Hamilton on the verge of joining the Immortals of F1

For answers, it is worth studying the team that surrounds it. It sounds extraordinary to remember now, but when Hamilton shocked F1 by announcing that he was leaving McLaren for Mercedes at the end of 2012, many made fun of it. "The story tells," said a seasoned observer, "that you do not leave a winning team unless it's for another proven winner." Hamilton would expose such a story as a bunkum. While Mercedes has won the title of all the drivers and builders since the start of the V6 turbo era in 2014, McLaren has not managed to win a single race.

Some claim that Hamilton owes its supremacy solely to the technology it possesses, but it is to deny market knowledge that has become an essential part of the arsenal of the greatest drivers. It is essential to detect the direction taken by the wind, to choose the ideal moment to move. Just ask Fernando Alonso. Despite all his unparalleled exploits, the Spaniard mistook his choice, joining Ferrari after the overwhelming dominance of the Schumacher era dissipated and embarking for a second pbad to McLaren. while their cars had all the competitiveness of the combine harvesters. So he finds himself, in his last F1 campaign, with only two titles out of the five likely Hamilton.

Alonso considers this gulf in the record book with grace, placing Hamilton among his top five all-time, alongside Fangio, Schumacher, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. "It's a great success," he said, with the imminent anointing of his former teammate as a five-time champion. "If a person had to do it in our generation, I'm happy that it was Lewis, from the very first day he showed his commitment.When the car was dominant, he delivered the load. was not good enough, he still put in shows to show off his talent.It's hard to see these days. "

In appearance, the marriage of Hamilton and Mercedes is curious. A driver with a penchant for encounters between top-models and the lyrics on Christina Aguilera's records does not seem to be a natural choice for a German car brand perceived, until recently, as deeply conservative, even serene. But as team manager Toto Wolff has acknowledged, the relationship is symbiotic: where Hamilton has brought an undeniable advantage to the Silver Arrows, the team has provided him with a car that can fulfill his childhood dreams.

In the tarnishing of Hamilton's more mercurial impulses, Wolff himself owes a lot of merit. Although this venture capitalist from Vienna may seem like the diametric opposite of his driver, he has been a valuable guide.

It's at that time, last year, for example, when he convinced Hamilton, on a return flight from Tokyo, that he would not be wise. to follow the example of National Football League players by "kneeling" in front of the United States. Grand Prix. "I'm very demanding in maintenance," said Wolff when he was reminded of his man's appetite for provocation. Wolff provided Hamilton with unthinkable personal freedom under the guidance of Ron Dennis at McLaren.

Prior to the Singapore Grand Prix last month, Hamilton racked up 25,000 air miles in a week, attending fashion shows in New York and Shanghai, not to mention the wedding of a best friend. And he always produced a pole lap for the ages. In one way or another, he finds a way to keep his daily work and a plethora of extramural interests in proportion. It's not that it happens by accident: Hamilton has Angela Cullen, a Kiwi who works for Finnish performance specialist Hintsa, with her physiotherapist and regular girl Friday, programming every hour of her awakening and sleep.

Crucially, Mercedes also removed the antagonistic dynamic that existed between Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. In 2016, Rosberg became the second person, after Jenson Button in 2011, to beat Hamilton as a team-mate, and the result was a situation that Wolff described as "close to" anarchy.

But at Valtteri Bottas, the team found a happy person – and helpless to do anything else – plays the role of a faithful duplicate. Last month, in Sochi, the Finn, after taking pole, was ordered to retire and allow Hamilton to win. Although Bottas is clearly not equal to Hamilton in terms of pure driving, having not yet won a race of the season, he performs a no less important function in keeping the peace.

It's a pity that Rosberg is not there yet to stir up the tension and intrigue at the front of the grid. But his absence should not diminish Hamilton's achievements. The secret of happiness, Hamilton said, was finding a healthy balance. A look at his latest displays for Mercedes would suggest that the man and the machine are finally in perfect harmony.

The Telegraph, United Kingdom