‘A higher power’ doesn’t want me to win – Hamilton

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In the round-up: Lewis Hamilton explains his controversial comments following the Malaysian Grand Prix.

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A point the conspiracy theorists never have an answer to:

When you pay a driver £30m per year to advertise your road cars in front of an audience of millions then you don’t deliberately set out to create a scenario where your car has smoke and flames ripping out the back of it, before grinding to a halt.
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108 comments on “‘A higher power’ doesn’t want me to win – Hamilton”

  1. He wasn’t talking about this so called “Higher Power” when he was winning races in succession, did he?

    1. @adney Why would he? That’s what I said in the roundup three days back. He is so damn predictable.

    2. Todd (@braketurnaccelerate)
      3rd October 2016, 1:06

      @adney – Hamilton is actually fairly religious. A large number of his tweets and comments have made reference to that on numerous occasions. It’s fairly common for religious folk to feel like they are being tested when things go wrong, or feel like it’s been done on purpose. Quite frankly, it seemed fairly obvious as that is what Hamilton was referring to. I do not think he’s stupid enough to chuck his team under the bus. There are racers doing much, much worse, yet they aren’t being talked about like Hamilton’s one comment. (ie; Grosjean slamming Haas on numerous occasions)

      1. If you look at those first interviews after getting out of the car (on sky, can probably be found no youtube), at that moment he was clearly “throwing his team under the bus”. About looking for answers he pointed the journalists to the team. Sure enough Hamilton did immediately go into the box for a hug with his mechanics etc, after saying what he did in the pen, likely already aware what his comments would bring up. And even in the pen he already thanked his crew for their work.

        I do think that the feeling of “it almost seems like it is not meant to be” fits with feeling “blessed” at other moments when things were going right for him @braketurnaccelerate and to answer @adney, yes he was, that is what those references about being blessed most likely refer to.

        1. “If you look at those first interviews after getting out of the car (on sky, can probably be found no youtube), at that moment he was clearly ‘throwing his team under the bus’.”

          I have and he wasn’t. Care to elaborate (preferably with actual quotes) on how he was ‘clearly throwing his team under the bus?’

          “He wasn’t talking about this so called “Higher Power” when he was winning races in succession, did he?”

          And yet people continuously pick on him for using #blessed. He *literally* was talking about this so called “Higher Power” when he was winning. The man is nothing if not consistent on that front.

    3. Do you, @adney? I mean, I don’t know if you are religious or not, but how many religious people–other than the kind we hate–walk around saying “Praise the Lord!” whenever there isn’t a line at Starbucks? Most people don’t think about a “Higher Power” unless they’re markedly the opposite of “good”, because nobody needs “help” when they’re already at the top.

      I remember watching American motorsports as a kid and almost all winners would say thanks to God for their amazing days. Now it’s rare, no matter how religious they may be.

      1. if you read what he said, he prefaces his remarks by saying “it feels” He is not making a positive statement, he is expressing his feelings. This is basic English, but a lot of people, don’t care about what he actually said, only biting off of the media’s fish bate. Some people might actually refer to it as ‘social engineering’ aka ‘phishing’.

    4. Yeah… I think I got it now: he’s trying to copy Senna here too! Thing is, God apart, Senna said he had no idol.

    5. @adney he actually was…

    6. Mercs engine is The Higher Power and it did not want him to win on Sunday.

      1. Hehe best comment. And True.

    7. @adney

      What exactly do you think he means when he says he is #blessed?

  2. I was disappointed with the way Rosberg passed Raikkonen. It looked obvious that Rosberg would have been able to pass Raikkonen at some point. All the rough pass did is make Rosberg look less skilled than he really is.

    1. @drycrust that’s what DRS is there for, isn’t it? to allow drivers to easily overtake instead of going for it and taking the risk. It worked in the end, it was a great move IMO.

      1. Yet, despite have DRS and an engine with “Strat mode 3” on it, Rosberg still went for it, took the risk, and miraculously drove off with only some red paint on his car. If anything it shows great skill on Raikkonen’s part that this didn’t end up bringing out the red flags. Rosberg didn’t seem particularly bothered by this in the drivers cool down room, which I guess is understandable, he’d got a token penalty that didn’t stop him getting third place. As I said, I was disappointed with the pass, but I guess some will perceive the move as being a great piece of overtaking.

