Mercedes’s former chief strategist explains Lewis Hamilton’s unique ways of working as a racing driver, that sets him apart from the rest on the Formula 1 grid.
Former Mercedes Chief Strategist and Williams team principal James Vowles, who collaborated with Lewis Hamilton during Mercedes’ dominant era from 2014 to 2021, outlines the unique traits that set the seven-time world champion apart from other drivers on the Formula 1 grid.
Through its era of supremacy, the Brackley outfit secured seven Drivers’ Championships split between the two drivers, along with eight Constructors’ Championships. It was during this timeframe that Vowles acknowledged Hamilton’s innate talents, solidifying his status as one of the most successful drivers in the sport.
When questioned about his encounters with talents like Hamilton, Schumacher, and Rosberg, Vowles particularly lauded the 39-year-old Mercedes driver. Speaking on the High Performance Podcast, he said:
“Lewis, when he joined us [in 2013] was, and still is today… within my Mercedes career, the most naturally talented driver that I have worked with there, including Michael – just so much natural talent.
“He’s got these tendencies and traits where, when you go out in FP1, he’s like an octopus all over the wheel; he’ll change every setting all over the wheel near enough and explore it, but it’s what makes him incredible.
“There was a time where on simulation in Brazil it said go into seventh gear up the hill. Within two laps Nico was doing exactly as we asked him to do, within two laps Lewis went, ‘This doesn’t feel right’, went back down to sixth and was finding a tenth there, and it took until the end of the session before Nico saw the data and saw that.
“He’s this optimiser that he’ll use data as a starting ground but he’s got a feel beyond anything else for it, and he has no issue exploring the boundaries.”
“Braking Was His Strength”
Explaining further, Vowles revealed that Hamilton would go wide on purpose at Turn 1 to find the braking limit and, as a result, abort the lap. Doing so repeatedly in different areas, he would do 1 proper lap out of 20, which annoyed the team. He said:
“You’d often see him go off at Turn 1, he’d find the absolute limit of braking, and it would just push him wide at Turn 1, then [he would] abort the lap.
“One of our biggest frustrations with him was that out of 20 laps, he did one, and you’re like, ‘Come on, you’ve got to do more than that’.
“Actually, if you look at the maturity Lewis had between 2013 to now, you’ll see he completes every lap, he’s now found a way of still gaining the experience, but he was this perfectionist.
“Braking was his strength, his forte… maximise everything under braking and then [thinking], ‘I know the limits of the car, then I can build from there and get into the rhythm of things’.
“He knows in just a few laps in FP1 – and he learns the track incredibly quickly – what the boundaries of the car are, what the limits are already within his tools that he has available on the steering wheel, which are quite vast, for what it’s worth.
“He understands therefore how to get the car into the right positioning for as the grip comes up. It’s very, very impressive. Where others are still spending seven or eight laps learning the track, he’s explored quite a bit of the boundaries.”
