© Daimler AG
Former Mercedes Executive Director Technical Paddy Lowe says Lewis Hamilton proved his success is not down to a superior car.
Lowe was with Mercedes from 2013 until 2017 and in that time he had the opportunity to watch Lewis Hamilton in action first hand. After Lewis’ amazing win at the Turkish Grand Prix, Lowe said his success is not down to the car.
“Taking the [Turkey] race, it was pretty clear he made the difference in that car,” Lowe told Motorsport.com.
“Yes, it’s a good car, but if you compare him to his teammates, and you compare him to the mistakes of many other great drivers in that race, then he produced a perfect performance.
“So for me, if it’s not 100% him in that individual race, then it’s certainly in the high 90s.
“But if you take his entire career so far, and seven world championships, then you have to average out the massive contribution of the teams in making great cars.
“But then if you’ve got a leading driver like Lewis who, over 14 seasons, generally in one of the leading cars, has delivered seven championships then it is down to his driving.
“You can pick individual championships and say, ‘Well, okay, that one was an easy one for him’. But they weren’t all easy. And other factors come into play, such as endurance, consistency.
If you like SilverArrows.Net, consider supporting us by buying us a coffee!
“There are many great drivers who you might say have made a major contribution with their own talent, and they’ve won championships, single championships, but to win seven requires a very special consistency and endurance.”
In his long career Lowe had the opportunity to work with such greats as Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen, Damon Hill and Nigel Mansell, but the Briton said Hamilton stands out from the bunch.
“None of them have had that persistence to stay in there and keep working year in, year out to win multiple championships. And that’s just really what sets Lewis apart.
“He’s made great, great sacrifices to do that. Personal sacrifices in terms of life choices, to really dedicate himself to his F1 career. And the consistency of staying in a team.
“People say he’s won all those races in a Mercedes, and in a 14-year F1 career, he’s only driven for two teams. Well analyse that. There’s a story in there about consistency, loyalty, and management of relationships.
“If you stay in the same team and build performance together, that’s how it comes. And that requires you to maintain relationships, as much as anything else. So that’s again part of the package of delivering so much long-standing success.”
