09/07/2013
FEATURE BY CHRIS BALFE
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A good few years back Pitpass was notified, by a very reliable source, about an incident in a London nightclub involving a Formula One driver.
Somewhat amused by the story, we ran it but ensured that no details regarding the identity of the driver were given.
A few days later the (thankfully defunct) News of the World ran the Story, however, in this case it named the driver.
We ran it because it was amusing. Later in the year we ran a follow-up when another incident resulted in the driver getting a serious warning from his employer.
We feel that F1 drivers, like all others involved in the sport, like you and I, dear readers, are entitled to their private lives and whilst we might analyse their on-track performances to the very bone what they do in their own time is nothing to do with us, not unless it impacts the day job.
The mainstream media however, has no such qualms. The mainstream media isn’t interested in what happens on track it’s what happens in private that really matters.
In the wake of the death of Princess Diana, the Daily Mail led the way in calling for curbs on press intrusion, particularly by the paparazzi. Now, its website, one of the most popular in the world, is totally dominated by salacious gossip and speculation about all and sundry. To view its side bar is to see much of what is wrong with the world today.
Over the course of the German Grand Prix weekend, Lewis Hamilton gave a remarkably frank interview to Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle, the Mercedes driver opening up on all aspects of his life.
“I wear my heart on my shoulder (sic),” admitted the youngster.
No he doesn’t. He wears it, as do so many of us, on his sleeve. He also wears it on his face, his demeanour and in his cockpit when on track. Lewis, is an emotional guy, much like his all-time F1 hero.
Two of his fiercest on-track rivals have gone through marriage break-ups, yet neither appeared to allow their private lives to reflect on their track performances. Lewis, on the other hand, tends to allow outside influence completely overtake him, a result, as we have seen all too often, he goes into meltdown.
Lewis is not like you or I. Shortly after he began to walk (I exaggerate) he was put in a kart and from then on lived in an alternative universe totally alien to our own. His only friends were fellow karters and his Dad. As his career progressed his universe expanded but it was still filled with like-minded people, racers. While the rest of us went through the usual growing-up experience, learning from the school of hard knock, Lewis remained enclosed in his own little bubble.
Then, one day, he finds himself in the real world. OK, a real world populated by celebrities, fellow F1 stars, billionaires, people telling him how wonderful he is and a media hanging on every word. Though he’s been bred for this he is totally unprepared.
In Planet Paddock you are only as good as your last race or, in some cases, as good as your sponsor’s bankroll. When you fall from grace it is sudden and unforgiving.
Over the years we have seen Lewis lose the plot all too often, much like an addict falling off the wagon the warning signs are clear to see.
In the wake of Silverstone we were informed, courtesy of the Daily Mail and others, that he had split with his girlfriend, the pop singer Nicole Scherzinger. Only a few days earlier the same newspapers were hinting at marriage.
Unsurprisingly, during the chat with Brundle, Lewis admitted that the split had affected him greatly.
On the Friday of the German Grand Prix weekend Lewis talked of disaster, then came that superhuman qualifying lap. As the media began to talk of revived championship hopes, on Sunday we watched as Lewis crumbled along with his tyres.
His complaining throughout the race, though understandable, is not what the team wants to hear, nor the total ‘glass half empty’ interview afterwards. Unsurprising therefore that once again the word ‘disaster’ appeared in the headlines.
Yet, a few hours after the race, Lewis tweeted a picture that summed up all that’s wrong - and all that’s right - in his world. “My best buddie… Roscoe!”
As an animal lover, though mainly cats, I can totally sympathise. When your world turns to shit you can always rely on the unconditional love and support of an animal.
However, I am just a sad old sod editing a Formula One website, whereas Lewis is one of the world’s most recognisable sports stars. Furthermore, as the first black Formula One World Champion, and thereby a role model to million and millions, he has a responsibility that truly terrifies me.
I’m not going to sound like my late Mother and suggest that Lewis needs to find a nice girlfriend, a nice steady, quiet girl to settle down with. However, I am going to say that he needs people around him who will deal with the crap in his life and allow him to flourish not only as a Formula One driver but as a man.
Whilst Mercedes is trying to give him the freedom he (thinks he) needs, perhaps it has gone too far. From the early days in karting Lewis has been allowed to be at the centre of his own little universe, he needs to be told that this is not the reality. If a veteran such as Ross Brawn can’t help straighten Lewis out then perhaps Niki Lauda should get to work… for if anyone has ‘been there and done that’ it is the rat.
Also, and most importantly, I would humbly suggest that Lewis parts company with his management as soon as humanly possible.
Be it that excruciating photoshoot early last year, some of the guests invited to the McLaren and then Mercedes garages – usually a chance to publicise other ‘acts’ managed by the same company – or the failure to keep the media at bay when he is at his lowest, Simon Fuller’s XIX Entertainment – to this observer’s eye – is not doing Lewis any favours.
On Sunday, whilst Lewis was approaching meltdown, having already given away too much to Brundle and the rest of the media – can you imagine Seb, Fernando or Kimi sharing their emotions in that way – Fuller was in London watching one his company’s other clients, Andy Murray.
Knowing that Lewis wears his heart on his shoulder there will always be those eager to get the next sensational headline. His management should be there to ensure that Lewis doesn’t say anything that will damage him. In the heat of the moment we have all said things we regret, how dreadful that every word he utters, especially when at his lowest, will be splashed across the headlines just hours later.
Management isn’t just about getting the best deal it is about protecting the client – sometimes from themselves.
It might be a bit late, it might be an admission of failure, but in this writer’s view, Lewis would be best served by getting his Dad back on board, someone, like his many fans, like Roscoe, who wants the very best for him.
As my Mum, would say Lewis, you’re rich, you’re super talented, you’re a hero to millions, you should be loving every minute of your life. So why the sadness?
The stunning picture of Lewis, taken at Silverstone, is available to buy from Suttons.