Lewis Hamilton has spoken about the additional freedom that he now has at Mercedes, allowing him to be his "own man."
The 2008 world champion raced for McLaren between 2007 and 2012, a stint spanning six seasons. However he felt that the team were too restricting and controlling on his life, he wanted more freedom and that is something that he is now relishing in.
Woking based McLaren are seen to be stricter and more controlling of their drivers, despite current driver Jenson Button denying claims. Hamilton cut a rather miserable figure at times in 2012 but his mind-set and personality has really been unleashed at Mercedes, he is now more relaxed and looks to be enjoying racing even more.
In a revealing interview with the Daily Mirror he put the added control down to McLaren boss Ron Dennis, branding him "The Godfather". Discussing that he said "At McLaren, Ron is the Godfather. Naturally here does come that power. i don't know if it's about fear but there were definitely parallels,"
Discussing his time at the team, which kick started when he was 13, he added "I have been in a very controlled environment since I can remember and it's not until the last couple of years that I've come out of that control."
Being given more freedom at Mercedes has meant Lewis is now happier than ever, he can be his "own man" and be independent without the constant watchful eye of the team. "No one controls me now. I'm able to be my own man. Obviously I've got bosses at Mercedes in Ross Brawn, Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda." However he now has the added authority within the team to make his mind up on his own. "I make decisions I want to make now. I'm my own man and that's what I always wanted."
He is "happier now" and "can do things" without having to check in or report to anyone. However it took some time to make his mind up on whether to stay at McLaren or take the added risk and move to Mercedes, who still have just one race win to their name.
It was close and weighing up the options was tough but being a racing driver, Lewis went for the riskier option. "I think there was a point where I weighed up the options and they were both good options, but one was slightly riskier than the other and I wanted to try it,"
The move was difficult for the 28-year-old after growing up with the team, likening it to leaving home and making that big independent leap out and into the real world. "It's a little bit like when you leave home. In fact a bit more extreme than that. Taking that leap. If I stayed, I would remain in that environment I'm used to my whole life.
"I would stay with people I'd known my whole life. I'd have been protected. If I go the other way it's all brand new."
Now he has made the "leap" and started fresh, he admits that he must take the opportunity with 100% commitment. "I have to make the best use of it all, build those relationships, grab it with both hands, no time to mess around. There's no time for mistakes. It's all on me."
Hamilton currently lies third in the drivers standings with 50 points, some 27 down on leader Sebastian Vettel and 36 ahead of his team-mate Nico Rosberg.
Former team-mate Fernando Alonso lies in fourth, and Hamilton admitted to the Daily Mail that he has grown up since they last shared a team and feels that they would work well as team-mates in the future should that scenario take place.
"Now I'm older, I'm sure we would have a different relationship. There would still be intense moments because we are both quick, so we would be very close to each other, but we've both matured a lot.
"I think I'm much better at nurturing relationships between team-mates now. It depends on the drivers,"
Whether they were in the same team or not, Hamilton revealed in a London press briefing that he likes a loyal team and to have longevity in his stint with differing teams.
"Loyalty is so important. I love the team where I am and I've already thought to myself that I would hope they would want to keep me for longer. That's how happy I am with the team."
Lewis has returned to his relaxed and bubbly self first seen during his debut season with McLaren. Now he has a lot to prove at Mercedes, but so far is is definitely doing just that.
 |
| (c) Mercedes AMG F1 Team |
Woking based McLaren are seen to be stricter and more controlling of their drivers, despite current driver Jenson Button denying claims. Hamilton cut a rather miserable figure at times in 2012 but his mind-set and personality has really been unleashed at Mercedes, he is now more relaxed and looks to be enjoying racing even more.
In a revealing interview with the Daily Mirror he put the added control down to McLaren boss Ron Dennis, branding him "The Godfather". Discussing that he said "At McLaren, Ron is the Godfather. Naturally here does come that power. i don't know if it's about fear but there were definitely parallels,"
Discussing his time at the team, which kick started when he was 13, he added "I have been in a very controlled environment since I can remember and it's not until the last couple of years that I've come out of that control."
Being given more freedom at Mercedes has meant Lewis is now happier than ever, he can be his "own man" and be independent without the constant watchful eye of the team. "No one controls me now. I'm able to be my own man. Obviously I've got bosses at Mercedes in Ross Brawn, Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda." However he now has the added authority within the team to make his mind up on his own. "I make decisions I want to make now. I'm my own man and that's what I always wanted."
He is "happier now" and "can do things" without having to check in or report to anyone. However it took some time to make his mind up on whether to stay at McLaren or take the added risk and move to Mercedes, who still have just one race win to their name.
It was close and weighing up the options was tough but being a racing driver, Lewis went for the riskier option. "I think there was a point where I weighed up the options and they were both good options, but one was slightly riskier than the other and I wanted to try it,"
The move was difficult for the 28-year-old after growing up with the team, likening it to leaving home and making that big independent leap out and into the real world. "It's a little bit like when you leave home. In fact a bit more extreme than that. Taking that leap. If I stayed, I would remain in that environment I'm used to my whole life.
"I would stay with people I'd known my whole life. I'd have been protected. If I go the other way it's all brand new."
Now he has made the "leap" and started fresh, he admits that he must take the opportunity with 100% commitment. "I have to make the best use of it all, build those relationships, grab it with both hands, no time to mess around. There's no time for mistakes. It's all on me."
Hamilton currently lies third in the drivers standings with 50 points, some 27 down on leader Sebastian Vettel and 36 ahead of his team-mate Nico Rosberg.
Former team-mate Fernando Alonso lies in fourth, and Hamilton admitted to the Daily Mail that he has grown up since they last shared a team and feels that they would work well as team-mates in the future should that scenario take place.
"Now I'm older, I'm sure we would have a different relationship. There would still be intense moments because we are both quick, so we would be very close to each other, but we've both matured a lot.
"I think I'm much better at nurturing relationships between team-mates now. It depends on the drivers,"
Whether they were in the same team or not, Hamilton revealed in a London press briefing that he likes a loyal team and to have longevity in his stint with differing teams.
"Loyalty is so important. I love the team where I am and I've already thought to myself that I would hope they would want to keep me for longer. That's how happy I am with the team."
Lewis has returned to his relaxed and bubbly self first seen during his debut season with McLaren. Now he has a lot to prove at Mercedes, but so far is is definitely doing just that.
No comments:
Post a Comment