Mansell: “Hamilton is not mature”

Invited by F1 Racing to express his opinion once again on the recent events that have marked the beginning of Lewis Hamilton’s season, Nigel Mansell is not very forgiving with the McLaren driver, stating that he is not mature.

« I think he needs to get a grip because the Monaco episode was unnecessary and unflattering, both for him and for Formula One. I found his driving style very poor because he had no respect for anyone else. Saying that overtaking in Monaco is impossible, well… I did it a few times coming out of the tunnel… but then saying what he said about the stewards was appalling » lamented the 1992 world champion.

Summoned for the fifth time this season before the stewards’ panel to explain the incidents involving Felipe Massa and then Pastor Maldonado, the British driver did not hide his annoyance in front of the media. « In six races, I’ve been summoned to the stewards five times. It’s a joke… It’s absolutely a fucking joke. [It’s] probably because I’m black, as Ali G says. »

While the McLaren driver claimed to have wanted to make a joke, it didn’t sit well with Nigel Mansell, who reminded Lewis Hamilton of his duty. « I was very disappointed, and he must remember that he was a world champion, so he should act accordingly and appropriately at all times. »

The Brit thus joins Martin Whitmarsh’s statements, who claimed that in the face of the press’s insistence on making big headlines, his driver is learning that sometimes it’s better to hold back, keep his tongue in his mouth, and not say what he thinks.

For the former Williams driver, however, the 2008 world champion should take a cue from his successor in the F1 record books and current teammate: Lewis and Jenson both made great champions at the time and it’s absolutely fantastic to have them both in the same team, but Jenson shows, in my opinion, a bit more maturity.

Nigel Mansell is not the first to think this way and, even before the British Grand Prix, Martin Whitmarsh dismissed any possible comparison between his two drivers. « We must not forget that Jenson is older, has more experience, and has been through very difficult times, so I think his career has seasoned him. Some people also say he is too relaxed, but he demonstrated in Canada that he was there, determined, and desperately wants to win,» explains the Briton about the 2009 world champion.

For the team principal of the McLaren team, Lewis Hamilton is experiencing an unprecedented situation after a career start that was relatively free of frustrations. Lewis’s career has developed in a significantly different way. He started in Formula One in 2007 and was on the podium in his first nine races, a feat that will likely never be matched. He could have won the championship in his first year, did win it in his second, and could have seized it in the third, so he never really experienced the situation he is in now, but he is smart and he will learn.