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Lewis' petulant behaviour leaves much to be desired

Lewis Hamilton. (Photo: GEPA pictures/Daniel Goetzhaber)
Roar Guru
28th November, 2016
30

As entirely predictable, understandable, though ultimately unsuccessful as Lewis Hamilton’s Abu Dhabi tactics were, with his boorish approach the Briton has realised his failure to possess the humility commensurate to a triple World Champion in the face of defeat.

Hamilton’s utterances at every avenue since his Malaysia setback that the sole reason he hasn’t claimed a third consecutive title on account of reliability issues was – and now is – tantamount to suggesting that his teammate, Nico Rosberg, has no claim to the crown he has rightfully gleaned.

The 31-year-old was blessed with a trouble free path to the 2015 championship while Rosberg endured a string of misfortunes at a critical phase of the campaign, which nobody claimed as unjust. Yet it appears that with a role reversal and live title race that the German conveniently stumbled upon the abundance of optimal results enjoyed routinely by the former in recent seasons as though pure coincidence.

The Briton’s grievances, in contrast to his teammate achieving all that was asked of him, no harsh undertaking when equipped with machinery as devastating as witnessed throughout the past three seasons, isn’t without credibility.

Ultimately, it’s his inability to accept fate, opting to linger on wronging, and unafraid to infer notions of sabotage, which calls into question not only his status as the most marketable driver on the grid, but most pertinently, his legacy as a three-time champion.

For somebody boasting a decade on the grid, encompassing 53 Grands Prix victories, it’d be reasonable to expect that Hamilton would know his place. The popular suggestion that his most recent titles have mellowed his demeanour is moot on the basis of his sullen public performances throughout a season in which he came extremely close to claiming yet another championship.

Rosberg was exceptional enough to capitalise on the opportunities afforded, he won the title. Hamilton didn’t lose it as he’d have many believe.

The significance of Sunday’s outcome can’t be emphasised enough, for Hamilton was blissfully aware of the German’s wanting abilities in close quarter racecraft in recent seasons, and he exercised his prerogative to deliver a contrived performance which would force his teammate’s hand. That Rosberg refused to fall for the bait was one matter, but another entirely was the cynical nature by which the Briton employed his tactics.

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Treating his superiors on pitwall with utter disdain, Hamilton has ostensibly reached the conclusion that he calls the shots at Mercedes, as attested to his remark, “I am losing the World Championship, so I am not bothered if I lose this race.”

It’s nice that the Briton was willing to sacrifice a victory if it resulted in Rosberg suffering adversely, yet at no stage did Mercedes impart that they were willing to forgo a sacred 1-2 to cater Hamilton’s whim.

As soon as one individual becomes greater than the sum of the parts and dismantles the synergy which is obligatory to combined success, serious questions must be raised pertaining to the immediate wellbeing of the whole. In this case, the longevity of the Hamilton’s association if this trend cannot be curbed, irrespective of how much has been delivered by the Briton.

Nico Rosberg doesn’t exude charisma as Lewis Hamilton does, yet he possesses noble humility which he displayed in 2014 and 2015 in the face of defeat, harvesting the pain and returning a stronger individual.

Hamilton can continue to espouse the philosophy that he was felled solely due to misfortune, though the Briton could do much worse than take a leaf out of the German’s book in the art of grace, for the reality is that the right man won the 2016 World Championship.

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