Lewis Hamilton’s father Anthony, has praised his son for overcoming his doubts after winning his first Formula 1 race in two-and-a-half years in last weekend’s British Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver and seven-time world champion overcame Max Verstappen and Lando Norris for his ninth win at Silverstone which made him the driver with most wins at a specific circuit.
The last time Hamilton was victorious was at the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and his father acknowledged it was only natural that doubts on his ability to win again would creep in.
“We’ve spoken about that. He always does that. I think is a great thing. You have to question yourself sometimes,” Anthony told Channel 4 as per Crash.Net.
“Sometimes you have to question yourself, and do it on your own, without asking anyone’s opinion.
“People will always say ‘don’t worry about it, you are great, you will be okay’.
“That’s what I tell him! But you’ve got to figure it out yourself, sometimes. And that’s what he does.”
Hamilton had considered retiring after narrowly losing the 2021 championship to Verstappen in tense circumstances but his father asserted that making such a decision at the heat of the moment is not logical.
“You can’t make decisions when you are emotionally charged,” he added.
“That emotion stayed for a long time.
“Say nothing, just get on with the job. Once the emotion is in the back pocket, then you can make a decision.”
A Silverstone weekend we’ll never forget👏 pic.twitter.com/M1fZ1vNLRp
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) July 10, 2024
Anthony concluded that Mercedes’ return to form is what Lewis needs to get his confidence back.
“It’s a recharge of confidence. That’s the most important thing,” he stated.
“You doubt yourself – ‘is it me?’
“Actually, it’s never you. If you’ve done everything right, come back, and given 100%, and you doubt yourself? Well, it’s not you. It’s circumstances beyond your control.
“Those are things that can never be calculated.”
Mercedes have finished on the podium in the last four F1 races with Russell and Hamilton taking third place in Canada and Spain before their respective victories in Austria and Britain.
