Hamilton seeks medical advice

· by · in Breaking News. ·

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There are drivers who loathe testing Formula One cars and others who realise the necessity of doing so. Niki Lauda tells how he and Enzo argued because the Ferrari founder had recruited Carlos Reutemann as a test driver, something Lauda had previously been responsible for as well as being the team’s front line racing driver.

Eventually, Enzo relented, and Niki resumed his testing duties.

There were a number of raised eyebrows at the recent test in Austria when Lewis Hamilton was absent having been slated to do one of the days driving. Hamilton then posted a tweet of him ‘hanging out’ in Monaco with the world renowned musician Pharrell.

Lewis had asked Mercedes to be ‘excused’ from the Austrian test and so Nico Rosberg replaced him racking up 117 laps and setting the fastest time on the circuit which saw the German driver defeat Hamilton in the previous weekends GP.

Mercedes ran a fairly detailed aero evaluation programme and Rosberg commented, “It definitely helps me being in the car today, but Lewis is going to take the same set-up, so it’s just that I’ve done the job for both of us in the sense.

“It’s the team that learns the most out of the day, but of course I learn a few bits and small things which is always useful.”

Lewis Hamilton’s commitment to being prepared as best he can was recently questioned before the Spanish GP. The World Champion had been travelling the world and arrived back in Brackley just a day before he was due to leave for Barcelona.

Lewis was beaten by Rosberg in the resulting Spanish GP.

Hamilton’s attitude when he doesn’t win has also come under scrutiny, both Damon Hill and David Croft of SKY have suggested Hamilton’s ‘surly’ behaviour is not becoming of a world champion.

Yesterday the reason for Lewis absence from the Austrian test was revealed in Silverstone.

“I had some doctor check-ups that needed to get done, it was very important,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1. “It felt more important than the test.”

Lewis has struggled with his starts recently, being beaten off the line to the first corner in Austria despite having pole position. Hamilton has revealed that a ‘fault’ has been detected by the team and should be rectified for this weekend’s race in the Northamptonshire countryside.

“I was very much in touch with everyone at the test, I got all the information on what was tested. Things like the starts, they went through the sequence to find out what happened at the start in the last race,” he added. “They did the same thing in the test and found an issue so they rectified that.”

A number two is always handy, but practice makes perfect and unless Hamilton beats Rosberg this weekend, the critics will once again round on Lewis for his preparation and alleged lack of focus.

40 responses to “Hamilton seeks medical advice”

  1. I think deep down despite what Lewis says publicly about Nico, he thinks he has him covered, if Alonso was in other car, think he’d be hell of a lot more focussed. Think it’s a little like when Mika was battling Irvine and lost a little focus.

    Maybe we shouldn’t complain if he isn’t giving it his all, at least we may get a title fight. Also if he can win the title, just by doing F1 in his spare time, like him or loath him, you can criticise him for not giving 100%, but you can’t help but admire his talent if that really is the case.

    • Not having a go at you or your comment, but I’m just curious: Why do people keep saying ‘he’s not focused’?

      So far he has out performed Nico at every race barring the obvious 2. He’s leading him in every single area of the season so far.

      He missed the test and gave the reason why, surely Mercedes also felt it was important enough that they allowed him the time off. All the media keeps talking about is the concert, so what about the charity work he was doing for The Invictus Games? Aren’t drivers allowed to have a social life away from the sport? Or should lock themselves away in isolation and only come out when it’s a race weekend?

      I could understand the criticism and mass hysteria had been getting his behind handed to him by Rosberg, but that’s not the case at all.

      • Focus isn’t about absolute results. If Bradley Wiggins would do a bicycle race against a 5 year old, he could win while stopping along the way to chat up some girls and drinking a pint or four. Yet I would consider that an unfocused performance.

        I think that Hamilton is considerably more talented than Rosberg, which is visible in the races & qualifying where he has very good pace. The reason why Rosberg is so close behind seems to be primarily be mistakes by Hamilton, which is the area where you see a lack of focus more readily than in the race results. The miscommunication at Monaco displays a lack of focus on Lewis’ part, IMO, since he failed to ask the right questions on the radio. He should have either accepted the decision from the pit or asked smarter questions. The bad starts at Spain and Austria indicate a lack of practice. Driving over the line at Austria shows a lack of focus while driving, etc.

        On the other hand, I’m pretty impressed how well Rosberg is doing after the coaching ban, which I attribute to Rosberg spending 24/7 in the simulator between the races. At the same time, Hamilton is all over the world tweeting pictures with celebrities. Ultimately that is a matter of perception of course. Perhaps Rosberg spends all hit time in a hot tub and Hamilton actually does more simulator work, but it does seem the other way around.