        1. @drycrust A lot of great moves required two skilled drivers, not only the attacking driver. For it to be deemed a great move, both drivers have to be aware and sometimes even a little bit cooperating.

          Do you really think the “Webber on Alonso-pass” through Eau Rouge would have been a great move if Alonso hadn’t backed out of it a little bit or given Webber enough room? Nope, it would have been a crash with a potentially pretty nasty outcome.

          I still think Rosberg was a little bit to aggressive considering the pace advantage he had, but at the end of the day he passed the Ferrari without to much damage and the stewards were pretty harsh with the penalty.

          1. Perfectly summarised @gdewilde

        2. I thought it was an amateur pass. Nascar style. Typical Nico. Mr race-craft.

      2. That was definitly not a great move.

    2. Yeah i thought the same thing. Was always going to get him. A tad bit forceful but borderline pass

  3. “I could see him behind me. He wants to win the race in the first corner, which is, of course, ridiculous.”

    – Ahem .. Belgium 2016, Max

    1. What I saw from the aerial replay was that VES rear came a bit loose under braking (of course one can say that that is a faster way around that corner), so I don’t think either of them was in full control of their cars at that point, under those circumstances. So yes, I can agree with VET, It was two idiots racing. So, racing incident at worst.

      I see no need for Max to get on his high horse when he was just luckier than Vettel in an equal drivers at loss-of-control incident.

      1. You can hardly blame verstappen after everyone blows his skills out of proportion.. says he’s the next Schumacher etc.

        Monster in the making. IMHO, there’s NO WAY he finished behind ricciardo without team orders.

    2. @icemangrins Max spoke like just as a retaliation to Seb’s criticism after Spa. In the interview with Channel 4 he did say that now it was his turn to fire the shots.

      It’s just a revenge from a fresh 19 year old so you can’t really expect much mature things, we all did that with the only difference is that he is doing it in front of millions.

      1. The last two teenagers in F1 (Kyvat and Alonso) were reasonably mature about this sort of things (admittedly Alonso had some bouts immaturity in his twenties, after getting into title contention…), and most drivers in F3 and GP3, let alone F1 and GP2, know better than to speak in retaliatation of such things in a race held weeks later (those not mature enough to let sleeping dogs lie sort out their frustrations on the day and then regain focus on their own racing). F3 and GP3 are largely composed of teenagers, a fair few younger than Verstappen. The general mass of 19-year-olds might do that sort of thing, but the general mass of 19-year-olds hasn’t had that sort of grudge-holding hammered out of them by unforgiving racing series. Whereas F1 drivers are expected to have done that process, simply so they can optimise their talents (something the pinnacle of single-seater competition expects as a matter of course).

        So the “he’s young enough not to know better” doesn’t work, as he’s not really meeting the maturity standards of the series he was in before and is of age to be in, let alone the one he currently competes within.

        1. @alianora-la-canta I agree, Max behavior is really immature, and age is not an excuse.

          1. If age isnt…..what is?

    3. I really think that Max should refrain from any wise comments on other driver’s errors for the rest of the season. He has driven ridiculously on several occasions, only to be spared by the stewards, FIA and even his peers. I think Max has a long way to go before he can become a likeable personality

      1. Come on now, Verstappen hasn’t been penalized once. Whereas Vettel and Rosberg for example (both known for their ability to control from the front but not nescesarilly for their race craft) have been penalized on multiple occasions.

        The way you are talking about him (VES) sounds like he a ramping maniac stuck repeat… I get the feeling people who don’t like VES are just trying to frame a narrative that really isn’t there. At all.

    4. Max…. wow.

  4. A higher power?
    But that would mean… Bernie!!

    It’s all starting to make sense.
    Bernie used the standardized ECUs to gain control of the power units.
    And after seeing Nico fall behind after the start, he was worried about Lewis running away with the title so soon. So he had Lewis’ power unit go up in smoke to make sure the title story continued.

    Also Vettel [5] hit Rosberg [6], 5+6=11
    And Max [33] came after Ricciardo [3], 33/3=11
    Both come up with 11. And Lewis’ number is 44.
    44/11=4. And take away the 1st Lewis would have had.
    4-1=3. Which is the number of points now between Force India and Williams!!
    Bernie had been orchestrating it all!!

