"Phenomenon" Hamilton "a cut above nearly everybody" - Hill

Hamilton, RussianGP, Mercedes — Photo: © LAT Images

Lewis Hamilton

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"Phenomenon" Hamilton "a cut above nearly everybody" - Hill

Hamilton won his 100th race the hard way in Russia

Ewan Gale

Monday 4 October 2021 12:44

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Former F1 champion Damon Hill has praised Lewis Hamilton for adding patience to his armoury and credited the skill involved in his recent Russian Grand Prix victory.

Hamilton's triumph was his 100th in F1

but was far from his easiest, with a conservative start seeing him slip down to seventh before the Mercedes driver found himself stuck behind Daniel Ricciardo throughout the first stint.

But with clever strategy and his Mercedes team behind him when rain fell late on, Hamilton emerged victorious.

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"Max was only about five seconds behind him and you're starting to think, 'Lewis is in the walls, he's blocked in, he can't go anywhere'," said Hill on the F1 Nation podcast.

"But he has learned incredible patience as a driver, and he knows that he just has to bide out the first stint. Then he puts his 'Hammer Time' to the metal, and off he goes.

"There was a point where I just thought, 'Blimey, if they pit now, Max is going to be coming out just five seconds behind him'. But those five seconds, once Lewis got clear air, suddenly turned into 20 seconds, and he was back on track."

Mercedes helped Hamilton recover - Hill

Hamilton's victory atoned for an error-strewn qualifying session which saw him crash twice in slippery conditions.

The seven-time champion commented the mistakes were "embarrassing" but Hill believes he was able to build on energy from the team around him.

"Lewis is such a heart on sleeve guy," explained the 1996 world champion.

"I took a picture of him walking back after the crash [in qualifying], and I guarantee you, he went back to the debrief room, sat there and was glum and embarrassed and all those things.

"He has to kind of pick himself up, and maybe the team helped him do that. I'm not saying he needs it, but I'm saying he's someone who feeds and picks up on positive energy and encouragement.

"I think Mercedes give him that. The cool information they give him - Shovlin and co, Bonnington, on the radio - they give him support, and he believes in them and he delivers for them. So when they say we need some real special laps, he goes, 'Okay, I can do that'.

"He is a phenomenon. That's a word that is bandied about. But 100 grands prix [wins], you don't do that.

"We've talked about luck. He's had some luck, he's had some bad luck, but the average is that he's a cut above nearly everybody."