After Melbourne, I had mixed feelings. I am a Lewis Hamilton fan and an enthusiast of F1, so I know it wasn’t going to be a fairy tale where Lewis dons red and then starts kicking from the go, but I must admit I was pretty down initially after the race. But after careful review and a reflection on how an offset the Australian GP was, I stanned and believed we will still rise.
It’s a no-brainer, Lewis is the greatest F1 driver of all time. Yes, the sport has existed for 75 years and has seen brave, intelligent, daring, and fast drivers, but the greatest is a whole, encompassing several aspects of life and specialty. Apart from being the greatest statistically, Hamilton is the most influential Formula One driver of all time, with a massive commercial value as an ambassador, impacting several aspects of Formula One and inviting diverse eyeballs that transcend generations and endeavors.
In my first F1 article, which I wrote after the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – yeah, yeah, yeah. I stated that, “being Black is onerous. It can’t be overemphasized. And being a successful black person is even more arduous. The fields are littered with mines, and we are forced to swallow all kinds of bullshit.” Even though Hamilton has 7 World Championships across multiple teams, the chatter around him always sounds as if he still has something to prove. Because essentially, the sport and the media that covers it bear inherent racist tendencies, so they find it difficult to recognize and accept Lewis in his actual status.
I cringe when some commentators overemphasize the fact that this was the first time Lewis was driving a car that wasn’t powered by a Merc engine, and the fact that he was on a new team and would need time to acclimate and learn how to drive the car efficiently. This is not because I was oblivious to this nuance, but those statements mostly sounded like an excuse. But I am appalled by those critics with their racist undertones and selective amnesia who blatantly disregard his outstanding achievements.
Lewis won his first title at McLaren after narrowly missing out on becoming the first rookie to win an F1 title. Mind you, his teammate was the two-time world champion, Fernando Alonso. He then moved to Mercedes against all odds and dominated the sport like never before, being the first and only black driver in Formula One. Schumacher is undoubtedly one of the most significant drivers in Formula One. Still, when he returned to racing at Mercedes after a short retirement, it was nothing but an underwhelming stint. However, no one describes his career by that average stint; he is always Michael Schumacher, the 7-time world champion and the greatest of all time.
Alonso is one of the most domineering racers of his generation and undoubtedly one of the greats to ever paddle an F1 machinery, but hasn’t won a single race since 2013. Yet they still celebrate his one-off performances as if they were a championship win.
In China, Hamilton was averaging about 0.200 to Leclerc’s pace during free practice, so when his sprint pole lap was over 0.200 of what Leclerc could set, I knew we were up to something special. So, when the checkered flag dropped after a masterclass Sprint at 4 am, I raced to lay down the first part of this article in anticipation of a thrilling Quali and a statement-making race.
Well, that didn’t happen. The rest, they say, are available on YouTube and social media. But the long break from this article reemphasized the first part, so I will double down. Hamilton is in Red and has nothing to prove. When you get betrayed by something you share love and passion for, it steals a piece of you. And no matter how strong you are as a person, these things can change you.
The car you drive in Formula One makes a significant difference, even though this fact is often interpreted differently depending on the subject. Lewis has been unlucky with the new regulations. Coming from that nightmare in the desert, there couldn’t be any worse reality than waking up in an underperforming shit box, as Toto puts it. Notwithstanding, he was able to optimize and achieve podiums, as well as sensational wins, in 23 and 24. By the way, he dragged that underperforming Merc to 3rd in the overall drivers’ standing in 2023, yet he is unable to adjust to the new ground effect rules.
There’s a pseudo-reality being forced to create the impression that the Red Bull is a slow car. So, when they get to a suitable track and can nail the setup, and he puts it on pole, then we have the confetti going up with the genius banner because Max Verstappen just dragged a tractor to pole. But it is insignificant when Lewis puts a P4 Ferrari that he is driving for the second time in season trim on Sprint pole and goes ahead to dominate and win a 19-lap race by +6.889 seconds. After all, it’s just Sprint and doesn’t offer points that impact the constructor’s decider at the end of the season, right?
Blasphemers attempt to diminish Lewis’s greatness by claiming he achieved success because he was in the fastest car, which is a fallacy. But even at all points that he did, he always had a formidable teammate whom he had to battle and dominate. Unlike Max, who has always had an average teammate, except for Riccardo, we will always hear rumors that he will leave Red Bull anytime the team’s performance dips. After all, you don’t need the fast car to win, right?
Again, Lando said, all you need is the fastest car, and you can win everything. Fast forward, he has the quickest car and could barely win anything. This is due to his usual unforced errors, but also chiefly because he has a fast teammate in Oscar Piastri. So, when Hamilton comes in as a rookie against a two-time world champion, nearly beats him in the first round, and goes on to dominate him in subsequent rounds, you need to put some respect on his name.
Perhaps they would have recognized his greatness if he had collided with Max on the last lap that night in Abu Dhabi, just as their greatest had done to secure a world title. I don’t want people to make excuses for Hamilton. I don’t think he wants that either, but we must be circumspect and present our criticisms and opinions in a proper context.
Ferrari had the second-fastest car at the end of last season. That will be tempting for anyone to experience, plus, it’s a Ferrari. However, entering this last season of the regulation, they decided to change their car and now have to play catch-up. When Leclerc said P4 was the limit in Jeddah, that was indicative that the SF-25 isn’t the fastest on the grid, especially in qualifying trim. But for Lando being Lando and the sensational defense battle Hamilton pulled off for two laps during the race, Leclerc would be nowhere near that podium. And that ultimately took a toll on Hamilton’s tires, which put him in 7th place.
Charles wouldn’t have deserved a seat in F1 if Hamilton had popped up in that car and just driven off. Leclerc has been in that team forever, and his feedback forms the fundamentals of that car’s design, so it is a no-brainer for him to be able to deal with its flaws and maximize output. Formula One cars appear similar in terms of their design but are distinctly different in nature.
So, the next time you mention the name, Sir Lewis Hamilton, please put some respect on it. I may be back after the summer break to tell you more. I believe Lewis will figure out his way around the SF-25 and put up his signature performances, maybe even win races. Perhaps that doesn’t happen; maybe this car spec proves a bit too difficult for his driving style, and 2026, with the new rules in place, will tell a different story. But none of these outcomes influences the fact that Lewis Hamilton is the greatest F1 driver across multiple eras and the most valuable and influential motorsports personality of all time.
Asak233.com currently does not run adverts, and your contribution, no matter the amount, will go a long way toward sustaining the website and ensuring we continue to deliver on our work.
Why would a leader of this nation lack the will to stop what clearly has become an existential threat? Well, the simple answer is greed. They can construct impeccable English and cite several excuses as the hindrance, but the real Teflon is greed.
Our world has come a long way, and we, the people, must learn to change our thinking so we can realize our full potential as a race by coming together and working to fight common hindrances like poverty and disease.
The quality of a nation’s output is greatly determined by the quality of its education.
It must not be lost on anyone that the fight for Africa’s sovereignty won’t be a pretty one. We won’t achieve anything with speeches in front of marble walls in a hall filled with careless people.
I met Ali in high school, and he played for the school team. Now, as a trained teacher, he is focused on introducing and teaching the game of basketball to children of diverse backgrounds and instilling in them a sense of responsibility, discipline, and the culture of nature conservation.