THIS HAS BEEN OUR TOUGHEST YEAR YET
Hamilton admits the loss of Mercedes legend Lauda hit him hard TENNIS SPANIARD ON TOP OF THE WORLD
THE enormity of clinching a sixth drivers’ championship was still sinking in, and Lewis Hamilton was already fielding questions about matching Michael Schumacher’s benchmark of seven world titles.
Hamilton can be forgiven for parking that issue for a few weeks. Instead he chose to reflect on a season he described as one of the toughest he has faced in Formula One.
The celebration (far right) was in full swing in Austin after Hamilton had followed Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas home to seal the title with two races to spare.
The party then moved on to New York and continued into the early hours.
But before leaving Texas, Hamilton’s mind had turned to a campaign that, despite its success for Mercedes, was marked by the death of team talisman Niki Lauda.
He said: “It’s been the hardest year for us as a team. We lost Niki this year. A crucial member of our team.
“I didn’t think that was going to hit me as hard as it did.
“It really was upsetting and I miss him dearly. I didn’t realise how much I loved the guy.”
Lauda’s passing was not the only dark day to hit Hamilton hard this year. The level of concern he demonstrated as he watched the horrific crash that cost the life of Formula 2 driver
Anthoine Hubert (below, the grid pays respect) was such that Hamilton had to bring an interview to an abrupt halt.
“We lost a young kid in Spa,” said Hamilton of the fatal accident during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend in August.
“I saw it on the TV, I saw it happen. That again, when something like that happens, can put lots of doubts in your mind and batting that off and thinking, ‘OK, jeez, is it time to stop or shall I keep going?’, because there’s lots of life afterwards.
“I still want to spend time with my family.
“I still want to have a family one day, all these different things, but I love doing what I do so much that I don’t think there’s a lot that can particularly stop me in that sense.”
Not even issues in his personal life that Hamilton chose to keep private. The 34-year-old added: “Every year you go through a different rollercoaster ride of emotions to get to where you’re going.
“And I am also struggling with lots of different things and battling certain demons and trying to make sure that I’m constantly growing as a person.”
It is that self-motivation which has carried Hamilton to the pinnacle of his sport.
It is also a character trait which Mercedes chief engineer Andrew Shovlin feels has proved pivotal in Hamilton’s continued hunger for success.
Shovlin said: “A lot of people like to have this image of what Lewis was like as a driver, it was all natural ability, not the working hard bit.
“But he has evolved enormously in his time with us, and he’s one of the hardestworking drivers I’ve seen.”
After some well-earned down time, expect that hard work to begin in earnest, and the question of Schumacher’s seven titles to be addressed.
VINTAGE NADAL’S NO.1
season,” said Nadal (below), who hopes to recover from a stomach muscle strain in time to play at the ATP Finals in London next week.
“It was a tough beginning but then I was able to find a way to be back playing at a very high level and be in the place that I am today,” added this year’s French and US Open champion.