    But to be serious, as much as I like to be neutral and see a variety of drivers on the top spot; I feel it would be well deserved if Lewis is able to claw back the points gap, again. And with 5 races, anything can happen.

    1. Ha ha, nice one! Thanks for the laughs :-)

      I think you’re the first one to see the higher power as Bernie and not God :-D

      1. That is because Bernie actually exists …

      2. @ninjabadger

        Bernie is dark lord of the sith, just look at him.

    2. @ninjabadger superb! It was totally Bernie making things more interesting for the fans haha

  5. Chris (@tophercheese21)
    3rd October 2016, 0:50

    Ugh. The media should be ashamed of themselves for taking the ball and running with it. It was plainly obvious even in Hamilton’s immediate post race comments that he didn’t mean someone in team was trying to sabotage his car. When something continues to go against you, it’s a pretty common turn of phrase to say that something or someone doesn’t want you to win.

    But of course the media took it the wrong way, and now we have fans regurgitating their rubbish in order to sound smart, and at the end of it, the clear DoTW goes away from Malaysia with a bunch of hate and vitriol sent his way… Oh and a 23pt deficit for good measure.

    1. @tophercheese21 I have to say, hand on heart, it never occurred to me he was referring to a God. I’m not religious myself, I don’t believe in a God, and the idea that there not only is one but one which takes an active interest in the outcome of sporting events is a view of the world which I find doubly difficult to comprehend.

      1. Chris (@tophercheese21)
        3rd October 2016, 8:15

        I’m not religious either and I find the entire concept of religion to be incredibly delusional. Having said that, I did not get the impression from his immediate media pen comments, that he was referring to God either, but more to just something that didn’t want him to win. We don’t need to take it literally (which it seems a lot of media outlets have done) because it’s such a common expression.

        I’m pretty sure he was just expressing how wronged he felt, rather than trying to literally apportion blame to a Mercedes employee or a “God”.

        It’s like if you’re late to work or something, and manage to catch every red light along the way and you get stuck behind a slow moving truck. I’ve been in those situations and thought “Geeze, something really doesn’t want me to get there on time.”

        1. @tophercheese21 I’ve been in those situations and though ‘geeze, I wish the council would change the pattern on the traffic lights’…

          I understand where you’re coming from but in my experience I haven’t found it that common an expression. I’d like to think if I had come across it more often I would have recognised it as such.

          We don’t need to take it literally

          But when we’re dealing with religious beliefs how are we supposed to know when to and when not to? For instance, Hamilton has in the past made references to ‘praying’ for a particular outcome in a race or reliability from his car. I know religious people and I know people who pray, so why shouldn’t I take that sort of comment by Hamilton at face value? Similarly I’m inclined to take this one seriously.

          And in the context of Mercedes having to constantly bat away these silly conspiracy theories, I think his original choice of words was careless at best.

          1. “I understand where you’re coming from but in my experience I haven’t found it that common an expression. I’d like to think if I had come across it more often I would have recognised it as such.”

            That doesn’t mean it is not a familiar terminology

          2. “I understand where you’re coming from but in my experience I haven’t found it that common an expression.”

            Personally, I have both heard and said similar things. Struggling to get my car fixed in time for an event: “Someone doesn’t want me there”. Struggling to get a new website finished: “Someone doesn’t like this website”.

            I am not religious, and don’t believe any person, being, or force is actually sabotaging me. It’s just a turn of phrase, and a fairly common one. I couldn’t understand the Sky team, or anyone else, hearing it as “the team are sabotaging me”, but then maybe they, and you, just hadn’t heard the phrase before.

        2. Yes, you evolved from a fish.

          1. bacteria*

      2. @keithcollantine you actually don’t need to be religious to understand what a religious person says, all you need to be is informed.

      3. The general population is getting less religious, and less knowledgeable about religion, with every passing decade. Perhaps Sky thought the religious explanation possibility would be too difficult to explain to their audience, given that it is not currently possible to assume more than the most elementary of religious knowledge from a British audience*? (Of course, once they’d floated the “anti-Mercedes” theory, the locus of conversation was bound to move to it, because there’s a long-standing narrative about how teams do or don’t support their drivers, that many people have wondered about in one form or another – especially given the occasional previous floatings of “sabotage” accusations at Mercedes against either or both of their drivers).

