No change in my approach – Hamilton

Posted on

| Written by

Lewis Hamilton says he won’t change his approach to racing despite failing to finish the last two races following contact with other cars.

He told his official website:

I’m a racer. I always race my heart out, and nothing will ever change that.
Lewis Hamilton

Having looked back on the collisions with Felipe Massa and Mark Webber he feels he is unlucky to have come off worst in both encounters:

You just have to put it behind you. And there were different circumstances behind each incident.

I’ve already said that I was probably a bit too opportunistic in Monza; but, in Singapore, I’ve seen the replay and I was half a car-length ahead of Mark, and on the racing line.

It’s just very frustrating that in Italy, I tapped the car in front and it broke my front suspension, and in Singapore, the car behind tapped me and punctured my tyre. I’ve been unlucky both times.

On Sunday night, I was obviously exceptionally disappointed – it’s always difficult to get your head around things when you’ve just retired from a Grand Prix – and it takes time to come to terms with that.

Clearly, it’s not been a good run of results, but I don’t look at those races and think what might have been, or what additional points I might have if I’d finished. There’s no point. You just need to look at the situation facing you, and work your hardest to do your best.

So I don’t look at my retirements in Spain, or Hungary, or in the last two races as what’s been lost. I’m just looking ahead at the next four races – I haven’t won at any of those tracks, so I’ll be even more motivated than ever to make amends for that.
Lewis Hamilton

The last four races have turned his 14-point lead in the championship after the German Grand Prix into a 20-points deficit.

But he still believes he can take the title this year and said his is not dishearted by failing to score in three of the last four rounds:

Absolutely not. I spoke with the team on Sunday night, and we looked at things in their proper perspective: I’m still third overall in the points table, and I’m 20 points off the championship leader.

That’s still less than a race win – it’s easy to get disheartened by being 20 points away, because it sounds such a lot, but under last year’s rules, that’s only about eight points – and to be eight points off with four races left is nothing really.
Lewis Hamilton

2010 Singapore Grand Prix

    Browse all 2010 Singapore Grand Prix articles

    Author information

    Keith Collantine
    Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

    Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

    30 comments on “No change in my approach – Hamilton”

    1. That was expected from Hamilton. He has always raced like that and this is what I like in him.
      Had he been in lead, he would be more cautious of his approach which is advisable too.

    2. Good to see he will go on like he does. We like seeing him make those daring moves stick more often than they don’t.

      Looking forward to that

    3. Good attitude and approach. Come the end of the season he might look back though.

    4. If u EVER READ THIS LEWIS…..GO 4 IT, RACE them..till the end

    5. hamilton and mclaren had a chance for drivers and constructors respectively when they were leading, but its completely disappeared now and im praying ferrari beats mclaren to 2nd in the constructors. but u know how its hamilton who lets down the team with he silly crash DNF’s???? i love the way button is showing up his team-mate in driving style. he may be as fast but dat was to be expected with hamilton in the better car, but he is still a way better driver.

    6. I think Lewis’ approach to each race is just what we need from all F1 drivers. We complain that drivers sit behind each other and not take risks, and then complain even more when one driver finally shows the courage to actually race.
      What amazes me is the fact that nobody has analysed Mark Webber’s in-car footage and noticed that he did not even attempt to turn in and avoid the collision, and did not even attempt to use the 2+ meters of track space on the inside of the kerb. My view is that Mark was just over ambitious in protecting his 3rd position and caused the collision. If Lewis had been on the inside and did that to Mark, he would have been lambasted.

      1. Its not the first time Webber has rammed Lewis off the track this year, or somebody in general.

        1. I tend to agree with you that Weber deliberately took Hamilton out.he took the risk knowing that if both of them did not finish, the points difference and the championship lead may not be much different
          HE was lucky his car tyre rim took the brunt of the collision with Lewis. there is this interview with bbc for Weber whereby he said he can do anything to win the championship should be a pointer to Webers state of mind…can someone find that video please and post a link here?

          1. I wouldn’t go on to say he did it deliberately to take out Hamilton, it was simply one of his many mistakes in close combat this year, he has generally been the worst top driver in close combat, right from the start in Australia. Thats why he has only won ‘boring’ races, from his perspective.

            1. Personally I don’t blame Webber for the incident, but I do NOT agree with the comments Hamilton should of stayed wider, it would of made not any difference. Webber would not have taken the corner tight, he couldn’t, he braked late and was always going to hit the car on the outside no matter how wide it ran. Its the last comment I’ll make on the subject, it was just one of those things, I like Webber, it was a simple, slight racing error.

            2. i still insist Weber was deliberste in taking out Hamiltom… see this video interview..

              http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9033204.stm

            3. Please see typing error .i meant to say deliberate and not to say “delibesrte”

      2. I agreed with the lack of penalty, and I am a Hamilton fan (although a strange one as I like Alonso too ;) ). Seeing this pic from the BBC does make me think it was a “shall not pass” move….

        http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/49251000/jpg/_49251891_webber_hamiltoncollision1.jpg

        Lewis isn’t entirely past, but there really isn’t much in it!

