How outspoken Hamilton again showed he's F1's moral leader

The Formula 1 paddock convened for the first media duties of 2020 under a cloud on Thursday in Melbourne as three paddock personnel awaited results for coronavirus tests. First confirmed on Wednesday, that number would ultimately rise to nine, with one individual working for McLaren seeing their test return positive on Thursday evening.

But when the paddock initially came together prior to that diagnosis, still frequently sanitising hands and surfaces, the message from the drivers was clear: if there's a race, we'll race.

Coronavirus was the only logical starting point for every media session, but most offered a similar response to questions. Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo all said they had to "trust the FIA" on a call about their safety, with their views being echoed by many others up and down the paddock.

"I'm here to compete and race cars," added Renault driver Ricciardo. "I'm not really much more than that in this situation."

But just moments before Ricciardo's comment, F1's most visible and vocal star had proved the drivers could be so much more than that - they could have a view reaching beyond racing. Lewis Hamilton again proved himself to be - publicly at least - more in-touch with the world outside F1 than his peers, recognising the magnitude of the situation.

"I am really very surprised that we're here," Hamilton said. "I think it's great that we have races, but for me it's shocking that we're all sitting in this room.

"So many fans are already here today, and it seems like the rest of the world is reacting probably a little bit late. Already this morning you're seeing, with [Donald] Trump shutting down the borders from Europe to the States, the NBA's been suspended - yet Formula 1 continues to go on."

Asked why F1 had gone so far down the line to allow 1500 people to fly to the other side of the world and attempt to have a race, Hamilton dryly replied: "Cash is king." F1 CEO and chairman Chase Carey would fire back at that comment the next day, saying if that much were true, the race would still have gone ahead - but that's another matter.

When F1 was facing an unprecedented situation in Melbourne, Hamilton refused to shy away from what was truly the only meaningful matter of the moment

Hamilton has been F1's moral leader for some time now. He's prolific at using his Instagram account, boasting more than 14 million followers, to promote issues close to his heart and was notably outspoken about environmental matters last year, pleading with fans to make changes in their lives to help the planet. Only last month, he was discussing the need for greater diversity in F1.

Hamilton wears his heart on his sleeve - and is unapologetic for doing so. And when F1 was facing an unprecedented situation last weekend in Melbourne, he refused to shy away from what was truly the only meaningful matter of the moment.

"I don't feel like I should shy away from the fact of my opinion," Hamilton said.

"I was walking through and seeing just everything going ahead as normal, like it's a normal day - but I really don't think it is."

His assessment rang true when, six hours later, the positive test returned, setting the wheels in motion for the cancellation of the race and a likely delay of the season opener until June, as the Bahrain and Vietnam grands prix were also subsequently postponed. It was an extraordinary 24 hours - anything but a normal day.

The closest any other driver came to calling out the decision to race was Kimi Raikkonen. "I don't know if it's the right thing that we are here," the Finn pondered, adding: "Probably not."

"But it's not up to us," he continued. "It's not our decision. I think if it would be purely all the teams' decision we probably wouldn't be here."

As per a leaked Emirates passenger list, Raikkonen and former Ferrari team-mate Vettel were both on a flight early on Friday morning prior to the official cancellation of the race.

Vettel himself had stressed F1 drivers would look to "pull the handbrake" on the F1 race were the situation to worsen: "I think we are a group of 20 guys, and I think we've got together over the last years for various circumstances on various topics, and I think we share common opinion on big decisions."

The F1 drivers had been talking about the matter at length via their WhatsApp group, set up for GPDA discussions, in the build-up to the race. GPDA director Romain Grosjean coyly noted that the conversations had been "entertaining" - but would not be drawn on what was said.

"The GPDA is the drivers' voice, and I can't talk, because I haven't been with the other drivers," Grosjean said. "I could tell you on a personal level, but in terms of GPDA I can't really say much."

But on a personal level, Grosjean still wouldn't open up.

"We trust the authorities and people in charge - and it's not like we had much choice anyway," he added. "You don't [have a choice]. As a driver in Formula 1, if there is a race, you can't."

The GPDA members had been clear in their pre-race discussions with F1 officials that they wanted assurances measures would be in place to limit the transmission of the virus. The cancellation of the fan events and signings was part of this, and delivered on. But the drivers' body was still putting its faith in the advice it was receiving from outside organisations.

"I think the GPDA at the moment is relying a lot on the FIA, the governments of each country, and on F1 to take the important decisions," explained Carlos Sainz Jr.

It was strange to hear the same message being put out by the majority of the grid - the unquestionable faith they were showing in F1's decision-makers

"We are obviously concerned with the situation, but we are drivers, and we don't really understand what is exactly going on worldwide, or if it's safe or not to do it in Australia or Vietnam or whatever.

"Unfortunately we are not medical people, we are not governments, [so] we need to rely a bit on what the others tell us."

While Sainz is correct - F1 drivers are not medical experts - it was nevertheless strange to hear the same message being put out by the majority of the grid - the unquestionable faith they were showing in F1's decision-makers.

That is what made Hamilton's comments stand out. They showed a greater humanity and understanding of the world outside F1. On a chaotic weekend where few were willing to take a proper stance, he refused to toe the party line. He had the courage to say what so many were thinking, but few properly did.

It was another reminder that once Hamilton's glittering F1 career comes to a close, the paddock will be a poorer place, for no driver comes close to speaking as freely or honestly as he does.

Perhaps it is territory that comes with being one of the most successful drivers in F1 history, offering a greater freedom to speak at will without fearing the consequences of being outspoken.

But it also reflects a desire from Hamilton to be so much more than just an F1 driver. He wants to make a real difference to the world and give something back.

For those of us in the paddock, it was strange whenever coronavirus wasn't the main talking point. One driver started his press session saying "I will talk about racing", and offered a sarcastic cheer when, 10 questions later, he finally got his wish.

Perhaps even more staggering was the fact the official press conference made zero mention of the matter until the second floor question, courtesy of Autosport Grand Prix Editor Alex Kalinauckas.

Why as a paddock do we have a tendency to be so blind to the outside world? Why wasn't more information issued by the powers that be on contingency plans? Why did it take until there were less than two hours before practice should have started for the weekend to be called off?

In this entire saga, there were few parties who came out looking like they had made a real stand. McLaren chief Zak Brown called withdrawing the team after the positive coronavirus result the "easiest decision" he had made as a CEO.

Mercedes, meanwhile, was defiant in its statement issued minutes before the race was cancelled, saying it could "no longer feel the safety of our employees can be guaranteed if we continue to take part in the event".

But the loudest voice was that of Hamilton. He has always joked about his paranoia for being one of the 'elder statesmen' on the F1 grid, where he is now only junior to Raikkonen. But he has adapted to the role well - something seen no more clearly than in Australia. This was something that reached far beyond F1.

Perhaps it was unsurprising the man who has more of a life outside of the sport than most was the one who appeared to best understand it.