        * – A large minority of British people have a substantial enough knowledge of religion to have at least considered that option, but the extent and quality of religious education in the UK is extremely variable, and Sky can’t give an explanation that doesn’t work for half its audience without getting a lot of bad press. Sticking to “secular” reasons tends to be safer, even if the reason given turns out to be complete rubbish. (Also, the audience is such that “I don’t know” also classes as a risky answer for Sky. Journalism is not an easy job…)

        1. I seem to remember Hamilton has had multiple religious quotes in the past. So, when Hamilton talks ‘higher power’ it is quite clear he means a god/satan what-have-you.

          I personally am in no position to know wether or not there is a god at all, but to me if one does excist it seems extremely unlikely he cares about a few cars driving in circles. Johan Cruyff once said he wasn’t religious because if there was a god, with both teams (in spain) praying for victory prior to when they go onto the pitch, every game should logically end in a draw. They don’t, so… yeah

        2. The general population is becoming more Islamic and by 2050 will be the majority in Europe I believe. Tremble in ye boots oh ye pint drinkers. lol.

          1. Depends which part of the world you are considering. In Britain (where Sky broadcasts), the fastest-expanding philosophy, by some margin, is atheism. Elsewhere, different patterns emerge (Islam is indeed experiencing fast expansion in some of them, but due to F1’s geographical arrangement of broadcast rights, other broadcasters – including, I think in some cases, other branches of Sky – would be responsible for deciding how events are analysed on their TVs).

        3. @alianora-la-canta

          Funny it is on SKY channel :) God is watching that for sure, good reception up there.

      4. Senna was a bible basher as well. Hamilton is clever though as his words can be taken either way then once the heat builds, the damage is done, he says of course he was talking about God. He has great defence mechanisms, the best ever. It gives him an excuse and may get on Rosbergs nerves by diminishing his achievements.

    2. Well, maybe his first interviews with the media after coming out of the car have something to do with that @tophercheese21. There is was pointing the media towards asking Mercedes for answers on why the engines keep failing for him alone, not to something spiritual.

      That Hamiltion does feel “blessed” when things go right and now feels “something is putting things in my way” is something that might well be, and I can believe that he sees things that way. But it was not what he was saying initially.

      And off course, as @keithcollantine mentions, not everyone believes there IS something like a “higher being” and even people who do believe in a god, certainly not all would immediately think about, and even less feel comfortable with Hamilton as a modern day Job who is being tested.

      1. I think LH is being consistent in stirring up the conspiracy theorists. It started earlier in the season with him claiming publicly that he and Nico’s crews were swapped ‘for no apparent reason’. Mercedes simply wouldn’t do anything for no apparent reason. LH’s comments stirred the pot to the point where Toto Wolff published a letter defending his team to the public. Just the other day, prior to this race, LH was at it again about the crew swap, still claiming no apparent reason. Sure he always follows it up with how great his crew is and it’s not them, but only after he has fanned some flames, like he needs to try for some pity votes or something. Or needs to make sure people understand it is not his fault he hasn’t obliterated Nico this season.

        If LH hadn’t already been the biggest culprit feeding the conspiracy theorists this season perhaps I’d be less harsh on him for this weekends verbiage, but I have to agree with @keithcollantine that he was at a bare minimum choosing his words poorly, but given his history this season I think he was choosing his words as he wanted, for maximum pity effect. I find him disingenuine.

        This ‘higher power’ talk is a convenient cover-up for his own mistakes in front of the mic. After all, if it was about a higher power, that power was fully on LH’s side when he/she/it spun Nico at the start. I guess ‘the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.’

        1. “This ‘higher power’ talk is a convenient cover-up for his own mistakes in front of the mic”
          So do you care to elaborate on what other “mistake” he made in front of the mic that he tried to cover up with this comment?

          Also, could are to elaborate on the APPARENT reason Mercedes swapped the engineers? Of course Merc had a reason, but it is neither apparent, or good enough. In fact, Hamilton is the ONLY driver in the current era that this has happened to. Twice. Please explain that.