  2. This doctor excuse sound as a PR move to down play the criticisms.Whats worries the most is the constant chiding ,and finger waving and warning Hamilton receives from the the British establishment……Its the way they infanterlize Lewis in ways they would never do with Button or Alonso

    Alonso was famous for not doing the donkey work of testing at Ferrari…did he ever get finger waved at him
    Kimmi moans and curses on the radio and its oh gold old Kimmi,when its Lewis he needs a good talking too “to learn his place”

    Both Vettel and Alonso signs mega contracts no one says zip…Lewis sign his and suddenly driver are being paid too much

    the constantly chastising of Lewis feels very tribal ,even Button in some sort of superior way get too constantly comment on Lewis mental state,image if Lewis was too make any unflattering comments about Button abitility….the british media would acuse him of gross arrogance…..

      • Yeah he has. Though Jenson is supportive of Hamilton as fellow Brit it certainly isn’t as if they’re chums.

        However, with Button, it might be more pertinent to samaritan’s comment that Button never get criticized for openly chastising McHonda and constantly whining about the car’s lack of performance. Now, anyone would be pissed if they were given the equipment Alonso and Jenson have been, ummm, “provided,” but it is what it is and at some point it’s either rally round the wagons time; time to keep everything in house, especially to a slobbering press, rather than complain at every turn.

        Oh, and samaritan, all of this insistence on Hamilton being under the microscope? The Judge (Hippo, too) are actually Hamfosi Maximus but if they let on that they are… well, you know how the rest of the F1 press would treat them.

        • lol with friends like hippo and the judge who need enemies.My point about Button is that I find it inappropriate and offensive for a fellow driver to be narrating about the the psychology of another driver while competing together . I find it disrespectful and crass,It like commenting about a woman’s boobs in her presence.

          Massa and Button are the culprits in that matter,Massa comes across bitter from 2008,and Button comes across as if he is some senior with superior insight and and experience as if Lewis is a PERPETUAL rookie in his mind.
          ….and all lewis achievements are about being in the right place at the right time.Although he dos admitt that Lewis can be the fastest over one lap if he is a good boy and concentrate,but over race distance he Button can use his intelligence COUGH “Whitmarsh” to beat him.
          After 8yrs in f1 2 championship ,record number of poles there is this constance about Lewis finally maturing….lewis finally Maturing….

    • I think the British establishment realize just how talented Lewis is as a race car driver and it frustrates them that he seems like he’s “half assing’ sometimes. Lewis is talented in the cockpit of a Formula 1 car and I think that he makes driving the car look easy when the car is set up perfectly and he drives a mistake free GP. I’m afraid that his mistakes in qualifying, the the grands prix, and missing the Austria might end up costing him the championship this year. Niki Lauda knew that it was important for a driver to be driving car on test days if the driver wanted to be successful and a world champion. I often wonder just how good Lewis Hamilton would be if he devoted lots of time to simulator work, never missed a scheduled test day, and worked on eliminating the mistakes that he makes. If he did that, I think that he could be just as great or even greater than the all time greats of the sport. Finding a balance between the time and work demands of your sport and your personal activities is a delicate one. He is certainly entitled to travel the work, go to events, and spend his time away from track as he wants to.

      Nico Rosberg is putting in the time and effort that he thinks it takes to bring the desired results to him and the team and it’s paying off. He has the hunger and desire that is needed to win grands prix and championships as well as achieving a work/life balance that works for him.

  3. Beaten his team mate in all races this year, bar 2 excluding monaco for obvious reasons, so just imagine what he could do when he’s ‘focused’ eh?! Also interesting is how when he gets beaten, it is now being put down to a lack of focus, not due to the fact that nico may have simply been better on the day. But us hamfosi will take that 🙂

    • Damon Hill has problems with Lewis. A short while back he had a go, claiming Lewis’ party lifestyle was going to affect his racing. Damon should was fortunate enough to attend Haberdashers School, where they teach their pupils about the British stiff upper lip, smiling in the face of adversity and all the other upper class toss. You won’t find a silver spoon in the Hamilton family. What he’s had, he’s earned and losing isn’t something to smile about.

      “I think at times I appear to be miserable when I am not… I might be having quite a good thought at that moment, but it seems I look miserable. I am not.” D. Hill.

      • While you are right about Damon’s start, things changed a great deal after his father died – he was a motorcycle dispatch rider to fund his racing and had very little handed to him in his early racing years.

        • Damon still had something that Lewis will never have – the right connections. Lewis proved himself to get RD to support him. You can be sure the Hill name opened a few of the right doors.

  4. I think its worse that people consider pharell a musician than the fact that Lewis doesn’t want to test.😂

      • Because I know he’s happy. He doesn’t have to remember me 250 times in 3 mins.

        • Oh, so thate the problem, he writes a song that has a ‘chorus’? Ok, now I understand……

          • No the problem is that his song is nothing more than chorus. But that’s my opinion. You don’t have to agree.

          • The music industry ended already in 50s with all chorus songs like “she loves you yeah yeah”. Those guys just ruined the music industry.

