London - Lewis Hamilton has been busy during the off-season, parading on red carpets and awards ceremonies in suits and hats of an extravagant flavour.
But for all he has enjoyed rubbing shoulders with the glitzy set, tweeting trysts with his “brothers” from the worlds of music, film and fashion, the Formula One season will open in Melbourne’s Albert Park this Sunday and Hamilton’s attention is turning to emulating the man he counted as a hero before he had ever heard of a rapper.
For last year’s championship victory, his second, put Hamilton one behind the late Ayrton Senna.
Mercedes’ pre-season dominance indicates that the 2015 season will be another straight title fight between Hamilton “of Stevenage, Tewin Wood, Monaco and LA” and his team-mate Nico Rosberg.
“The only landmark as a kid was watching Ayrton,” said Hamilton, who, as a nine-year-old karter hid behind his father’s car so his dad would not see him cry when he learned Senna had died at Imola.
“He had three titles and, even though I don’t really look at numbers and records, I always said that I wanted three; to match Ayrton. So if I have a third world championship, I would feel closer to him, although it was another era. I don’t think anyone is as good as him, but it would still be a nice feeling.”
There are echoes now of Senna’s era: the Brazilian’s rivalry with his McLaren team-mate Alain Prost, the cerebral Frenchman, went into a second season, just as Hamilton is with Rosberg. Senna won the title in 1988, but lost to Prost in 1989.
So could Hamilton succumb to Rosberg, a steelier competitor than his blond, Euro-chic image once suggested? The answer would seem to lie in Hamilton’s own performance. If he drives to his potential, his natural talent will surely win him the title. But, as ever, he could be buffeted by emotional vulnerabilities.
SPLIT-UP BLUES
We remember 2011 when, pained by his split from singer-songwriter girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger, his form suffered badly. This winter he again split from Scherzinger. Will that have an impact on his psyche?
Is he spending too much time flying from the States to Europe, a question given impetus when he missed a day’s practice with a fever?
Or are such questions an insult to a focused sportsman who, anyway, should not be begrudged the lifestyle his success has bought him?
“Last year I adapted,” said Hamilton, 30. “I had a mental attitude that was impenetrable. I feel that I still carry that mentality and, while it has not been easy (splitting from Scherzinger), I don’t think it’s going to be a problem. I feel as if I’ve got enough in place to do what I need to do and be the best I can be.”
More potential turbulence lies in his contract situation at Mercedes. His three-year deal expires at the end of the season and he is negotiating his own terms, having dropped Simon Fuller as his manager.
He wants parity with the highest earners on the grid, led by Ferrari new boy Sebastian Vettel, whose deal is worth 50 million euros (R653.5 million).
Hamilton, who is careful with his money, as even his father has joked, has surprised Mercedes bosses Niki Lauda and Toto Wolff by how painstakingly detailed he has been in negotiations. “We’re in the final stages,” revealed Hamilton last week. “I don’t know what the timelines are and we’re not rushing. Getting it done before or after Melbourne does not matter. I’m not sure I’ve enjoyed it, but it’s been an experience. If I’d gone through my whole career and not done something like this I’d have always wondered if I could or couldn’t do it.
“I’ve tried to do my due diligence and understand where we are and where it can grow to benefit the team and myself. We’re not in a discussion where I’m saying after winning the championship ‘I want this’. You can ask Toto. Naturally, the target for every driver is to try to work towards being the benchmark.”
ROSBERG UNDER THE RADAR
While Hamilton has noticed the presence of a few more photographers in his life, Rosberg has kept a low profile since missing out on the title in Abu Dhabi. He is said by a close associate to be “mega-relaxedâ”, and declared in the German press that he knows he can win the title.
He has devised a new breathing technique for high G-force corners, in which he previously stopped inhaling. His new method will help keep his concentration high for a longer distance, or so the theory goes.
What about the rest of the field? Williams, Ferrari and Red Bull are expected to fight closely for the other podium places.
As for McLaren-Honda, they have endured a pre-season horribilis: unreliability and lack of pace compounded by an unexplained injury to perhaps the best pound-for-pound driver in the world, Fernando Alonso, who will miss the Australian Grand Prix after hitting his head in an innocuous-looking testing accident in Barcelona a fortnight ago.
He can sit back and watch the race in the early morning of his Spanish Sunday. Just like everyone else, it seems, he will be helpless to stop the Mercedes machines.
Daily Mail