Time for Hamilton to show he has learned
Friday, 10 Oct 2008 16:48
Lewis Hamilton and his team still have work to do this season
It is that time of year for British formula one fans to start dreaming of a world champion.
Three races to go with their man - Lewis Hamilton - out in front is nothing new, but the nation's hopes will be on a different outcome 12 months on.
Last season Hamilton escaped a backlash from the British media, despite throwing away a clear advantage going into the home straight, because he was so inexperienced. Second place in the standings was considered a success when taken as part of the big picture, even if it didn't feel that way in the immediate aftermath.
This year, there will be no such get-out clause if he somehow snatches defeat from the jaws of victory. And so the pressure is on the young man like never before. Can he handle it?
In 2008, Hamilton the racing driver is a very different animal. One year older and wiser, the man himself has said he feels he has the equivalent of a decade's experience behind him with just one full F1 season under his belt.
Any new tracks this year have been new for everyone, not just Hamilton. The Stevenage kid was flying by the seat of his pants in several races last season, but it was paying off for him.
Nine successive podiums to start the season was obviously a far better start than even Ron Dennis - who has backed his young protégé from the start - could have dreamed of.
But as expectation was raised, so was Hamilton's blood pressure. And in the end it was this sheer weight of public pressure that put paid to his title chances, as he was forced to retire in China and finished a lowly seventh in Brazil.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was the beneficiary last time. Now, Felipe Massa is at the head of the queue. But Hamilton should have the experience of last year to see him through this time round.
He no longer has that protective bubble, emblazoned with the word "rookie", which was used to fend off criticism last year.
Also, slightly worryingly, he no longer has the consistency of performance that he had in 2007.
But Hamilton as a racing driver is maturing. He has put in at least three breathtaking drives already this season – including victories in Great Britain and Germany, and another in Belgium, which was later - unfairly - downgraded to a third place.
What he lacks in consistency, he now has in knowledge, understanding and familiarity. There is no better example of this than when he bounced back from errors in Malaysia and Bahrain to record three successive podiums in Spain, Turkey and Monaco.
He also followed up a retirement in Canada and another error-strewn display in France (when he finished out of the points) with his back-to-back victories at Silverstone and Hockenheim.
You perhaps would not have seen the same Hamilton last season had he made those same mistakes early in the season.
This year, though, he is battle-hardened.
He has the grit and know-how that comes only from having experienced a title contest and he knows what it will take to win. He showed a new-found maturity in driving for the points last time out in Singapore, and this proved beyond any doubt that Hamilton has only one goal this season - silverware. He no longer has anything to prove to those that doubt his uncanny ability in a racing car.
Last season in Japan, Hamilton drove a brilliant race in the wet to steal a famous victory.
Repeat that performance and the youngster could be on the verge of a first world title. But should he slip up, the Briton will need to keep his wits about him for the final two races - especially if he has to play catch-up.
Having said all this, however, right now I would back him to be a world champion at 23 - and that's something I never thought I would say about any F1 driver in my lifetime.
Alistair Potter