The Prince and Sheik: A formula for success
ALONE but for a bottle of wine, a master of motorsport will sit down on his sofa to watch Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg’s final duel for the Formula One Drivers’ Championship.
In the Italian commune of Masera, 130km northeast of Turin, Dino Chiesa will be content whoever emerges victorious from the desert finale in Abu Dhabi this weekend.
“Being on my own, I can scream, cry, be happy,” says Chiesa, a legend of the karting world, who offers a unique perspective having managed Hamilton and Rosberg as young karters in Team MBM – MercedesBenz McLaren – in 2000/01.
“I don’t want to be with someone who is actively supporting either Lewis or Nico. I’ll be happy regardless of the result. I can even start the wine on the formation lap, and maybe have another bottle, champagne perhaps, after the race.”
Chiesa knows the two combatants by their old nicknames: Nico – being white and rich and from Monaco – was known as “The Prince”; Lewis – being darker – was called “The Sheik”.
They were 15 and 16 at the time and firm friends as well as karting rivals when they came under Chiesa’s aegis. And he believes that, in spite of the pair’s jousting, an essential bond remains.
“We built the team specifically for them both – a gentleman’s agreement with Ron Dennis, who was in charge of the McLaren young driver programme that Lewis was on, and Keke Rosberg, Nico’s dad, who was looking after his son’s career,” says Chiesa.
“Lewis and Nico were meant to be together for three years but they were so quick they stepped up to cars after two years. Nico went to BMW and Lewis to Renault.
“I remember them as young boys. Friendly boys. A karting team is small, just five or six of us including the drivers.
“It is a little family. The boys usually slept together.
“Karting at that age is professional to a degree but not the way it is in Formula One. There were funny moments, too.
“Anthony (Lewis’s father) and Keke got on well. There was a joke among the others that Anthony was not a very good driver, unlike the rest of them. He was always the one driving the rental car though. One time Keke pulled the handbrake as Anthony was driving. The car spun in the middle of the road and went into the waterhole at the side.
“Nico was laughing in the back and saying: ‘My dad pulled the handbrake’. Keke was famous for not spending much money. One time in Canada, you had to pay $2 (about R22) to get on a bridge over a stream to take you to the car park. Keke did not want to pay it and instead drove the pick-up into the stream. This time Lewis was laughing.
“Lewis was more mature. Nico had to learn from him. I believe they are still friends. I remember the Australian GP in 2008. They had their first podium together in Formula One. Lewis called me early in the morning because of the time difference.
“He was so happy. He said it was like their go-karting days: He and Nico together on the podium. That’s why I believe there is still friendship there. It is impossible to be enemies after all that.”
The maths favours Hamilton going into the last race at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina track. He leads the championship by 17 points but with the scores counting double at the final round that is not as commanding a lead as it might sound.
Many observers were surprised by Rosberg beating Hamilton to another landmark this season: He leads 10 poles to seven. Chiesa is not. “I predicted before the season that this is how I thought it would go, with Nico having more poles and Lewis being faster in races,” he says.
“Nico needs to build up to his limit, which is why qualifying suits him. Lewis can go to the limit immediately without build-up, and that helps when they race. He is more aggressive and better at knowing when to overtake. He makes it look easy. It is not so easy for Nico, who is more smooth, safe and consistent.”
It is a statement on the lifestyle of his two former charges that Chiesa expects to speak only to Rosberg before Sunday. That is because of Hamilton’s global superstar status which has won him Bernie Ecclestone’ support.
Chiesa says: “I’ll talk to Nico for sure. He is polite, calmer. When he is home, he is home. He has a wife. He is settled. Lewis is very busy.
“He has less time to spend with people – I don’t mean that in a bad way; it is normal when you become more of a VIP. I think he wants to spend time with his friends and girlfriend. I am not part of his family.
“Lewis has changed his phone number many times and it isn’t always easy to get hold of him. But he has my number if he wants me”. – Mail On Sunday