            No, I don’t like that pharrel guys music, but I’m an old fart so my opinion hardly matters in the topic of future of music.

        • We don’t often see eye-to-eye but “Happy” was about as pop/ today’s top 40 as you can get.

          Pharell was and is a “beats” master. BUT. Give me a ticket to see Hendrix or Cream in 1968 or Zep in1973 or Jane’s Addiction (well, I did see them in 1987 at the tender age of 14!) or Nirvana in 1991, Alice In Chains… You catch my drift, I hope.

          • Pharell was and is a “beats” master. BUT. Give me a ticket to see Hendrix or Cream in 1968 or Zep in1973 or Jane’s Addiction (well, I did see them in 1987 at the tender age of 14!) or Nirvana in 1991, Alice In Chains…

            I always think of Pharell’s music as the equivalent of an acquired taste in food. I’m not sure if it’s something that I will ever be able to full enjoy it but we all like different music/things in life. The musicians that you mentioned above…They made good music.

  5. At the end of the day, for sure this is a career defining period for Lewis – one that potentially can place him into the greats of F1 – and as such he should be, for sure, pushing flat-out to the maximum to ensure his third world title.

    Additionally, Nico is for sure building some momentum, possibly the most momentum he’s had in the whole time he’s been Lewis’ teammate at Mercedes. At the end of the day, that momentum needs to be broken… IfNico beats Lewis this weekend in a one-on-one battle, like in Austria, that momentum will be unmistakable for all but the most blind.

    For sure at the end of the day, this weekend is psychologically critical between the Mercedes teammates. On the other hand, if Nico gets hammered by Lewis, it will show Lewis is more than 100% across the championship as a whole in the overall grand complete full scheme of things, the like and whatnot.

    So… yeah, no; the question – at the end of the day – has to be, for sure does Lewis want to be a triple world champion or does he want to be a rap star hanging out with his rap friends who haven’t figured out how to flat out smile to the maximum in front of a camera?

    But, you know and like, so whatever it’s not as if he didn’t, you know, like tell the team and stuff about, like, you know, going to the doctors – because, you know, like, the doctors can only be booked during an F1 test.

    #disingenuous

    • ” possibly the most momentum he’s had in the whole time he’s been Lewis’ teammate at Mercedes”

      Absolutely, This could be Nico ‘coming at’ Lewis, not putting a good weekend together, or gettign a lucky run, which I have always felt in the past. Lewis over 20 races beats Nico, but this could be a switch to Nico over 20 races beats Nico… It jazzes the championship up, but lets see how this all looks in Abu Dhabi, we might be talking about a mid season flurry from Rosberg, amidst a string of whitewashes, or the start of the fight back… I’b be lying if at this point I didn’t say for my own enthusiasm I wanted the latter!

    • Lewis is a fast driver for sure and can just about beat anyone on the ribbon given a perfect run however there are chinks in his armour. For sure he has risen to the top of the pile but I feel just like James Hunt that maybe he is now enjoying his lifestyle a tad too much. If you have ever watched a rocky film(sorry,daft statement) he needs to get that eye of the tiger back and I think that is what Mr Hill is hinting at. He can see what a great champion Lewis can be and can also see the fall that can happen,we have to remember that he was brought up in this paddock and has seen the greats rise and fall so I don’t think it’s sour grapes just genuine concern for sure.So with a wry smile I say to Lewis if he is listening…go catch that damn chicken,Mick will be watching
      On another note,I have never seen a racing driver ever have success in the music industry, James towsland had a crack and is a pretty good key puncher but for sure his pop career didn’t really happen and Damon was pretty good on the strings but again,stick to what you know

  6. What would be an important medical test? One so important/urgent as to schedule on a testing day?

    • Now that he is player that might explain the visit… Nudge nudge wink wink.. Say no more.. Know what I mean ?

      • Ohhh..you mean a sex change 😉 well its one way to get more female racers in F1..Louise hamilton,world champion, has a good ring to it

  8. I’m just beginning to watch FP1 and listened to the talk about communicating with drivers/ talking them through a race, or, the Nico Rosberg Rule (yes, all drivers will take some advice or ask a question but everyone knows who, for whatever reasons, wants to be led by the nose while he drives). I do hope this new rule, in relation to Rosberg, is discussed soon.

    I also wonder, after hearing the Hamilton question and then overt “code” talk a few races back, whether there is something much more elaborate going on, communication code-wise, between Rosberg and his crew.

    We know we hear precious little of what is actually being relayed between driver to crew and what we do hear is time-delayed. So, upon examining in-race communications, something way over the top must be occurring – and the most likely suspect for manipulating the communications rules is, of course, Rosberg.

  9. The easiest way to keep up with Hamilton’s activities is to simply browse TJ13. Who needs gossip and social media?

  12. Also, quali will be interesting. Has Lewis left a bunch in the bank or has Nico got the upper hand this weekend. I suppose we will see in some hours.

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