In order to compete against drivers like Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton has built a thorough strategy.
Lewis Hamilton reveals that he studies his competitors’ characters and backgrounds in order to better understand them, something he has done in his fight with Max Verstappen.
The British driver is still in a battle with Verstappen for the 2021 Formula One World Championship, with the Red Bull driver ahead by eight points with two races remaining.
Hamilton, who is 36 years old, has more racing experience than Verstappen and claims to have developed a method of studying the Dutchman over his career.
“He’s not the only driver I’ve raced against that’s like this,” Hamilton said.
“I’ve raced so many drivers in my time and they’ve all been very different in the way they behave. And it’s interesting.
“Now I’m older, I look a little bit deeper into their character and a bit of their background, upbringing. Our upbringing is why we act out the way we do and behave the way we do, good or bad.
“So I try to understand those so I can have more appreciation of who that character is I am racing with.”
The influence of Hamilton’s background
Hamilton is aware of how a person’s past influences their present behavior.
The Mercedes driver believes that his experiences as a child of being bullied, as well as his father’s parenting, have influenced how he approaches racing, with his goal being to do his talking through his performance.
“It’s just how my dad raised me,” Hamilton said. “He said to always do your talking on the track.
“I was bullied as a kid, both at school but also on track, and we wanted to beat them the right way, not by a car falling off or colliding with a car.
“Then there is no denying that you’re better. If you have collisions, they can say, ‘Oh, yeah, but this happened, this is one tactic that that driver has’.
“I want to be the purest of drivers, through speed, through sheer hard work and determination, so there’s no denying at the end what I’ve accomplished.”
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