The hidden side of Hamilton's record-breaking quest

After matching Michael Schumacher's Formula 1 championship tally in Turkey, there are few thresholds left for Lewis Hamilton to cross. But, as he explains, the methodology behind his successes makes him well placed to continue rewriting history

Published Nov 20, 2020, 3:56 PM

For most people, judging the brilliance of Lewis Hamilton in Formula 1 comes down to a couple of hours of driving every other weekend. It's how he performs in those crunch final minutes of qualifying, and then what he can unleash on a Sunday afternoon when the red lights go out, that become a window into his qualities.

But to view what Hamilton does just in those moments would be to hugely underestimate the wider personal contribution to his own success. For while the most public display of his value does indeed come on race weekends, it's actually what goes on behind closed doors at the factory, or in private discussions with engineers, that can be even more critical to victory and championship success.

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Author Jonathan Noble

Jonathan Noble is Motorsport.com’s Formula 1 editor. Having graduated from University of Sussex Jonathan worked for sports news agency Collings Sports reporting on F1, F3, touring cars and other sports, with articles appearing in The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, Reuters, Autosport and other publications. In 1999 he moved to Haymarket Publishing to become a senior editor at Autosport Special Projects, and one year later he became Autosport’s grand prix editor. In 2015 he moved to Motorsport Network, becoming the F1 editor for Motorsport.com. He is also a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers, and sits on the FIA Media Council.