Hamilton: I’m ready for a war with Vettel
BRILLIANTLY quick, capricious, infuriating. That is Lewis Hamilton’s verdict on Lewis Hamilton, or pretty much so.
The World Championship leader, who says he is preparing for ‘war’ going into this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, delivered the assessment on his character by comparing himself to his car.
Asked if his Silver Arrow was a ‘diva’, as described by his Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, Hamilton said: ‘I don’t know if I have as good a word as that to use. Not that it is a diva.
‘Hmm — stubborn. But it’s cool because I’m stubborn. The car and I have lots of things in common, because it’s got great potential but doesn’t always want to do what you tell it to do.’
The question arose because his car was uncharacteristically slow in Malaysia last weekend; the greatest machine on the grid hobbled by the hot weather and the track’s design. Despite that, Hamilton finished second and extended his advantage over Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel to 34 points.
On to Suzuka, twice the scene of Hamilton victories. He can do little to improve his machinery, so instead he is concentrating on factors he can control.
He said: ‘All I’ve got to do is make sure I’m fit, healthy, focused, there on time, at the meeting, understand the car. I’ve done my study. Basically I prepare for war. That’s what I try to do: make sure every weekend I’m the best prepared I can be.’ Last week Hamilton did not close the door on Max Verstappen as the Dutchman went past him. He calculated that the wider championship picture meant he should not push it to the limit at any cost. That mindset does not come easily to Hamilton. ‘The goal is to continue to win races even if I don’t have to,’ he said. ‘That’s the best way. I’m still hunting it; I’m not defending it. Until that last flag, until I’ve actually got it, you’ve got to keep pushing as hard as you can. ‘That’s my theory. I arrive every weekend to win, though absolutely not to take silly risks. I’m not one to take silly risks. You don’t often see me penalised for doing such things.’ With five races left Vettel can afford no more errors. However, his mood has remained stable despite missing out on two consecutive wins. The German said: ‘If I said I wanted to win the last six then I also feel comfortable saying I want to win the last five.’