The Monaco Grand Prix threw up some jolly exciting moments last weekend. There was the start, the 35 lap lull when nothing happened, the part where Max Verstappen drove superbly behind Sebastian Vettel, until he crashed into the back of Romain Grosjean, and then there were the last few laps after “that” pit stop.
Much has been made of Mercedes and the pit wall’s split-second decision to pit Lewis Hamilton from the lead with only a few laps to go, but there really is little to discuss. It was human error, plain and simple.
Oh yes, it could have been avoided, but it was in the heat of the moment. For sure Hamilton was robbed of a certain victory, but it’s these types of error that make the sport interesting. It reminds us that it’s not always about the technology, and that there is still a massive human element which dictates the outcome.
Anyway, I don’t want to get distracted with appraisal and analysis when there are more pressing matters at hand…
While the F1 world was preoccupying itself with the announcements made by the F1 Strategy Group concerning the sports – rather confusing – future and Lewis Hamilton’s ludicrous new contract, there were far more ominous suggestions floating around the paddock and cyberspace. Chief among which was that Kris Jenner, the self-appointed Empress of the Kardashian Empire, is attempting to forge a relationship between one of her younger daughters, Kylie or Kendall, I can’t recall, and Lewis Hamilton.
After his seven-year on-off relationship with pop star/talent show judge, Nicole Scherzinger, finally hit the buffers last year, Ms. Jenner has wasted no time in trying to fill the void. By attempting to shoehorn Kyndall into the arms of Formula 1’s reigning World Champion, the Kardashians are evidentially slotting some more coins in the fame-o-meter to keep the cameras clicking and money rolling in for that little bit longer.
This, if true, could be catastrophic for Lewis Hamilton. His history suggests that, for all his raw talent and genuine skill, he can still be easily distracted. A few years ago at McLaren he nearly threw his entire season away because he was sidetracked by the off-track turmoil that was his personal life – although this was due in no small part to his management company. Is it any coincidence that since his high-profile relationship took a back seat, and then came to an end, that we’ve seen this dogged, hungry winner practically dominate? Hmm…
We talk about drivers – or any sportsperson for that matter – and their personal lives, and the soap operas that they generally are, like some sort of side-show that is intended strictly for the glossy magazine gossip columns. But that’s not so; the personal foibles of the drivers are important to note as they affect how they perform when they’re doing their job. Like it or lump it, it is an important topic.
Oh Lewis, we hope you've learned your lesson
If your personal life is up and down like Tower Bridge, then how can you focus 100 per cent at work? Careering towards Stowe Corner at 240kp/h may seem easy on your average Sunday, but if the paparazzi snaps of your girlfriend’s recent trip to Ibiza with some “friends” pops into your head and you miss the braking point… well.
Can you think of a more inappropriate family for Lewis Hamilton to be affiliated with, right now, in the prime of his career? If he ended up in a relationship with Kyndall he’d spend even more of his private time batting off photographers and, worse still, we would be subjected to an endless barrage of aftershave and skin cream tweets.
It would all be so horrid.
The inevitable increase in media attention, and increased followers (think how many Kardashian followers have never heard of Lewis, but would very quickly realise) would almost certainly detract him from the job at hand, and it’s very likely that his on-track performance would suffer.
Hamilton has the opportunity to become one of the greatest of his generation, and that’s a legacy that would endure for a long time. But to achieve it, he needs to stay focused. He is a very marketable driver, but if he's distracted and his performances dip, what does marketing matter?
As Mercedes proved at Monaco, the human element is still a very big part of Formula 1, and if all the players aren’t at the top of their game then races, and world championships, can be easily lost.
Still, that being said, if the Kardashian Empire doesn’t ruin Hamilton’s races, then the Mercedes pit wall still could…