| Last Wednesday, at Liberty Media’s very well organized and entertaining F1 Live London event, Lewis Hamilton was the odd man out All of his F1 colleagues were in Trafalgar Square, enjoying the fun and catering to the sport’s best interests, while the Mercedes driver remained on holiday in Greece, far from London’s pre-race commotion and fete.
Hamilton’s decision to stay away was curious given his professed love for the British fans and the important status he awards the showpiece British Grand Prix. It didn’t take long for furore to emerge Wednesday evening, causing his name to be booed by Ham’s public scrutineers while others practically portrayed him as the villain, the disrespectful and insolent diva who caters only to his own needs. But it equally didn’t take long for the craze and rage to subside once he made his way to Silverstone and extended a hand to the fans. Hamilton’s response was right on the mark: talk to the fans, tell them you know what’s best for yourself, and then go out and deliver the goods. He did it, they loved it! Hamilton did his talking on the race track and answered his critics in the best possible way. “I think that sometimes you need the right impulse to extract the maximum performance and that is maybe an answer to the critics,” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. “I still don’t understand why the British hero was beaten up before the Grand Prix and it probably made him even more determined to show his fans how he can drive, and he can drive.” At the end of the day, Lewis Hamilton’s London no-show only confirmed his status as the main attraction at Silverstone. The crowd were tuned in all weekend, lapping up his every move as he delivered his fifth British GP triumph. F1 Live London was blown into oblivion on Sunday, reduced to a mere annotation in the grand scheme of things. And Hamilton went from sinner to saint. In short, it was much ago about nothing. |
