Mercedes’ Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin has praised the team’s former driver Lewis Hamilton, saying his “phobia of losing” was integral to its past Formula 1 success.
Hamilton officially became a Ferrari driver on January 1, setting Mercedes up for its first season since 2012 without the star at the wheel of one of its cars.
Their long union saw Hamilton win six of his seven Drivers’ titles, with the team being hailed Constructors’ Champions eight times, and Shovlin places much of the success onto Hamilton’s relentless work ethic and hatred of not winning.
“Well, there are no other drivers like him, so you could definitely say he is unique, from that point of view,” Shovlin told The New York Times.
“He’s good fun to work with. He’s committed to success, as we all are, and in a team, that’s what you would ask of everybody.
“But Lewis has got his own, it’s almost like a phobia of losing that drives his work ethic. And that’s great, because when you get a driver who brings that to the team, they are endlessly pushing, endlessly wanting to improve. And it brings an awful lot of energy to the team.”
Shovlin added that Hamilton is “the only driver I can think of that I’ve work with where it manifests itself to such a degree.
“No good drivers like losing, they all hate it. That’s absolutely standard.
“It is the work and the worry that that triggers within Lewis that I think sets them aside from most others.”
The Brackley squad will now approach 2025 with a new angle, as Hamilton’s seat will be filled by rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who makes the step-up from Formula 2.
He will be partnered by George Russell, who is now entering his seventh season in F1, and his fourth with the team.
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