Read more »
Well, if Lewis or any other F1 driver was caught sleeping under my covered wagon, I would just fine them instead.
Impossible for me to read this any other way than ben Sulayem throwing a tantrum best he can for Lewis besmirching his Debutant FIA Ball in December. Throw in the fact that (just read his speeches and public pronouncements) he has pretty much pure chaos for an intellect, and the prospect of some truly spectacular tin eared pratfalls looms at every turn. Conspiracy? I dunno. But the iconography and symbolism of his silly announcement combined with his apparent doubling down on the spectacularly incompetent Michael Masi suggest further hijinks in store. Meanwhile, Lewis has more cultural capital in his pinky… Read more »
We talked about this on the latest podcast. I think it is bigger than Lewis, it’s the FIA’s effort to reassert itself int he power tree over F1. Todt was hands off and the FIA’s presence in F1 waned. I think MBS is seeking the Max Mosley era control.
I don’t think ben Sulayem has more than a trace of the kind of political and intellectual chops possessed by Mosley and Ecclestone. And it seems to me it was the pair of ’em and not each separately that formed that juggernaut. Compared to them, ben Sulaymen strikes me as a trivial fancy boy hoping to finagle some profile any way he can.The man is perfect for a Sacha Baron Cohen sendup.
My question for Lewis is simple . . . Is your jewelry more important to you than driving a Formula 1 car? For me it’s just that simple. Take your jewelry off, go drive the car for practice/race, and then put your jewelry back on. No one, at least that I’ve read, is telling him he can’t have his jewelry . . . just not in the car. But, if it is really a safety concern for the FIA, then just comply with it. Then, work to change the rule. Even if the rule had not been enforced until now,… Read more »
I say “be careful what you ask for F1.” Lewis has galvanized the sport for years. Women like him (50% of the world’s population), he’s kind, he believes in social issues, Hollywood likes him, the UK press likes him (which is rare). After he was shafted in the last 2021 GP (like it or not, the outcome was a cheat), now he’s got a car that cannot make up its mind if it’s a kangaroo or a porpoise. In anyone else’s hands except for those two, it would be at the back of the grid. So? What does F1 do?… Read more »
I don’t want to throw a monkey wrench into your math, but my wife does not like him and my mom has no idea who he is.
Seems to me any FIA chest beating about safety needs to be tempered with their insouciant willingness to run races in the vicinity of explosive missile strikes.