On Schumacher and Hamilton - China Daily column

Brit should take leaf out of Schumi's book
(China Daily 06/15/2011 page22)

Over the past 18 months Michael Schumacher has consistently trailed his teammate Nico Rosberg, been clumsy in close combat - and never looked like adding to his 91 race victories.

In Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix, by contrast, the seven-time world champion displayed the confidence for which he was famous before retirement at the end of 2006. In difficult conditions the German was a serious contender for a podium place and most were disappointed for him that he eventually finished only fourth.

The race was won, sensationally, by McLaren's Jenson Button who snatched the lead from Sebastian Vettel on the last lap.

Schmacher seemed in Montreal no longer desperate to beat drivers significantly his junior and, perhaps as a consequence, came much closer to doing so. Lewis Hamilton should take note. He is the only other driver to have beaten Vettel this season (in Shanghai this April) but on Sunday the Briton was out after two collisions in just three racing laps.

The timing screen message, 'incident involving car No 3 under investigation,' provides clues about the cause of Hamilton's frequent trips to the stewards' room.

Despite being the fastest driver in the world (at least in his mind - and with some justification) Hamilton does not carry on his car the No 1 - reserved for the reigning champion. Since his debut in 2007, the 26-year old has taken from 78 starts 15 race victories and one world title. How can the best driver not be winning all the races? The answer, of course, is in the name of the sport - it's motor racing not human racing. But, simplistically, it's not fair.

Hamilton believes he should be at the front. Of the 183 overtaking manoeuvres this season before Canada fully one-in-10 were made by him. That's over two times his fair share - but too many incidents means he's now more likely to be under scrutiny than someone less conspicuous.

The move which resulted in Mark Webber's Red Bull being knocked into a spin at the first corner was ambitious and Hamilton would likely have been penalized if he wasn't already parked. But a careful analysis of the collision between the two McLarens ("What's he doing?" shouted Button on the team radio) suggests the blame should be shared.

Nonetheless, Hamilton could learn from Schumacher and in particular the way he operated in his first F1 career: work every hour of every day to make sure you understand and control every element of the sport - and avoid anything unnecessary. Hamilton is a simple lad from Hertfordshire (a county just north of London) who now behaves like an American rap artist. Get rid of the facial hair, Lewis - the ear studs, the pop-star girlfriend and the commercial manager - and get back to being the naturally gifted and brilliant racing driver of 2008.