Aston Martin team principal, Saudi athletes talk about F1 ahead of the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix

JEDDAH: The first Saudi Arabia Grand Prix is ​​just around the corner and the greatest Formula 1 driver of all time couldn’t be more relaxed considering what’s at stake.

A potential record-breaking eighth championship is within reach again. And with the world’s eyes on the newly completed Jeddah Corniche Circuit, F1 has never been more popular.

And some of his newest fans come from quite an unexpected source. “I think it changed the game,” said Lewis Hamilton.

Kudos indeed. But not for a new car or a revolutionary technical innovation. Hamilton was referring to the Netflix show “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” and how it brought the sport to a whole new global audience.

“I don’t think anyone knew exactly what it would do for the sport. I definitely thought it would be positive, but it changed the sport forever, I think, ”added the reigning world champion.

“I think it was for the best because our sport is often quite difficult for people to understand. When you turn on the TV, you have no idea what is going on. It’s very complicated, very complex, and there are so many moving parts. “

The most exclusive sport in the world suddenly seems a little more inviting to outsiders today.

The 36-year-old Mercedes driver said, “Most people go to school to play soccer, play tennis, or try these other sports. Most people don’t get the chance to drive cars so it was great for this show to be able to show that there are real personalities and excitement in sport, and not just what you see on TV.

“And now there is this whirlwind of new fan bases, and yes, the close championship makes it even more exciting.”

Not that Hamilton’s profile has been updated.

Lewis Hamilton helped develop IWC’s Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition ‘Lewis Hamilton’. (IWC Schaffhausen)

The seven-time world champion, owner of the most pole positions (102) and race wins (102) and now on the hunt for an eighth driver-record title with Mercedes, brings Hamilton a sensational victory at the first ever Grand Prix of Qatar Max Verstappen’s lead at the top of the table to eight points.

“The track was great. When we started driving it, just with the wind direction and the grip level, the speed of all the corners, it was all medium and high speed corners, I was sure the race wasn’t going to be great there. But, surprisingly, it actually was.

“Qualifying lap, single lap, felt amazing and we had a good preparation,” added Hamilton.

After winning in Brazil last weekend, Hamilton and Mercedes initially had problems in Doha.

“Friday was a difficult day for me, I was nowhere and I just bowed my head and studied hard and was lucky, I felt, to turn it around and have a great Saturday and Sunday.

“I definitely didn’t know that at this point I would be so close (in the overall standings to Verstappen) and have the performance that we could finally tap with the car. I’m very grateful for that, ”he said.

Next up for the rivals is the first Saudi Arabia Grand Prix this weekend and another new track at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

“I think all the drivers drove the simulator; it’s incredibly fast. It’s a bit reminiscent of Montreal in terms of the long straight stretch they have there, but they’re all curved on that stretch and there isn’t a lot of run-off zone either, so it’s quite a street course really, and right in town.

“It looks pretty epic to be honest, but we won’t know for sure until we feel the real G-Force roller coaster ride and speed once we get there,” added Hamilton.

The reigning Formula 1 world champion says his interest off the track helped him keep perspective in his racing career. (IWC Schaffhausen)

The Brit hopes to take the championship with him to the final race in Abu Dhabi, where the Yas Marina Circuit has been redesigned for the first time since its completion in 2009.

He said, “It’s obviously an incredible track with the whole setup. I think they spent the most on this circuit than any other, so it’s a great spectacle, a beautiful final race of the season. But the layout has always been very, very difficult to follow and overtaking is pretty difficult.

“It’s pretty interesting that they made these changes and I really think that it will unlock the potential of this circuit to become more of a race track. Because it is so difficult for us to follow one another, it is difficult to pull off these small changes when they are making these kinds of small changes.

“So the simulator ride I’ve done looks like it’s going to be very, very difficult to hold onto. It looks like it could be something that you keep switching and changing about. You could move to one of the best circuits, we’ll see when we get there, ”he added.

Of Hamilton’s seven titles, six have been won with Mercedes in the last seven years, and so he dominated at times, often it seemed like he was going up against himself and history.

Hamilton values ​​the closeness of this year’s battle with Verstappen and Red Bull.

“I really am, because every year you are confronted with different scenarios. I wouldn’t say it was ever a choice for me. It was never easy for me to start with an old go-kart in my youth, always having to drive from behind.

