Lewis Hamilton wouldn’t be enjoying the same lifestyle outside of Formula 1 had he remained at McLaren, according to chairman Ron Dennis, who admits he disapproves of the way the 30-year-old acts.
Hamilton courted controversy recently when he crashed his Zonda in Monaco, blaming “heavy partying” for the incident. Whilst other choices have also attracted criticism, such as the celebrities he is often photographed with.
Despite this, the Briton has won two titles with Mercedes since departing McLaren and although he is the Woking team’s most recent champion and was nurtured by Dennis, the Briton insists he wouldn’t stand for some of Hamilton’s antics.
“If he was at McLaren he wouldn’t be behaving the way he is because he wouldn’t be allowed to,” Dennis told the Guardian.
“He’s shaking off some chains he didn’t want to have.”
Dennis suggested Hamilton’s commitment to racing at such a young age could be partly to blame for his eccentric personality away from the track, now that he’s achieved what he set out to do.
“I look at him with mixed emotions,” added Dennis. “It was an interesting experience for everybody and it wasn’t completely smooth and harmonious, and I don’t approve of everything he does or says.
“But, nevertheless, great athletes are great because of the sacrifices they have to make.
“And sometimes sacrifices are in a very formative part of their childhood [so] they don’t always emerge with the all the right social process or behaviour or tendencies that you like.”
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