After putting his tumultuous 2011 season behind him, Lewis Hamilton has kicked off this year's world champion in downbeat mood. The 2008 world champion had put his well-documented personal problems and on-track struggles behind him with a positive approach to his sixth season in F1.
But after his teammate Jenson Button beat him in the 2011 standings, Hamilton could not hide his disappointment on Sunday when the 2009 title winner also beat him to the first corner in Melbourne, before Button and reigning champion Sebastian Vettel filled the top two podium spots. "I just struggled out there," confused pole-sitter Hamilton said afterwards.
David Coulthard, the former long-time McLaren driver and now paddock analyst, expressed concern about Hamilton's "striking" post-race body-language and "stony-faced" performance on the podium. "Has it (Button's win) knocked Lewis?" he wondered in his Telegraph column.
Many in F1 are astonished by how Button, described as having entered Hamilton's "lion's den" at McLaren two years ago, is now being described by the famous British team as its title-winning hope. "People underestimate him," said team boss Martin Whitmarsh. "He's such a calm, mature and easygoing fellow that people don't realise necessarily the hunger that's in him to compete and to win. He must now believe he's in a good chance of a proper title run this year and providing we can continue to improve the car, not make mistakes, be reliable there's no reason why he can't do that," he added.
On Hamilton's side of the garage, meanwhile, is a downcast driver and an expiring contract. "On his day, Lewis is unbeatable, and yet I suspect McLaren are wondering whether or not they want to keep him, because he brings so much baggage with him," another former McLaren driver-turned commentator, Martin Brundle, told April's Motor Sport magazine.
As for Whitmarsh, McLaren's team principal insists there is no concern yet that Hamilton has already re-entered another spiral of despair so early in 2012. Downplaying Hamilton's post-race mood in Australia, he said: "When he starts getting happy with being third, or beaten by his teammate, then he won't be the Lewis we all love and admire." (GMM)
Coulthard concerned about body-language of Hamilton
- Published on 20 Mar 2012 16:31
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- By: Rob Veenstra
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Driver profile
- Team McLaren
- Points 37
- Podiums 0
- Grand Prix 41
- Country GB
- Date of b. Jan 19 1980 (46)
- Place of b. Frome, Somerset, GB
- Weight 72 kg
- Length 1.82 m
- 67,081 comments on McLaren
23 members have this team as their favourite
Tweets about Jenson Button
Team profile
- Team name McLaren
- Base Woking, United Kingdom
- Jenson Button 1
- Lewis Hamilton 1
- Fernando Alonso 1
- Niki Lauda 1
- Stoffel Vandoorne 2
- Lewis Hamilton 2
- Lewis Hamilton 2
- Gerhard Berger 2
- Daniel Ricciardo 3
- Jenson Button 3
- Lewis Hamilton 3
- Kimi Räikkönen 3
- Mika Häkkinen 3
- Lando Norris 4
- Lewis Hamilton 4
- Jenson Button 4
- Kimi Räikkönen 4
- Jenson Button 5
- Sergio Perez 6
- Kimi Räikkönen 6
- Kimi Räikkönen 6
- Niki Lauda 8
- Alain Prost 8
- Kimi Räikkönen 9
- Fernando Alonso 14
- Kevin Magnussen 20
- Jenson Button 22
- Lewis Hamilton 22
- Gerhard Berger 28
- Stoffel Vandoorne 47
- Carlos Sainz jr 55
- Oscar Piastri 81
- 304,878 comments on McLaren
- 162 members have this team as their favourite
- Tweets about McLaren
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