Lewis Hamilton, a three time Formula One World Champion has claimed that some drivers on the grid haven’t earned their place within Formula One.
The Mercedes driver, who narrowly lost the 2016 Formula One World Championship to the now retired Nico Rosberg was discussing the advantages of teams sharing their driver data between team-mates.
Whilst the majority of the focus is on the drivers championship, the teams fight for dominance amongst themselves and to do that, they want both of their drivers to beat the rest of the opposition.
With this in mind, they share data between both drivers, enabling one driver to see where his team-mate is perhaps doing something better.
To a team it makes sense, but to the drivers it’s frustrating.
Lewis Hamilton has been vocally against this area of teamwork for some time, it was thought that Nico Rosberg was able to quickly improve his lap times by studying the form of Hamilton.
And the way Hamilton spoke, it’s clearly something that still rankles him.
?I go out, do my laps, do all my homework, [and] the other guy can see everything, I have asked my team. I don?t want to see my teammate?s. I don?t feel it?s fair that he brings his A-game and I should be able to study his A-game on a computer. Hamilton said in an interview with Mercedes sponsor UBS, as quoted by motorsport.com.
?For example, when we?re driving we?re picking out braking points, bumps, tyre rubber marks on the track, all these different things to help get you through the corner quickest. And the other driver probably naturally may be able to do more or less than you are.
?But because of this data they can just copy you. ?Oh, he?s braking five metres later there, I?ll go out and I?ll try braking five metres later?. So that?s what I really dislike, because it enables them to get closer.
But for Hamilton it clearly goes much further than that. It’s not just a case of Hamilton believing that someone is copying his homework. He believes the sharing of data is enabling some drivers to better themselves without earning it.
He continued: ?He should have to discover that [speed] himself. You?ve got to find the limit yourself, that?s the whole challenge of being a racing driver.
?When I get in this new car, it?s seeing what the limit of it is. And if I can?t do it on my own, then I?m not good enough and I don?t deserve to be there. And there are some drivers that don?t.?
Hamilton later posted on Twitter to clarify his comments, to make sure that nobody thought he was lashing out at either Mercedes or new team-mate Valterri Bottas.
I wish to clarify, I have not hit out at my team at all. My point on data sharing is solely my feelings about the sport in general
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) 20 February 2017
It has been my feeling since the day I started F1 and still is 10 years later. There is zero problems in my team, zero problems with Bottas
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) 20 February 2017