    7. Coincidentally, I was watching an old documentary about Hamilton from after the 2008 season. In it Sir Stirling Moss said how in all 525 races (of all formulae) he’d been in, for all the great drivers he saw, in his time he only ever saw two or three actual “racers”.

      Being a racer is what got Hamilton where he is today. Looking back you can point to a few times where being more cautious would have helped him. But that’s hindsight. We’re not the ones trying to take a corner at speeds that would be impossible in the cars we drive. How many times in our lives have we wished we had been more bold in a situation, or not so rash in another, but we acted as we did because it was in accordance with our nature?

      There will always be a long queue of people wanting to beat up Hamilton for their own various agenda or desires. As a fan, I’m not going to start demanding things of him just because we know better after the event.

      1. Great comment, i completely agree and would not openly support Hamilton through thick and thin if he drove any other way.

        Its good to see the Hamilton haters haven’t infected this thread too much so far.

      2. Possibly comment of the season.

      3. Yeah, totally brilliant comment. And thats exactly why Im a fan, he’s different from the guys we have driving today, Maybe Vettel(although clumsy) in that he just races, its so fun to watch.

    8. You beat me to it, definatly well said.

    9. He is truly a racer,I agree.I know he isn’t being cautious enough and bringing in the steady point(isn’t that what Button is for?)but,I have lots of respect for an all or nothing racer.Slow and steady sometimes wins the race….but,it sure is boring as hell to watch!

    10. I think you could tell from Webber’s interview immediately after the race that he felt a little sheepish about the incident. There was no bravado about him having the inside line etc.

      I’ve said it before and i’ll say it again, when Webber is fighting for position with the best (Hamilton, Alonso, Vettel) he pushes too hard and brakes too late. I don’t know how many times i’ve seen Webber in battles where he overtakes someone and then outbrakes himself and loses the place again by the next corner.

    11. yes, Webber deliberately took out Hamilton *eyes nearly pop out from excessive rolling*

      I could almost hope Alonso wins the championship, just to see the reaction here.

      1. The point of the comment was not to imply that Webber ‘intentionally’ took out Hamilton, it was a way of pointing out that he did not do all he could have to avoid the incident. Being on the inside, and slightly behind, it was Webber’s responsibility to ensure that he avoided the collision, yet he made no attempt to do so. The point I was trying to make is that he should have been penalised.

    12. This incident is little different from Hamilton’s pitlane battles with Vettel and Alonso earlier this season. If two cars, one slightly in front of the other, are coming to a part of the track where only one can go through at a time – a pitlane exit previously, this time a corner – then the car slightly behind has to back off. Nearly everyone agreed Hamilton was right to back down on those previous occasions yet when Webber dives in with no chance of beating Hamilton to the corner it’s deemed a “racing incident” (what does that actually mean any how?). Webber and Vettel are terrible at close racing.

      1. Totally agree. I’ve warmed a lot to Webber this year but i’m sorry – he just doesnt have it when it comes to racing with the best.

        I like the guy, but world champion? Sorry “mate”, i don’t think so.

        1. Agree with Dave…Frankly the overall career of Webber and even the present season suggest to me he hasn’t the caliber of a “true” WC.

    13. You don’t need to change the driving style to become a better driver when you are Lewis Hamilton, this year point system will allow anyone to become WC even he is 10 points short in the beginning of the last race.

    14. Mark Webber being world champion is not a good thing, I hope red bull don’t win the championship because it will get rid of that whole its all about the car thing I have to deal with from my uneducated mates :P

    15. Anyone making the previous comments that webber is not good at close racing have clearly not seen f1 prior to this season. Webber, and Hamilton, are up there with the best. Try to stay objective rather then influenced by the fact it involved your favourite driver not finishing the race

      1. Been watching F1 for many years thanks. Here are a couple of examples of what i’m talking about:
        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6W9HS6PEHg
        (watch from 4:13)- 2009. Webber had a much better car but still kept screwing up his overtakes. Have a look at the other overtakes on this video and you don’t see other “class” drivers driving in to Hamilton in a desperate attempt to keep him behind.

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RnQ-6UwrUA
        Same as Singapore. Mark failed to realise he’d lost the place and took Hammy out with some donkey driving.

        I’ve warmed to the guy this year after the whole front wing episode at Silverstone but i cringe to think that he might be world champion. It’s bad enough Jenson Button winning it last year…

        1. I share a similar sentiment. It still annoys me that a driver such as Jenson Button goes down in history as a WDC. IMO he has been amongst the least talented drivers to win a WDC, and at best, he is an average driver compared to the rest of the field.

          Mark on the other hand, at least has a respectable pace, but doesn’t have the race craft of an Alonso, Hamilton, Kubica or Rosberg. It does kind of sadden me to think that this year, drivers like Alonso, Hamilton, Kubica and Rosberg can get beat by Mark Webber in a lightning quick RB6.

    Comments are closed.