          Sigh.

          1. The thing is; you’re wrong. Toto Wolff gave a (lengthy!) and detailed explanation of precisely what the reasons were for swapping around part (not all!) of the crews. I will not spoon-feed you the details. Go and look them up. Include “team harmony” in your search, it shouldn’t be too hard.
            It is also a regular and common thing for personnel or even entire crews to be wrapped around, in F1 and in other forms of motorsport. it’s extremely common in NASCAR, and in WRC, but this year we saw it with Max and Carlos’ crew members being swapped about pre-season, for the same reason as Mercedes.
            It also happened with Williams in the recent past, McLaren did it back in 1989(!) Ferrari also between Alonso and Massa. It you pay attention to the individuals invovled in F1 beyond just the nuts holding the wheels; you would come too understand these things.

          2. @kbdavies Sigh all you want…like no answer will suffice for you and only you can be right. I’ve already explained in my post you’re responding to. Earlier in the year he fanned the flames with this revelation about crews being swapped ‘for no apparent reason’ (his words not mine), then he just said it again last week in an article posted on this site, then he did it again this weekend prior to claiming he meant ‘higher power’ after initially saying ‘someone’ doesn’t want him to win. ie. he had to explain himself because of his poor choice of words.

            I’ll let Osella’s answer stand with respect to crew swapping. You admit Merc had a reason, so we needn’t go any further. You must agree LH is being disingenuine for him to say no apparent reason when he in fact would know the reasons as he is an intimate insider in the team. You and he may not agree with the reasons, but up until two races ago LH was leading the WDC, so it’s not like the swap has been detrimental, until of course LH doesn’t have it go his way.

    3. Said it here last two weeks – Hamilton would have to literally invent formula one for him to win DoTW on this platform. He’s hated and reviled by nearly all people that post on here: this comes out when he has a bad weekend and says ANYHING, at which point the barbs are flung with astonishing vitriol. When he has an excellent weekend and wins everything there is to win, the pointy hats and burning crosses are quietly folded away and the hate is expressed in DoTW voting – which invariably goes to someone else, anyone but Hamilton.
      hahaha

      1. @rantingmrp

        Hamilton would have to literally invent formula one for him to win DoTW

        Hamilton as in Lewis Hamilton?

        Lewis Hamilton as in the person who’s won DoTW more times than anyone?

        I beg to differ.

        1. Yes, Lewis Hamilton – you know, from 2013 till now, the driver that’s had 31 pole positions, won 28 races, and been voted DoTW a mere 12 times. Even when he wipes then floor with the opposition, someone else is somehow usually ‘more deserving’.
          You can differ all you want – but if any of the other drivers wins 28 races and grabs 31 poles over three years you can be sure they will be DoTW more than a paltry 12 times over that period.

    4. It was clearly obvious Hamilton was planting the conspiracy theory, just as he’s done before. He wants his fans and media to run with it and they predictably do.

      Because of this Mercedes is being booed and it would be totally unacceptable especially as Mercedes pride themselves on team and sporting spirit, yet Wolff is even apologizing for his comments when they should be reprimanding him for putting the Mercedes name in disrepute yet again. By allowing this to continue I can only assume Wolff and others are suffering from some sort of Stockholm syndrome from the booing fans, just as Rosberg seems to be.

      1. Or maybe Wolff and team know they have let him down and that he is justified in not just demanding answers, but wondering why over the last two seasons it’s always by his engines and cars that appear to have more race-limiting problems?

  6. I think the first corner crash was Rosbergs fault. He has made this mistake of blindly turning in at least twice before this season.

    1. I think Verstappen was paying too much attention to Vettel and react a wee bit too late (and maybe too harshly) to Rosberg’s change of mind. Also, Vettel I think tried to brake later than feasible for his and Max’s car limits (they were in a race to be the latest braker) so his at fault, too.

      In short, Rosberg changed his mind too late, Vettel braked too late and Verstappen reacted too late.

      1. Did you actually watch it?? Max didn’t hit either car so how could he be any part of it? Thought his reactions where incredible to avoid being collected Nico was well in front of them both so had the right to chose his line, Seb outbraked himself and under steered into Nico open and shut Sebastian fault but first corner incident so I’m surprised it wasn’t chalked up as a racing incident

      2. And on top of all that, my wife is late!

        1. @neiana

          Congratulations!!

