EXCLUSIVE: How F1 champion Lewis Hamilton beats team-mates revealed by his race engineer

Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton talking in Zandvoort — Photo: © IMAGO

GPFans Exclusive

EXCLUSIVE: How Hamilton beats team-mates revealed by his race engineer

How Lewis Hamilton can beat his teammates in equal machinery explained by his race engineer

Jim Kimberley

Thursday 11 April 2024 10:57

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Lewis Hamilton's racing ability comes from more than just his on-track confidence.

Intelligence in understanding data is also behind the seven-time champion's success, according to someone who worked very closely with Hamilton in his early racing career.

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Having a work ethic that doesn't look for excuses, a simple belief in his ability, and an understanding of the car's limits have all played a part in the Brit's driving style, even from his earliest races.

These are the memories from one of Hamilton's race engineers, who also recalled how the now 39-year-old did not need set-up changes in order to beat his closest rivals.

Data-driven Hamilton

Frederic 'Fifo' Guyot worked alongside Hamilton's GP2 title-winning campaign in 2006, and exclusively shared his memories with GPFans.

"In terms of work, he was really confident. He knew what he had to look at to improve.

"When we said 'You have to improve,' I remember a corner in Barcelona, where [then-teammate] Alex Prémat was quicker in Free Practice.

"I just showed him the data. He said, 'Don't worry, I will go quicker than him in Quali,' and he did it.

"He was not looking for an excuse, 'Maybe we should do this or that.'

"He said, 'We have the same car; if he's doing that, I will do better than him.' That's it."

Hamilton's bullish claims

Guyot was Hamilton's race engineer in 2006 for ART GP and has since become the Formula 2 Team Manager.

He has seen many F1 graduates springboard from his team but explained how much belief Hamilton had even as a newcomer to GP2 nearly two decades ago.

"It was all about confidence. [He was] really confident in himself and our job regarding the car.

"He was not asking for many changes... 'We should do this or that,' because he was a rookie.

"He was just in his position, saying, 'I will do my best job, do your best job, and that's it, and we will do what we need to do.''

"So he looked at the telemetry, saw what was happening with Alex, and then was able to adjust how he drove.

"He was just looking and saying, 'Okay, don't worry, I will do it.'

"If he was slower, he'd say, 'Next session, don't worry, I will improve,' not looking for excuses like, 'Maybe the car is too much understeer; I have a rear locking, maybe we should change this.'

"No, it was not like that. It was just a case of, 'Oh, now I know it's possible, I will do it,' without needing to change the car."

F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Mercedes Frederic Vasseur Heikki Kovalainen