Lewis Hamilton’s turnaround has been the most remarkable driver transformation of the year. Barely able to locate the right pedal last year, he has once again demonstrated reserves of resilience as deep as the Mariana Trench.
Nobody doubted him more publicly than himself, suggesting Ferrari should replace him. Nor did anyone hold him to higher standards than a certain Mr L Hamilton. It was always thus and an essential ingredient of his sustained success.
This year’s Ferrari suits him better than the 2025 edition, partly a product of getting himself more integrated into the team, which being Italian has a rhythm different from anything he experienced at either McLaren or Mercedes. This amalgamation is not about chumminess but getting the people – and by close extension the car – to work to his specifications.
There is also the Kim Kardashian factor. Has his relationship with the American media celebrity pepped up his fraying psyche, one wonders?
With these elements lined up, including his new race engineer Carlo Santi operating with him on the same wavelength, Hamilton is Kimi Antonelli’s closest and most realistic challenger, though 50 points back.
Yet…
Lewis Hamilton’s turnaround has been remarkable – has his relationship with Kim Kardashian given him a new lease of life, one wonders?
Lewis has not 100 per cent returned to his soaring best. Niggling mistakes have cost him penalties four times in three races. Nor are Ferrari always 100 per cent slick in their strategy calls, plus ca change.
Hats off to Lewis, but there remains room for improvement. If you think the assessment is harsh, ask the perfectionist himself.
The scope of Antonelli’s rounded talent has slightly surprised me. His speed was never in question. But he was somewhat error-prone last year. It seemed he had been exposed to the trials of Formula One scrutiny too early, aged 18. He probably was.
But he has found his feet and is making statement drives most weekends, and often aggregating damage-limitation points when he is not quite sending fireworks into the sky.
I point to the moment it all changed for his title chances. It was when George Russell suffered technical problems in qualifying in China. Antonelli took pole and won the race. It was the sliding door Russell would have loved to have shut in his rival’s face. And look where each stands now.
You think Mercedes want Russell to win as much as they are rooting for Antonelli? I’ll tell you how I know they do not.
Last week in this column I wrote that Silver Arrows bigwigs were slightly and subtly, perhaps even unwittingly, pulling for the teenage Italian rather than for Russell. Kimi is their pet project, the one individual who fills the emotional gap left by Hamilton decamping to Ferrari to ask of the gods his destiny.
How did Mercedes respond to the observation I made seven days ago? There came not a word of protest. This would not be especially telling if it were not for the fact that in the days when Lewis was their hero, this kind of commentary would have been met with a swift retort by a Mercedes spokesperson via WhatsApp or phone. The absence of this admonition tells its own story.
Kimi Antonelli is Mercedes’ golden boy. In truth, the scope of his rounded talent has slightly surprised me
You think Mercedes want Russell to win as much as they are rooting for Antonelli? I have evidence they do not
If I were Russell, I would be doing two things. The first, obviously, is to try to win the title despite the headwind blowing against him. The second, I would look to explore the possibility of moving teams for next season to start afresh.
If he does lose out on the title, Antonelli’s favoured status would be set in stone. He would be cast for eternity as a useful No2, a latter-day David Coulthard to Mika Hakkinen.
Saudi Arabian GP in Austria? Don’t rule it out…
Imola is pencilled in to stage the final race of the season should Qatar and Abu Dhabi, still scheduled as the concluding rounds of the championship, follow Bahrain and Saudi Arabia as F1 casualties of war.
The biggest worry is whether the weather will hold in Italy. A finale in Europe on the last weekend of November carries some jeopardy, though it is worth a go and would be a fitting venue if either Antonelli of Italy, or Hamilton of the Scuderia, were to contest the title there, or indeed use Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari as a lap of honour.
The notion of Silverstone to celebrate Russell’s possible championship crowning? It doesn’t appear to be at the top of anyone’s to-do list. (Passim…)
Malaysia steps in to house the ‘Bahrain Grand Prix’. Held over from April, it is confirmed to take place on October 4, between the Azerbaijan and Singapore races.
Where will this transfer of one country’s race being held in another country end? I could see Bahrain’s neighbours in the Middle East region not wishing to miss out on the PR and therefore following the precedent somewhere else in Europe. The ‘Saudi Arabian GP’ home from home in Austria, perhaps. And so on.
Is this kind of relocation without precedent in sport? Royal Ascot at York in 2005 is the closest analogy that springs to mind. A personal moan, in passing: Ascot need never have moved had they not built those ghastly escalators in that overgrown stand of theirs. Christian Horner and I agree on this.
Lando Norris was superb in Hungary last weekend – do not rule him out for the world championship just yet
Write off Lando at your peril
A fine drive by Lando Norris at the weekend to win in Hungary, his second corner blip excepted. He cashed in on his luck when his team-mate Oscar Piastri was bizarrely delayed by backmarker Carlos Sainz, but he was mighty quick all afternoon in a promisingly upgraded McLaren.
Can Norris now push his nose into the championship fight? Well, 91 points is a big hurdle to jump. But possible with 11 of 22 or 23 rounds completed.
‘I’ll have some time away with my friends and family,’ said Norris ahead of F1’s summer holidays. ‘And play a bit of golf and padel, and try to lose a bit of weight.’
Fat-faced (ha!) or Slim Jim, he can at least enjoy being the pursuer, and relish being freed from the need to strive desperately for the first title he won last year. He may find it fun this time. Do not rule our Champ out yet.