“And especially in karting, there were always wheel-to-wheel races, super close. It was always the last lap, you had to be very, very tactical to get out first. I miss that in racing, and when you get through your cars, you get less and less of it, and it’s more about positioning and maintaining the position. “

Red Bull have certainly stepped up their stakes this season, but Hamilton and Mercedes have risen to the challenge in recent weeks. In the drivers’ standings, the gap to Verstappen is only eight points, while the Red Bull team is now five points ahead.

Hamilton said: “Then of course we have all these differences between the cars every year, one team does well and the other team doesn’t. We’ve done well for a few years now, it’s amazing to have this close fight again now because in terms of proximity it reminds me of my karting days.

“But it also meant that we all had to keep improving and perfecting our craft. That’s what sport is about, right? That’s why it was really exciting. It was a challenge for my engineers, for the mechanics, how to dig deep and get more out of their potential. It was a roller coaster ride of emotions, but something I really enjoyed. “

Should Hamilton win the title in Abu Dhabi, it will be a very popular win among the locals. The organizers of the Yas Marina Circuit race are still proud of the way Hamilton – who ranks 44th – participated in the UAE 44th National Day celebrations in 2015.

Hamilton has spent a significant part of his life driving around the world and has seen firsthand how F1 has grown in the Middle East.

“Every time we go to Bahrain, the crowds seem to get bigger and bigger. Abu Dhabi is getting bigger and bigger every time, and of course we now have more and more presence, especially in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, ”he added.

It is crucial that more and more young people in this part of the world are devoting themselves to motorsport, especially karting.

“I’ve just spoken to someone from Saudi Arabia, I don’t know a lot of people in Saudi Arabia, but they talk to me about the fact that there are a lot of girls and boys whose first choice isn’t football, it’s racing. “Said Hamilton.

“It’s pretty cool to see there’s a new generation in the Middle East who are car crazy and want to race. So who knows, maybe in the future we’ll see a Formula 1 driver from the Middle East, I think that could be really cool. Would be even better if it were female. “

Hamilton is known to have developed many interests and supported many goals outside of racing.

“Being an athlete, being an athlete, that’s mostly all you do, and for me it was important to find other opportunities, other areas, because if you focus on one thing, it doesn’t always lead to happiness.

“You have to be able to realize your other potential and explore other ways that you might be good at. It’s always great to be able to get away from racing and focus on something else to be creative with, ”he added.

Unlike most other drivers or athletes, Hamilton has dealt with music and fashion. In addition, in recent years he has built a close relationship with the Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen, for which he is an ambassador, and helped develop his own watch, the Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition Lewis Hamilton.

“So I really enjoyed the whole process, from sitting in the car in Hockenheim with Christopher (Grainger-Herr, Chief Executive Officer of IWC Schaffhausen) to driving to the airport and talking about a possible collaboration to talking about the Subtleties of a o’clock, and said I want to have my own watch one day, to have my own watch now.

“It was really a challenge for me to sit with them because I really appreciate the brand’s work and expertise, but I also wanted to add my own touch. I had questions like, what can we change on the dial? The tourbillon, I want the tourbillon in one of my pieces because it’s one of my favorite, if not my favorite, ”he said.

In recent years, activism has played a big role in Hamilton’s life outside of Formula 1, and it has become an outspoken advocate of social equality, diversity in sport and environmental sustainability. His own X44 team is competing in the very first electric SUV rally series, Extreme E, this year.

Hamilton noted that it was vital for him to work with people who shared his values.

“So I phoned my partners at IWC Schaffhausen and talked about things like: What are you doing about diversity during this time? How diverse is your company, what are your goals, how do you want to be more integrative in the future? And they are fully involved.

“To me, it’s amazing to see that people are aware of sustainability, brands are aware of the impact we are having on the planet. I just really enjoy caring with people who are like-minded in that sense, and not just business people, ”he added.

Far from being distractions, his interests outside of racing have helped him maintain an almost Zen-like perspective in his career, as demonstrated by his persistent brilliance on the track.

He said, “Tapping into different things helps take the pressure off this crazy, intense world that I have here. Because if I stop and think about it and just think about racing, I have 2,000 people working at full speed depending on whether I can get through it in the end.

“Partners and my own expectations can be overwhelming, so these other things help me dilute that pressure and feed that energy into something positive.”

When he lands in Jeddah this weekend for the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, however, you can assume that Lewis Hamilton has only one thing on his mind.