Hamilton praises his ‘1,800-strong team’ ahead of US Grand Prix title shot
NEW YORK: Lewis Hamilton has praised the efforts of his ‘1,800strong team’ as he aims for his fifth F1 world championship.
Hamilton was appearing on popular US television show Good Morning America on Tuesday.
The show’s host, Michael Strahan, wanted to understand what was behind Hamilton’s success.
The 33-year-old chose to recognise the work of his Mercedes AMG Petronas team in Brackley rather than focus on himself.
He said: “I’ve got a big team, there’s a big team behind me. It’s a different kind of sport. There’s 1,800 people in my team to build two cars.
“I’m just the chink in the chain. I’m just the guy who gets to go out and unleash the potential.”
Hamilton will secure his fifth Formula One title in Texas on Sunday, with three races to spare, if the Mercedes driver scores eight points more than Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.
Hamilton, who is looking to equal Juan Manuel Fangio’s five titles with a victory at the US Grand Prix, stopped off in New York before making his way to the Lone Star State for practice.
Hamilton will still be two world championships short of Michael Schumacher’s record seven titles if he claims his fifth this weekend, but that hasn’t stopped comparisons with the legendary German.
“I never thought I would be able to say it, but Hamilton really is the one who could beat Michael Schumacher’s records,” F1 chief Ross Brawn told Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“He’s got everything under control. The quality that unites him with Michael and the great guys is that he knows how to win races that he should lose.”