How good is Hamilton? He's a cross between Senna and Prost

13 April 2012

David Coulthard admits he will never forget the day Lewis Hamilton asked him for advice.

And the grand prix veteran, at 36 the oldest man on the grid, reckons the reply he gave might well have played a part, even if only in a small way, in setting Britain's wonderkid on his way to the world championship.

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High praise: David Coulthard

"I'd known Lewis since he was a little boy," said Coulthard last week. "And I'll never forget that day when we were walking around the Hugo Boss store in Stuttgart and chatting.

"Lewis was driving in the Euro F3 category at the time but wanted to move to GP2. McLaren wanted him to stay in Euro F3 because they felt he needed more experience, but Lewis wasn't happy and asked me whether he should move on from McLaren.

"Now, I've had problems with McLaren in my time, but my advice to him that day was to stay put because McLaren would nurture him. A few years on and it looks like good advice, don't you think? I'm the guy's biggest fan and I even feel I might have played a minor part in his subsequent success."

The key to Coulthard's story, which he tells not as a boast but simply to shed light on the irresistible rise of Hamilton in his debut season in Formula One, is that the Scot, while applauding the massive talents of the 22-yearold currently heading the drivers' championship by 10 points after back-to-back F1 victories, believes the part played by McLaren in sport's most compelling story of the year cannot be underestimated.

"Don't get me wrong," said Red Bull driver Coulthard. "I'm just trying to lay out all the factors for you, factors which Lewis would be the first to admit. But there's no doubt about it. Lewis is the right man, at the right time and in the right place.

"Last year McLaren failed to win a single race. If they had continued in that vein this year, people might be recognising Lewis's talent but he would not have become the story of the year. Likewise, if McLaren produce a dog of a car next season, people will start saying: 'What's gone wrong with Lewis?'

"The bottom line is that McLaren have the two best cars on the grid. Then Ferrari, and then BMW. That's why their six drivers lay currently one to six in the drivers' championship, and that's why they fill the first three places in the constructors' race. The McLaren drivers should finish either first or second in every race. Second is a disappointing result for whichever McLaren driver it may be. Third, with that car, is bordering on the disastrous."

Coulthard's credentials are impeccable. Now in his 14th season, he has scored more F1 points than any British driver in history and he has raced against some of the most iconic figures in the sport.

The names of two of them — Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna — are thrown into the mix as Coulthard evaluates Hamilton's talents.

"How good is Lewis?" he said. "Undoubtedly, the guy is very special. I'd say he is a combination of the two Brawn has left them. That has to be a factor," said Coulthard.

He also offers a technical reason for Hamilton stealing a march on his McLaren team-mate, two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, who currently trails the Briton by 10 points in the drivers' championship.

Coulthard said: "Last year, Fernando was driving on Michelin tyres with Renault. Lewis was driving on Bridgestones in GP2. This year, McLaren are using Bridgestones and, believe me, from a driver's viewpoint, it takes a little time to get used to driving on new tyres. Lewis hasn't needed to."

So is Hamilton's achievement not quite so remarkable as the world seems to believe? Coulthard, speaking at Wembley Stadium where he will be featuring in the Race of Champions event in December, shakes his head and laughs.

Hamilton is a mix of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, according to Coulthard

"Oh no, it's remarkable, all right," he said. "You ask any of the drivers and they'd all say that they knew all about Lewis before he joined F1 this season. Most of us have trodden the same path as him, so we all knew by what he was achieving in the lesser categories that he possesses bags of talent.

"But there's plenty about the story that has surprised me. McLaren's total dominance, for one, has taken us all aback. To go from no wins last season to their current position is amazing.

"Perhaps the biggest surprise has been Lewis's performances. He's an F1 rookie and in seven races so far he's produced virtually flawless drives. Supposedly better and experienced drivers like Fernando and Kimi Raikkonen have been making mistakes, but not Lewis.

"The fact that he's beaten, fair and square, his team-mate and double world champion is very, very impressive."

Indeed, the season has not gone at all to plan for Alonso, who left Renault after winning back-to-back titles to join McLaren, only to be overshadowed by a rookie who was supposed to be learning from the Spaniard.

Signs of a rift between the McLaren of them. He possesses Senna's natural talent, confidence and aggression, but also Prost's smoothness and patience.

"That's a pretty impressive cocktail but Lewis has got it. We had Senna and Prost, Mansell and Piquet, then Michael Schumacher. We have now just entered the Lewis Hamilton era."

Coulthard acknowledges the scale of the compliment he has paid to a rookie driver, albeit one who has claimed seven podium finishes in his first seven races, including victories in the last two — the Canadian and US grands prix.

Crucially, he also suggests that McLaren's chief rivals have been caught napping by Hamilton's explosion on to the F1 scene.

"It's no coincidence that Ferrari are slightly off the pace just when Ross pair, and Alonso's anger at what he perceived to be preferred treatment for the British driver by his British team, have been denied and glossed over by McLaren, keen as they are, with the constructors' and drivers' titles seemingly theirs for the taking, to keep both their stars on track. Coulthard is an interested onlooker.

"There's no doubt about it, Fernando is all at sea at the moment and he's showing his Latin temperament. He's had a couple of off-days, unlike Lewis, and that's why he finds himself 10 points behind his team-mate.

"But I don't have a problem with what Fernando said in terms of how he sees McLaren favouring Lewis. People have criticised him for saying this, but he was asked a question and he answered it honestly.

David Coulthard pays the highest compliment to Lewis Hamilton (above) as he recalls Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna

"He came from a team where he turned from a boy to a man. He's joined a team where he doesn't know the personalities. It coincides with Lewis transforming from a boy to a man, having been part of the McLaren family for over 10 years.

"McLaren will do their level best to give both guys an equal chance to go for the drivers' title, but I can understand Fernando's feelings and he now has to work hard to feel at least an equal part of the team."

The rest of the season could well be even more exciting than the first seven races, starting at Magny-Cours next weekend at the French Grand Prix, followed one week later by the British Grand Prix at a Silverstone promising to be a sell-out on the back of Hamilton's formidable start in F1.

"Well, Fernando's not just going to give up, is he?" said Coulthard. "He's going to try everything he can to win a third, consecutive world title, he's getting more used to the different tyres each week, and there's still two-thirds of the season remaining.

"As each race passes, so the pressure will grow on Lewis. Right now he's still so young,everything is still so new and he's enjoying himself so much, I doubt he's feeling any pressure at all. He's going to have an incredible amount of support at Silverstone, and Ron Dennis at McLaren is just about the best man to ensure he is protected from too many outside interests, and that he gets on with the job. But the journey he's just started is a long one. All the signs are that Lewis will have a great career, but that's something that needs to be reviewed at the end of it, not now."

What Coulthard will say about them now, however, does not diminish the incredible and unexpected story that is Lewis Hamilton.

"McLaren will win the constructors' title, of that there's no doubt, and their drivers will be first and second in the drivers' title race."

In what order? "Based on the evidence of the first seven races, I have to say that it's looking very good for Lewis to become world champion in his first year in Formula One. And that,regardless of how good his car may be,would be really something."

DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

1 Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) McLaren 58 Pts

2 Fernando Alonso (Spain) McLaren 48

3 Felipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari 39

4 Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari 32

5 Nick Heidfeld (Germany) BMW 26

6 Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Renault 13

NEXT RACE Sunday, July 1 — Magny Cours (France) Live on ITV1

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