    2. @skibomax Why is it, when you take your rightful place in the queue (In Rosberg’s case, second place), people still try to blame the guy who’s car is fully in front of the third and fourth placed drivers and proclaim it’s his fault? Did I miss something here?

      Didn’t you see what most of us saw = Vettel misjudging the situation completely and crashing into Rosberg?

    3. I think it was Seb’s fault; this one was a copy paste of the one in China. The middle guy just happened to be a bit behind and escaped the crash. Racing incident, but if you really wanna blame someone is the inside guy for not keeping his tight line around the corner.

      Same with Rosberg vs Kimi later in the race; you can’t go in the corner on the inside faster than the guy on the outside; you’re always gonna understear and from then on is just luck.

  7. James Hunt won the 1976 Canadian Grand Prix back in the days when it was at Mosport Park. The layout of that track is exactly the same now as it was back then, but it has greater safety now, of course.

  8. #nolongerBlessed

  9. “”A higher power””, meaning the GERRRRRRRMANS ! (read jeremy clarkson style)

    hihihihi

  10. Interesting thing on the podium was that Rosberg did not acknowledge and thank his team for the strategies etc like Hamilton does every time on the podium.

    1. maybe it dawned on him that he can’t win this championship with out Lewis having a break down. Did you watch the post race press conference with the top three. He clearly was frustrated, and I don’t think he got more than 2 questions asked during the whole event. I think it’s just starting to eat away at his ego, if he actually has a sense of integrity… which I really can’t speak to.

      1. @xsavior He was doing a pretty good job the last three races by winning them all and retaking the championship lead + getting spun around and having to claw your way back tends to frustrate you. Even though the race is over, you always think about what could have been (Rosberg could have won this race and taken 10 points extra for the drivers championship).

        And regarding the break downs: Championships are won and lost not only by winning races. Reliability is a factor and doesn’t taint a potential championship victory in my opinion.

    2. Rosberg is a terrible speaker … if it says anything it sounds rehearsed.

    3. @dam00r

      I’m glad someone else noticed. Even in his lowest moment Lewis thanked is immediate and remote team mates in getting him that far, yet Rossberg takes it for granted. Nico is changing although often is reminded once Lewis thanks the team that he must also thank them for getting him where he is. No other collection of people on the grid would have got him in contention for the title.

  11. Verstappen should keep his trap shut when talking about 4star F1. Talking about trying win the race at the first corner…then what was Spa all then, taking lectures from a young pup who has had his fair share of disasters. Kid has a few good races after Monaco and spa and suddenly he’s some sort of F1 elder now. I could quote Senna, but ahwell.

    1. Agreed, his losing my sympathy fast; faster then his (good) driving is replenishing it.

    2. Its simply a 19 year old taking revenge for being criticized for similar behaviour at Spa. I do not think many of us were different at age 19. Clumsy nevertheless, I agree

      1. For get Verstappen for a sec. and just ask yourself what wás Vettel trying to do? He has had multiple bad and/or clumsy moments now this year and it really baffles me. Is he forcing the issue to salvage something from an awfull year for Ferrari? That’s the only reason I can think of

  12. Regarding all the tweets about Mercedes cancelling Hamilton’s post-race interview, did any of those guys eventually tweet about the interview being re-instated? Because that’s exactly what happened.

    1. Fudge Kobayashi (@)
      3rd October 2016, 10:31

      Of course not. I mean this is Lewis Hamilton here, losing a championship because of poor reliability to a supposedly identical car should be taken on the chin and laughed off in a diplomatic manner of course! Modern F1 ladies and gents.

      1. it is not poor reliability; it is excellent reliability; it is just a little less than Rosberg which is 100% this year.
        It’s an F1 car; it should brake a lot more often than we see them pulling over.

  13. When GP2 drivers consider bardging an opponent out of the way as ‘one of the best overtakes’ they’ve seen this year, you have to wonder about the future. Way I see it, if an overtake involves running into an opponent to guarantee it, then it’s a poor overtake.

