© Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
Mercedes Technical Director James Allison says ‘freakishly dedicated’ Lewis Hamilton achieved his success without a “shadow of poor sportsmanship”.
During an interview published by Mercedes on social media, Allison took the opportunity to give his assessment of six-time champion Lewis Hamilton.
“I’ve been lucky to work with people who have had the highest integrity and I do think that is a characteristic that marks out Lewis,” said Allison.
“He’s one of the oldest drivers on the grid now, still drives like one of the youngest but in a career of multiple championships and countless wins, you’ll struggle to find a moment on the track where you’ll see Lewis doing something ugly.
“You’ll see him do many, many breath-taking things, you’ll see him do brave things but you won’t see just crude dodgem car, bumper car stuff, or any sort of artifice to the way he drives.
“I hope that he manages to keep this going for the remainder of his driving career because it’s an utterly unblemished record, and I think amongst multiple world champions, it is also unprecedented to have all that success without anything that has even the hint of a shadow of poor sportsmanship hanging over it. I think it’s impressive.”
According to Allison, the 35-year-old Hamilton is still at the top of his game.
“I do think there comes a time where the driver’s racecraft is still incredibly strong but that last little extra special something that gives them the qualifying genius starts to slip through their fingers.
“And I think that one of the interesting things about Lewis is that’s still very much with him, and I think he is blessed with extraordinary physical talents to go along with his mental dedication, which is quite freakish,” concluded the Briton.
