xpb Interview with Lewis Hamilton
15.06.2016
Did you thank Nico Rosberg for the victory in Monte Carlo?
H amilton: Why?
Because he let her pass . Don't you think that by doing this he contributed to your victory?Hamilton: I never look at what other person contributes to my victories. Why should I? No driver does that. I also don't ask myself: what would have happened if I had done this or that? There's no point in worrying your head about it.
Would you have let Rosberg pass in the opposite case?Hamilton: That is the rule we have in the team. Nico was 2 seconds slower than me. It was clear that he would not be able to win this race.
How long do you think about a race? Will you analyze it again later on the video?Hamilton: Of the 174 races that I have driven, I watched maybe 5 again. Immediately after the race, during the debriefing, I watch clips from the important scenes, the start, the pit stops, an overtaking maneuver. That's it. But I saw the race in Monaco in full. With friends at dinner. But honestly, I don't learn much from the videos. Except that I get a better overall picture of the race. I don't have to see my own race. There's a movie going on that I know. Much more important is the data. I can download so much information from the team on Sunday evening that I know what I need to know.
And when does the mental preparation for the next race begin?Hamilton: The Thursday before. Over the weekend I get emails from the team with everything that is important. So I know roughly. But I'm not studying this in detail. My free time is more important to me. At the beginning of the week, I slowly dive into racing mode, but things don't get serious until the first briefing with the engineers. I think every racing driver is different.
How long do you need to get over disappointments?Hamilton: Usually a day. It depends a little on the reason whether I made a mistake or another. You can still feel it on Monday, but it's over on Tuesday. I don't want to be too long with self-doubtstop.
Has it always been like that?Hamilton: I've learned that over the years. There were times when I locked myself in a hotel room for 3 days. I was mad at myself and kept asking myself: Why did this happen to you? With age you drop that. At some point you have to turn it off, otherwise you will burn senseless energy.
You lead a wild life outside of the race track. When did you realize that it was good for you?Hamilton: Not overnight. It took me 23 years, my entire career, to figure out what I needed. Roughly speaking: I've been enjoying my life since I've been with Mercedes. It started with my first tattoo. From then on I stopped worrying about what other people expected of me.
Did you need a mental coach or mentor?Hamilton: I don't believe in such nonsense. You have to have such experiences yourself. I would not allow anyone else to interfere. Every person is different. Some have an abundance of self-confidence, some never get there. There are people who live their whole life in a drawer, others never let themselves be squeezed into one and still others slowly find their way out of this drawer. It's a trial and error process. I got out of my box in my late 20s.
An engineer characterized you and Rosberg as follows: If there are 100 things to learn, Rosberg learns 100 Only the most important 10. Is that correct?Hamilton: That is a wrong assessment. I find that I am underrated when it comes to the technical side of the sport. I didn't win my victories and world titles by accident. That's why I can't sign this comment like that.
Isn't that a compliment?Hamilton: Neither. Nico will sit in the briefing room for as long as he can. And everyone should get the impression that they have learned the 100 things by heart. I know the 100 things too, believe me. I also studied it. But I set priorities. I make a distinction: that is important, that is less. I can't remember all 100 of the details, but I have them ready when I need them. It is not important to me to prove to others that I am studying that too.
Topic tire management: How much is learned, how much instinct?Hamilton: The engineers pour you over with information in such a way that you lose track if you soak up all the data. As for the tires, I only take notes when I feel like I can use that later. Things like the working area of the tires, the minimum temperature for the respective tires,the grip of the asphalt, the braking balance to get the most out of the tires and the experience of how much slip I can allow myself to exit a corner so as not to overheat the tires. The rest is instinct.
You have to explain that.Hamilton: You have to feel the tire, feel it . At the beginning it is always a journey into the unknown. There is no manual that tells you how to condition the tire for a qualifying lap. Nobody can tell you how to prepare the tire so that it doesn't collapse later from Turn 7. Nobody knows beforehand whether they will last two turns longer if you slip one time less. You have to feel that with your butt and the gas foot and adapt over and over again. I've been trying to optimize this ability since I was in Formula 3. I was pretty good at GP2. But even today I'm still learning how to get the most out of the tires.
So more instinct than science?Hamilton: I would say: a lot of instinct. But it doesn't work without science either. Fangio, Senna, Schumacher were strong in all disciplines, but they also used their instincts. It is the balance to the engineers who only live in their data world. If you only need 10 out of 100 pieces of information, your instinct is to tell you which 10th
