DEREK BELL

The Legend

So, Lewis Hamilton is now the most successful British Formula 1 driver of all time. By that, I of course mean he has the most world championship driver titles. He had already accrued the most wins before he sealed his latest gong in Mexico. As a proud Briton I must admit to rooting for the home team, but I have not always been a Lewis fan. For all his brilliance, there have been occasions when I felt he let himself down out of the car. In 2017, however, I think he displayed great maturity, as befits his status as a legend in his own lifetime.

It’s easy to forget just what an impact Hamilton made when he first appeared as a McLaren driver back in 2007. He had been on electrifying form in GP2 a year earlier, and I expected him to win the occasional Grand Prix in his first season in Formula 1. I never for a moment thought he would be champion, yet he missed out only narrowly. The funny thing is, he won the title in his second year when, to my eyes at least, he didn’t drive anywhere near as well. Then there were seasons where he was simply inconsistent, in a race of his own one weekend, strangely off-key the next.

I think much of this was due to the way he believed his own hype. When a driver, or indeed any sportsperson, has success straight away, they get built up and the plaudits gush forth. Then they have a bad year, or at least a less good one, and the press aren’t so kind.

I don’t think Lewis handled the media at all well during his final few seasons at McLaren, or last year when he lost out to Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg following an often rancorous campaign. In 2017, however, he deported himself as a champion should, despite the occasional spat with arch-rival Sebastian Vettel. I was impressed as much by his off-track demeanour as his on-track excellence. He seemed a lot happier in his own skin, more relaxed. He had developed a harder shell.

Not that I can claim to know Lewis. I doubt that anyone does outside his personal circle. He still gets it in the neck for hanging out with gangsta rappers and the like, but so what? More power to him. It isn’t as though racing drivers and famous folk didn’t get together when I was racing at a high level. As for where he goes from here, who knows? He is under contract with Mercedes for the time being, but I wouldn’t bet against him ending his career at Ferrari. I have Lewis down as a romantic. I’m sure he would love to win a title in a red car. Who wouldn’t?

I certainly did when I signed for the Scuderia in 1968. I find it hard to believe that this was half a century ago. I have written about my year-and-a-half as a works Ferrari driver in this column before, so I won’t go over old ground except to say this: I wouldn’t have missed driving for Enzo Ferrari – who personally picked me – for anything. It meant a lot then and it still does.

Speaking of Ferrari, I was recently reunited with an old flame at Goodwood during a rather special track day. Nick Mason invited me to drive his ex-Ecurie Francorchamps 365 GTB/4 Competizione, which I raced at Le Mans back in 1972. To be honest, it wasn’t the best car I ever steered in the great race but I still hold the ‘Daytona’ in some regard, not least because I once had one as a road car and had a lot of fun with it.

Unfortunately for me, the Competizione wasn’t a happy bunny at Goodwood. There were one or two problems that couldn’t be sorted on site, which rather curtailed my plan to venture out for some hot laps. Then something happened which blew my mind. Nick, being the thoroughly good sort that he is, asked if I would like to have a go in his LaFerrari instead.

Now, I have driven a few hypercars, but mastering one at Goodwood – in the wet – was freighted with anxiety, not least because I was giving passenger rides. Indeed, a chap jumped into the right-hand seat before I had even figured out which button did what, and he commented later that he was surprised at how hard I had been concentrating. I did maybe 12 laps and couldn’t stop babbling afterwards. What a machine!

The Daytona was a former Le Mans weapon, the LaFerrari a road car, albeit a hardcore one. It was like stepping out of a biplane and into a stealth bomber. I have never lost my love for – nor my appreciation of – Ferrari, and this outing served only to boost it further.

Now, the Scuderia just needs to figure out how to win titles in Formula 1 again.

‘I HAVE LEWIS DOWN AS A ROMANTIC. I’M SURE HE WOULD LOVE TO WIN A TITLE IN A RED CAR. WHO WOULDN’T?’

DEREK BELL Derek took up racing in 1964 in a Lotus 7, won two World Sportscar Championships (1985 and 1986), the 24 Hours of Daytona three times (in 1986, ’87 and ’89), and Le Mans five times (in 1975, ’81, ’82, ’86 and ’87).