Stars align as Hamilton targets Vettel
Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, who together have won six of the past seven Formula One drivers’ titles, claim that they are ready to forge a rivalry that could electrify their sport. Already, the stars are aligning.
Ahead of tomorrow’s Australian Grand Prix, there is barely the width of a cigarette paper between Mercedes and Ferrari as the teams’ two marquee names prepare for a compelling duel.
‘‘I have not had a lot of battles with Sebastian, so I would love to have that,’’ said Hamilton, noticeably relaxed in the absence of Nico Rosberg, the team-mate with whom he sparred psychologically at every race. ‘‘The fans want to see it.’’
While the internecine strife at Mercedes last season was an entertaining plot, a prolonged battle with Vettel would be a blockbuster. It contains all the ingredients of a potent cocktail: the emotional Hamilton versus the mischievous Vettel, whose reputation for Teutonic coolness does not always hold up when events conspire against him.
Plus, it promises the contest of two iconic F1 marques, between a Mercedes team who have dominated for three years through sheer bludgeoning brilliance and Ferrari rivals restless for a first championship in a decade.
‘‘If the team are strong, then they will build a strong car the year after, no matter what happens with the rules,’’ Vettel said. ‘‘We are just trying our best to catch up.’’
Hamilton could not help but laugh at Vettel’s coded language. He even threw the ‘‘favourites’’ tag straight back at the German, just to stir a little tension between two drivers normally diplomatic with one another. ‘‘I see Ferrari being the quickest, and they will definitely be favourites,’’ he said.
One more title would haul Hamilton level with Vettel and Alain Prost as a quadruple champion, with only the records of Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher left to chase. His determination is palpable. He cannot expunge the memory of last year’s finale quickly enough, having lost out in the title quest despite winning each of the final four races. In the late summer sunshine of Melbourne’s Albert Park, he gave no sense that he was pining for the absent Rosberg.
Pointing to Vettel, Fernando Alonso and Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo, Hamilton said: ‘‘When I walked in, I thought it was neat, because there is a champion here, another champion there, and a potential champion, too. So, it does not make a difference whether the reigning champion is here or not.’’
We can rest assured that Hamilton will not countenance any of the early errors that sabotaged his 2016 campaign, when the euphoria of a third championship seemed briefly to scramble his concentration.
This time, he is far more specific in setting his targets. Quite apart from trying to cement his own greatness, Hamilton explained that Mercedes were preoccupied with becoming the first team to survive wholesale rule changes with their dominance intact.
‘‘No team have won back to back with regulation changes, so that is our goal,’’ Hamilton said.
Hamilton is as fit as he has ever been, and he knows it. When he was told at testing in Barcelona of Rosberg’s remark that drivers would need to be ‘‘gladiators’’ to withstand the latest cars’ heightened g-forces, he replied, only half-joking: ‘‘I’d like to think I look like a gladiator anyway.’’ Even by his standards, the winter training block has been intense, encompassing everything from surfing to Thai boxing.
It will be fascinating to see not just how Hamilton and Vettel cope with mutual hostilities, but with their team-mates. While Hamilton is expected to pulverise Valtteri Bottas in a straight fight, the Finn has been admirably composed both on track and in his public comments, matching the senior man at every stage of testing.
Vettel, likewise, has the challenge of fending off Kimi Raikkonen, who has been handed a one-year contract at the age of 37 and whose form is a study in consistency. He is the highest-paid driver in the paddock, on a staggering £39 million a year, and needs to start convincing his employers at Maranello that he is worth it. A tear-up with Hamilton would be as good a place as any to start.