F1 News: James Vowles Reveals What Sets Lewis Hamilton Apart in Formula One
Former Mercedes Chief Strategist and Williams team principal James Vowles, who worked alongside Lewis Hamilton during Mercedes' era of dominance from 2014 to 2021, lists the traits that make the seven-time world champion stand out from the rest of the drivers on the Formula 1 grid.
In all his years in the sport, Vowles has observed intense competition between Hamilton and his former teammate Nico Rosberg. However, Hamilton's exceptional natural talent, according to Vowles, surpasses anyone else he has encountered.
During that time frame, the Brackley team clinched seven Drivers' Championships between the two drivers and eight Constructors' Championships. It was during this period, that Vowles recognized Hamilton's inherent abilities, establishing him as one of the most accomplished drivers in the sport.
Revealing the details on the High Performance podcast, Vowles said:
"Lewis just had these oodles of natural talent. With him he's got these tendencies and traits where, if you go out in FP1 he's like an octopus all over the wheel. He'll change every setting on the wheel and explore. It's what makes him incredible."
However, Vowles clarified that Hamilton underwent a maturation process to reach his current level. Nonetheless, he consistently pushed the limits of the car, a determination that kept him consistently at the forefront of the sport. He added:
"One of our biggest frustrations with him, over 20 laps he did one and we're like 'Come on, you've got to do more than that!' And actually if you look at the maturity of Lewis between 2013 and now, he does the majority of laps. He's found a way of gaining the experience from the lap, but he was this perfectionist that wanted to maximise everything.
"Because he's explored all these boundaries, he knows in just a few laps during FP1 what the boundaries of the car is, what the limits are already with the tools he has on his steering wheel, which are quite fast for what it's worth. Therefore he understands how to get the car into the right positioning as the grip comes up.
"That came with some downsides. Often he would change the car so quickly, that you'd lose yourself. Certainly with data, the track is evolving and you're changing everything. That's often why you'll see him [Hamilton] drop backwards, and then he'll jump forwards again because he's come onto a setup that's known and he's back on the money. He's able to do that where many drivers aren't."
A Driver Who Optimised Everything
Hamilton utilized the team's data to enhance his performance, leveraging it to identify areas for improvement. Vowles highlighted this skill as a key factor that set him apart from Rosberg. He said:
"There was a time on simulation in Brazil it said 'go into 7th gear up the hill' and within two laps Nico was doing exactly what we asked him to do. With Lewis, he went back down to sixth and he was finding a tenth there. It took until the end of the session before Nico saw the data.
"He's [Hamilton] this optimiser where he'll use the data as a starting ground, but he's got a feel beyond anything else for it. He's got no issues exploring the boundaries. That originally manifested itself when he would often go off at Turn 1. He would find the absolute limit of braking and it would push him wide at Turn 1, then abort the lap."
