This was an absolutely stunning performance by Lewis Hamilton, every bit as tough as his win in Canada because of all the politics and insanity which went on during qualifying and afterwards with his team-mate, Fernando Alonso.
There were not many people in the paddock who believe that Alonso did not deliberately baulk Lewis at the end of qualifying - the stewards included.
This was a Senna/Prost level of gamesmanship and surely means the end of their relationship.
Twin threats
Today’s race required Hamilton to rise above it all and deliver a composed performance and he did exactly that despite the twin threats of a hard-charging Kimi and a damaged steering system, which meant that the car was trying to turn right on him the whole time.
The key to the win was the 4.5s gap he built in the opening stint.
As he pitted on the same lap as Raikkonen this margin allowed McLaren to put a good slug of fuel into his car and thus be sure that Kimi could not run longer and leapfrog him at the second stops.
From then on it was Lewis’s race.
Kimi got close in a lighter car, but Lewis soaked up the pressure and grew the gap again by staying out longer.
I mentioned that he was at risk, once Kimi made his second stop, of a Safety Car, which would have screwed his strategy had it come out before his second stop, but they got away with it.
After two poor results at Silverstone and Nurburgring, this was Hamilton’s return to winning form and you’d have to say that he held his nerve amazingly well.
Winning attitude
I’m particularly interested in his attitude to the team order he ignored in qualifying.
You can read his full answer in the long interview elsewhere on this site, but basically he is saying that although he is a team player and understands the expectations the team has of him, he is also out there for himself and if the team’s objectives do not align with his then he’ll go his own way.
This is an amazing assertion for a 22-year-old in his rookie season with a top team, but it shows what Hamilton is made of.
This is no Tim Henman-type character (not that we ever thought he was) this is a steely ruthless racing driver, who has the ‘killer instinct’ that great champions in this sport must have.
He was the victim of a ruthless piece of gamesmanship from his team-mate, according to the stewards, but he has also shown that he is no-one’s patsy.
Great expectations
The crux of the problem for McLaren is this; Alonso signed at Christmas 2005 to be the team’s main driver from 2007-10 and although McLaren was never going to give the keys to team to him, as Ferrari did with Michael Schumacher, both sides must have expected that as the best driver in the world he would lead the team to glory.
Instead he’s got something he did not sign up for, namely a rookie team-mate who is as good if not better than him, who played ball up to a point but who now says, having led the championship for seven races, “Enough’s enough, I’m looking out for myself now and will not allow you to dictate to the team.”
It is impossible for McLaren to manage this situation because the drivers’ objectives are mutually opposed.
They can’t simply say, “OK, you race each other” because that is against what Alonso wants, while they cannot muzzle Lewis any more because he’s shown, by ignoring Ron and then telling him where to get off over the radio, that he’s not going to give an inch.
Ayrton Senna stood up to Ron Dennis, but he was older and more seasoned than Hamilton. But Dennis knows that this ‘killer instinct’ is part of what makes Hamilton the most exciting driver around.
Alonso has shown again this weekend that he has it too.
Internal affairs
Alonso has said tonight that he does not know whether he will see out his full contract term at McLaren. Relations between him and the team are at rock bottom.
All parties know that there is not one team in the pit lane, Ferrari included, who would not clear the decks and open the cheque book to get either him or Hamilton, should one of them feel inclined to ‘walk’.
It’s emotionally draining for everyone, but especially for Ron Dennis and Martin Whitmarsh, who both look tired and haggard this weekend.
They are fighting battles on multiple fronts at the moment, internally with the drivers, on track with Ferrari and off track with Ferrari and the FIA.
If you look back at the wistful interviews Ron was giving at the start of the year about what a pleasure it is to work with two such ego-free and team oriented drivers, they begin to look rather hollow now.
The season has turned into a living nightmare for Ron.
This was an intense weekend of the kind F1 throws up from time to time.
It reminded me of Monaco last year in some ways, with the long wait on Saturday night for the stewards decision. But the extraordinary political battle which is developing, involving McLaren, Ferrari and the FIA finally spilled over into the show today, when McLaren was prevented from sending a representative up on to the podium to collect a winner’s trophy.
Proven points
I think it is highly unlikely that McLaren will ever see the 15 constructors’ points its drivers earned today, indeed if they pursue the appeal they may lose more.
So McLaren go from a 27-point lead before Hungary to a 19-point lead with six races remaining.
But Ferrari is throwing this world championship away with its own errors and unreliability. Massa, who had a gearbox problem on the grid at Silverstone, again lost out this weekend because of a problem in qualifying, while at the Nurburgring Raikkonen retired with hydraulic problems.
Even if McLaren lose more constructors’ points still at the FIA appeal hearing into the spy scandal, they seem robust enough and Ferrari frail enough for both championships still to go to the Woking outfit.
In the company of kings
It was a great pleasure to work with Damon Hill this weekend, while Martin was away.
He provided some great insights into a champion’s mentality and some memorable lines.
I particularly liked the image of the FIA’s next step being the introduction of the ‘naughty chair’.
Perhaps that is not as far off as it sounds…
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