Whitmarsh supports Hamilton, Andretti understands his frustration

After having enlivened the 2011 season, both on the track and behind the scenes, and having sparked more or less passionate debates, Lewis Hamilton still raises questions today on the eve of his sixth season in the premier category of motorsport. The McLaren driver has indeed hardly been spared by criticism, sometimes even within his own camp, although he benefits publicly from the unwavering support of his team: « Just as most teams have never won and will never win six Grand Prix in a single season, as McLaren did last year, it would be fair to say that most drivers have never won and will never win three Grand Prix in a single season, as Lewis did last year » argues Martin Whitmarsh, Team Principal of McLaren-Mercedes, in an interview with the official Formula One site. « Indeed, some of the highlights of the last season, both on the track and in terms of pure talent, were due to Lewis. In China, Germany, Abu Dhabi and many other places, he was incredibly impressive. »

If no one – or barely anyone – has ever questioned the pure talent of the English driver, it is still important to acknowledge that Lewis Hamilton’s trajectory in 2011 was marked by highs but mostly lows. Martin Whitmarsh readily admits that the 2008 world champion’s season was not the best, but adds nuance: « You describe 2011 as a difficult season for Lewis, and there’s undoubtedly some truth in that. But, his ambition is such that he is his own harshest critic. Therefore, sometimes when things don’t go well for him, he lets it affect him, as we sometimes saw last year. But this is in line with his competitiveness, a side effect of his monumental desire to win. As such, we do not want Lewis to change. He is a truly brilliant driver, one of the fastest we have ever seen. That is why throughout last year, we wanted to assure him that we supported him 100%. »

Martin Whitmarsh wants to remind everyone of the achievements of the Stevenage native to put his relatively disappointing year into perspective: « People have short memories, don’t they? Lewis has been an integral part of McLaren for more than half his life. He is part of McLaren’s history and the McLaren family too. He knows it. Likewise, he has achieved phenomenal success during the five seasons he spent with us as a Formula One driver. He was a title contender until the last race three times in those five seasons and, of course, he won the title once, for us, in 2008. Above all, his 17 victories in 90 Grand Prix starts place him among the very best in the metaphorical Hall of Fame of Formula One. »

In 2012, the response that Lewis Hamilton will provide to his critics will be highly anticipated, especially if once again the Briton is faced with the dominance of one of his rivals. With 128 Grand Prix starts, a world championship title, and a remarkable career in the United States, Mario Andretti, speaking to the site GPUpdate.net, uses his own example to try to explain Hamilton’s struggles in 2011: « I think that when you do something so demanding, emotions play their role. I believe that stability in my family life was an asset in my career: my wife was a true rock, she always supported me. I didn’t need to come home with a trophy to be welcomed better: I got exactly the same kiss and everything else, whether I had a trophy in my hands or not. For me, that was the key to keeping my head where it needed to be, without being distracted. Personal relationships can sometimes be devastating and can affect your performance. I think it’s already difficult enough when you manage to focus 100% on your work, but if you only manage 85 or 90%, then you’re missing something. When the results don’t come, frustration sets in and then, of course, that’s when you make mistakes because you’re pushing too hard. It’s the snowball effect. »