It was neither likely nor appropriate that Lewis Hamilton would have lived up to his instant reaction by driving like a relic of himself on the rain-covered Sao Paulo track a fortnight ago.
An all-time great, he hinted on the radio after his beating (finishing 10th, but brutally exposed by the rookies) that he might quit, thus being left out of the final three races of his Mercedes career.
It was a relief to hear him say in Las Vegas, as reported on Friday’s back page, that he’s not ready to cash in his chips. He keeps fighting. As befits a sporting warrior.
No one who saw him struggle with the conditions in Brazil could have been anything but perplexed, as he was one of the best wet racing drivers in recent memory, with a performance curiously well below his best. Hamilton seemed equally bewildered.
In that radio exchange he left his future suspended in the humid air. He expressed it openly. “If this is the last time I perform, it would be a shame if it wasn’t great, but I’m grateful,” he said.
Ahead of this weekend’s night race in Las Vegas, he has regained some of his shine after admitting that yes, he briefly considered taking a break. The United States acts as a balm for him and we often find the 39-year-old, based in Los Angeles, in his most relaxed mood here. “The best I’ve felt in a long time,” he declared.
Lewis Hamilton had threatened to quit the Formula One season but is now ready to continue
The Englishman had a difficult weekend in Brazil but has enjoyed a rest ahead of Las Vegas
Upon arriving in the United States, the Mercedes man has declared that he feels “the best he has done in a long time.”
One understands why thoughts of quitting smoking may have entered your head. He will leave for Ferrari next year and his dog days at Mercedes are debilitating.
Some of his biggest fans, including family and friends, believe that, having slighted Mercedes by leaving its future in the hands of the Italians, he is being deliberately held back.
Certainly the focus has been on George Russell. The car and the future revolve around this 26-year-old Englishman, and not the man who won six world drivers’ titles with the Silver Arrows. Lewis is not as loved where he is as before.
But more than that? Would Mercedes hurt itself by hindering Lewis? They scoff at the idea.
Sure, a little downtime may not have gone amiss. Then Lewis could have restarted for his Ferrari swan song. But to have surrendered, even briefly, would have been to flee, to betray all the competitive zeal that took him from a Stevenage council estate to becoming one of Britain’s highest performing athletes.
I’m told those around him are trying to keep his spirits up during this crisis. They have many indications of his resilience to act as a model now. They could remind him how, in 2007, he fearlessly took on reigning world champion Fernando Alonso and, ignoring the Spygate scandal, beat the Spaniard as a debutant.
How he had the audacity to go from McLaren to Mercedes, the team that launched him. How he shrugged off criticism of his extravagant rides to put in one of the best qualifying laps ever in Singapore six years ago.
How he fought in Brazil in 2021 to rekindle his world championship fight with Max Verstappen. He was penalized twice, for changing the engine and for another DRS violation. He overtook half the field to win by 10.4 seconds and reduce his Dutch rival’s lead to 14 points.
Attention now focuses on George Russell, the future of the team and 13 years Hamilton’s junior.
Mercedes scoffs at the idea that they are hindering Hamilton as his time comes to an end.
He will soon wear Ferrari red, led by charismatic team boss Fred Vasseur (left)
“A special moment,” Hamilton declared afterwards. And that from a serial defier of the odds. The list of his hard-won battles goes on, even if the strength of his Mercedes was often of great help in achieving unrivaled records.
Regardless of what his years at Ferrari bring him (facing a final test that will require him to plunder past glories), at least declaring that he remains in Silver places him among the indefatigable champions of the past.
James Allison, Mercedes technical chief, defines one of the main facets of Hamilton’s brilliance as a desire to win on a grand scale. “He’s incredibly motivated,” Allison told me with amazement and admiration. “It’s burned into him.”
The fact that Mercedes has been subpar for the past three seasons has largely denied Hamilton the opportunity he craved, perhaps needed, to give his best.
But his time there is almost over. Just a few more deep breaths, Lewis.
Snowfall in November
The other day, during a working lunch at the Mon Ami Gabi brasserie, the sun was shining brightly along the Strip. It was a warm afternoon when the Bellagio fountains rose into the sky.
But when we left the track at midnight, it was bitterly cold. It said ‘0 C, freezing’ on my laptop, even though it was probably a couple of degrees warmer.
This is Nevada in November. The cold conditions cause contingencies for tire suppliers Pirelli, who are deploying their three softest compounds to achieve maximum grip in the event of a mercury dip. The long straight of the Strip cools the rubber even more.
Warming up new tires without overworking them and avoiding locking in important braking zones will be a key requirement. And then Max Verstappen wins.
It’s almost cold in Las Vegas, where Max Verstappen could win his last world championship
Getting ready for Las Vegas
Sin City never sleeps. Famously, there are no clocks hanging on the walls. The casino doors are never closed.
F1’s schedule suits the culture of staying up all night. They’re nowhere near as brutal as last year’s opening times, but qualifying ends at 11 pm local time and the race approaches midnight.
The casino owners, who run the place, require the nighttime itinerary, according to Boxing.
How to prepare? Lando Norris told me that he is acclimating by sleeping until 2 p.m. and taking a well-controlled schedule of melatonin sleeping pills to help him overcome his circadian rhythms.
I guess it’s more advanced than a glass of red.
Lando Norris prepares for the race by sleeping until 2 in the afternoon and taking sleeping pills.
Happy birthday to Brawn
Former Ferrari pundit Ross Brawn recently celebrated his 70th birthday, which falls on Saturday, at London’s One Marylebone with friends and family.
It was a lavish event that everyone enjoyed, I’m told. Even Elvis performed. Shades of Las Vegas there.
Meanwhile, former Ferrari and Brawn Ross Brawn recently celebrated his 70th birthday.
The stars are in the city
Let’s get ready to rumble! Legendary broadcasters Michael and his brother Bruce Buffer will introduce drivers to the grid here this weekend. A great musical show is also planned before the race.
There is no show without Punch. Or, in sports in 2024, without Snoop Dogg. Always present at the Paris Olympic Games, the American rapper is expected to be among the greats.
Brad Pitt, filming the imaginative F1 movie is also in town. Like Gordon Ramsay, a franchise of his restaurant is in the paddock.
Trump will stay away
Maybe when you’re the 47th president-elect of the United States you can snap your fingers and magically arrive in Las Vegas without a second thought, but I’m told that, as things stand, Donald Trump will defy the odds for the second time in a month: by staying away.
Celebrities will be present in large numbers at the Grand Prix, but President-elect Donald Trump will not be there.
History repeats itself
It is not the first time that a British driver needs to win in Las Vegas to continue in the fight for the world championship.
In the 1982 decider at the Caesars Palace Grand Prix, John Watson would have taken the title if he had finished first and Keke Rosberg seventh or lower. The Northern Irishman finished second and Rosberg fifth. Everywhere.
Norris now needs to win here, in Qatar and Abu Dhabi to have any chance of prevailing. It is inconceivable.
Norris needs to win all three races to have even the slightest chance of winning the world title.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem (pictured) has appointed a new race director for the shoot.
New race director
The debut of the new race director, Rui Márquez.
The sudden departure of Neils Wittich – apparently sacked after a dispute with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem – leaves Marquez little time to adapt to the demands of overseeing the potentially demanding street circuit.
Drivers have expressed their opinion that Ben Sulayem is generally too pushy. As the president, whose mandate from his global electorate is considerable, has been known to say: “I couldn’t care less.”