Lewis Hamilton: 2014 World Champion

As the teams unpacked for the first winter test in Jerez back in January there was already a perception that Mercedes possessed an advantage. Quite how big that was had yet to be determined, but there had been rumours circulating for months that 2014 would be the year of the Silver Arrows. Their power unit was meant to be way ahead of Renault’s or Ferrari’s and before he left Ross Brawn had brought in a number of top technical people that had been working on this seasons all new regulations for a couple of years, they were well prepared.

Go back a few years further to 2012, Lewis Hamilton had a tough decision to make. One which would likely shape his career and the success he’d have in the future. At this point in time he was sitting in what was developing into the fastest car of the season, the McLaren MP4/27, a car that brought him four victories.

Perhaps one of the factors that Lewis came to consider was that he should have had at least another three and be fighting for the championship with Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso. That these losses were not down to him, but two down to basic operational errors by the team, perhaps made him consider a new era.

When he entered Formula 1 in 2007, he broke apart the establishment and did things no rookie had managed in years. He took it to his double champion team mate Alonso and damn near almost won the title in his first year. He did win in 2008, but it was a season that saw errors creeping in. When McLaren gave him a car that couldn’t defend his title, he went all out, but still it felt like the near perfect driver of 2007 couldn’t match up to the expectations.

2011 he fell apart, he admitted he was not in a good place, no other driver seems to have been quite as honest as Lewis to admit that. But he came back stronger in 2012, more consistent even with still tempestuous outbursts such as tweeting secret telemetry in Belgium as Jenson Button outclassed him over the weekend.

McLaren often gave him a good car, but they also let him down too. This was a team he had grown up with, parented him through junior formulae and helped to crown him world champion. But he was restricted by the team, not allowed to be who he wanted to be, perhaps he felt still treated a bit like a child.

Mercedes in 2012 had started positively, but were falling behind as the season progressed. But the new hybrid power regulations had already been agreed for 2014, and Ross Brawn and subsequently Niki Lauda sat with Lewis and explained the Mercedes plan for the future. The choice was simple; to stay at home or to flee the nest and become his own person?

As he sat in the Mercedes W05 in January 2014 and went out for those first exploratory laps, he knew he made the right choice, he was sitting in the best car by far, one which when pushed could lap a second quicker than anything else out there quite easily. This was going to be a year of domination for Hamilton, the quickest driver out on the grid.

But not everyone thought this. In his Karting years he was team mate to Nico Rosberg. He often had the beating of the German, and Lewis knew going head to head with Nico, it was he would win, who would ultimately triumph. However, Rosberg was initially favoured by many, the new regulations were said to favour the thinking driver, to manage these new fragile power units, the fuel restrictions and the tyres.

In 2013, their first year as Mercedes team mates, they were often equal, so Hamilton scored the most points and was the best qualifier but Rosberg had actually finished ahead more often when they both reached the chequered flag and had scored one victory more while he positively outclassed Lewis in the latter stages of the season.

Rosberg learns and consumes new information and experiences and absorbs them into his mind to use again. He learns and evolves as a driver that perhaps Lewis sometimes struggled with relying on his natural ability. Rosberg was over shadowed at points in that season, but then came back stronger.

So in the cold winter months of 2014, just as Lewis knew he had a car to take the title with, Nico thought exactly the same, this was his chance for championship glory.

Hamilton started out with pole position in Australia but was out within a few laps due to a technical failure, Rosberg won. He was obviously disappointed but it was just the first race and he knew he was better than Rosberg, and proved it by reeling off four straight victories including two races where he was the slower on race day than his team mate.

Then came Monaco and he realised Rosberg had learnt and would deploy tactics that might be called desperate, might be called calculated. Going down an escape road that brought out the yellow flags denying Lewis an opportunity to snatch pole back was deemed a mistake by the stewards but for most of the rest of the world looked anything but.

Lewis seemed rattled especially as Mercedes did not sanction Rosberg at all. He lost in the race, retired in Canada, made a mistake in qualifying in Austria and then at Silverstone too. This Mercedes, the car which should be giving him his second title was letting him down and then he was pushing too hard to make up for it.

He won the British Grand Prix, but more technical failures in Germany and Hungary qualifying left him charging from the back. Incredibly after a safety car in the Hungarian race he finished ahead of Rosberg to take third, despite a team order asking him to let Nico through which he argued successfully against. But this wasn’t how it should be, he should be winning, not fighting back from technical trouble and against a team mate who would arguably bend the rules. 

Any time he fought back, Rosberg would be just behind or come back stronger.

After the summer break came Belgium and possibly the decisive moment of the season. Lewis, though he had grown as a person and looked more focused than ever since he left McLaren was still open to bouts of outspokenness, of feeling like the world was against him, pushing him into a siege mentality. The car let him down more than Rosberg, the team did nothing to Nico after Monaco.

But then on lap one he’d grabbed the lead after starting second, but Rosberg having been beaten on the track several times by Lewis wasn’t going to be pushed around, he attacked, Lewis closed the door but Nico left his front wing in there causing a puncture for the #44 Mercedes which forced it’s eventual retirement.

Rosberg finished second in the end, increasing his lead by 18 points, up to 29. But Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was outraged, the world came crashing down on Nico, the fans booed him, the team fined him and made it clear it was unacceptable, team mates should not make contact.

Lewis suddenly felt the team was behind him, that they knew wrong from right, he reeled off five consecutive victories passing Rosberg for the lead in three of them. Rosberg fought back in Brazil, but by then Lewis had a points lead and a perfect start at the finale in Abu Dhabi launched him into a lead that turned into a win as Rosberg’s car failed, equalling the technical issues for both. It made Lewis Hamilton the 2014 world champion.

After all the tension of a title decider with the extra worry of double points it was a thoroughly deserved championship win, Hamilton has won 11 times to Rosberg’s five, and has defeated him in wheel to wheel combat every time. After Belgium his focus was brilliant. Lewis reset himself. Even when his qualifying problems seemed to continue eventually losing out to Nico 7-12, he’d have a think, go to sleep and by the time he woke up would be stronger, more determined to achieve his objective.

He’s invariably been the fastest driver on race day. His brilliance in understanding these new cars was fantastic. When everyone thought it would suit Rosberg more, Hamilton has defied those expectations and was the better on fuel consumption and looking after the tyres even when he was fighting his way to the front or streaking away in the lead.

His race craft in Bahrain where he spectacularly and robustly held off Rosberg was as intense racing as I’ve ever seen, his move around the outside of Rosberg in the pouring rain of Japan was mesmeric and his calm stalking of his team mate in the USA waiting for a mistake to pounce on was fantastic.

This is what everyone imagined would happen if you put the fastest driver in Formula 1 in the fastest car, he would reel off the victories. It’s only taken so long because Rosberg has been a brilliant competitor who has never backed off in trying.

Rosberg will come back stronger, it’s what he does, but with this success I think Lewis will also find an extra gear to take him to new heights of success. Mercedes should be just as strong next year and could well be start of an Hamilton era of success, where he gets the titles his talent has deserved, without machinery or mental blips holding him back.

Finally he’s come of age and is ready to attack anything that comes in his way. Lewis has showed himself to be not only capable of dealing with these problems but resetting himself to come back stronger than ever. Even after his title success he has said he’ll be focussing on making himself stronger next year for qualifying. The fight is never over in Formula 1, and this year Lewis has proved he’ll never back down, and always come back for more to take on his competitors and win. A brilliant year for the sport’s most naturally gifted driver and arguably the best racer on the planet.

all photos taken from autosport.com