  14. F1 isn’t fixed. Just ask Flavio, Pat Symonds, Michael Coughlan or Nigel Stepney .

  15. Physics is so great he considers it a higher power! I cannot help but totally agree.

  16. I tend to agree with Verstappen, Vettel’s move was ambitious and he was trying to win it in the first corner. It was a bad move, but not that much different to some of the overly ambitious ones Verstappen’s been pulling. So I think his comments are a little hypocritical.

  17. 99% chance simply “bad luck”. 1% chance disgruntled soon-to-be-ex employee. Stranger things have happened in F1.

    1. Well, perhaps the higher power is actually taking a step and saying ‘look Lewis, if you don’t focus on the job in hand instead of ‘partying’ all the time then I am not letting you win this year’.

    2. Remember, Hamilton has a different spec engine than every other Merc powered car. Post Spa Mercedes use 5 tokens and upgraded their engine and Lewis stockpiled 3 of them. Nico is still running the old spec. This could be the source of unreliability.

  18. May be Hamilton means that Mercedes should run his engine in a more conservative setting than in a “higher power” setting.

    1. hahaha. COTD

  19. “I could see him behind me. He wants to win the race in the first corner, which is, of course, ridiculous.”

    Much appreciated words of wisdom from Young Yoda. Just keep ’em coming .

    1. @antoine-de-paris

      I fear we might lose max to the dark side, he is under influence of the emperor, Bernie, a dark lord of the sith. I see a helmet change upcoming for max next season. Darth Max.

  20. Boring comments re Hamilton quote following his engine failure; too may low lying fruits being grabbed.

    I think Hamilton is always refreshing saying what’s on his mind because the fans get an insight into what is actually happening in the team. It’s kind of like American sports where cameras go into the changing rooms and we get a greater appreciation for the emotional stresses of sport. What’s the alternative?: be humble and accept another team failure… He’s only human and emotional outbursts are inevitable. I prefer to see the rawness of the situation.

    1. “It’s cuz I’s black”.

  21. I had wondered if this was some sort of a fuel related issue, e.g. the fuel exploding inside the cylinder and not burning, which would put more stress on the engine, but of course the fuel used by Rosberg is the same as used by Hamilton. Last year I got to see some races from the onboard cameras of some drivers, and it seemed to me Hamilton was very precise in his use of RPMs. He almost never let the engine “rev” passed 11500 RPM. It seemed to me this was the point where you should change gear. I noticed other drivers were doing something similar, but Hamilton seemed to be the most precise. When he started having reliability problems I did wonder if he had been more casual with his use or RPMs. I haven’t had the opportunity to see a race from the perspective of the Onboard cameras, which includes showing the RPMs and gears being used, to see if this was the case.

  22. Now, what’s more freaky Ham’s failures of 2016 or Rosberg’s failures of 2014 and the pedal from Russia? Some reliability problems are to be expected but some are too strange. Ham’s engine blow up was his most damning, and the most normal failure of 2016, in a way you could say that all of his mystifying failures were thankfully on Saturday. I wonder if any other teams have suffered broken pedals, contaminated steering, and self destructive electronics.

  23. Sorry Lewis, God just couldn’t care less…

  24. Higher power? Its these comments from a championship winning driver that does not make any sense. Anything can happen in a F1 race and an engine blowout, brake failure or any other mechanical problem in a high temperature race can never be ruled out. This is all part of racing. Just have keep on getting the results as still 125 points available.
    In 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Rosberg had an ERS failure that put him out of the points altogether….was it a higher power tinkering with ERS then?

    1. But it’s not supposed to make sense. To you….or anyone. Why can’t people simply accept someone is religions, even when they are not? Why cant he make religious comments, even when it doesn’t sit well with your sensibilities. As someone said earlier, most commenters need to be more informed, and less ignorant.

      To those who are informed, the context of the comments are more than clear.

  25. Hamilton’s comments at first seemed to be referring to whatever was going on in the Merc garage, answers, as God cannot give him any of those, (unless he has discovered the internet connection to above). Later it sounded as if he was referring to his religious feeling.

    Funny how ‘All things bright and beautiful’ are deemed to be the work of God by the Jehovahs at my door, they argue the tsunami which killed thousands was nowt to do with, but Lewis thinks he is being punished. Cherries picked.

    1. *religious

  26. HAM to Toyota LMP1 team confirmed.

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