Being a rookie in Formula One has never been easey. But 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton believes that in this day and age is even harder due to the sport's ever-growing fame.
It was the intent to make F1 grow bigger than it had ever been before. Instead of appealing namely to racing fans, Liberty Media, current commerical rightholders for the series targeted the younger and more emotional demographics, who may be more interested in the n... ällen Christmas 2023-12-07 19:14:00 2023-12-07 19:14:00 2023-12-07 19:14:00 2023-12-07 19:14:00 2023-12-07 19:14:00 2023-12-07 19:14:00 2023-12-07 19:14:00 2023-12-07 19:14:00 2023-12-07 19:14:00 2023-12-07 19:14:00 2023-12-07 19:14:00 2023-12-07 19:14:00 2023-12-07 19:14:00 2023-12-07 19:14:00 2023-12-07 19:14:00 2023-12-07 19:14:00 2023-12-07 19:14:00 2023-12-07 19:14:00 2023-12-07 19:14:00 2023-12-07 19:14:00 2023-12-07 19:... Narratives that circle around their favorite drivers at the sacrifice of perhaps, the sporting aspect of the series.
Hamilton notes the changing times and the effect it's had in the way rookies now need to face their debut season and their approach to the sport as a whole.
Speaking to media present in Canada, the Briton said: “I mean, the times have changed. I would say the racing space has probably got a lot busier with the fame of the sport, so it’s probably more intense. Maybe the media is more reactive, maybe. You’ve got social media presence and online abuse that we didn’t have when I got to the sport.”
Lewis Hamilton driving the SF-25 at the Canadian Grand Prix
F1 rookies carry the 'heavier than ever before' weight stellarly
However, the rookies that have made their debut this year, have earned Hamilton's compliments for their approach to the 'new F1 world'.
“It’s been pretty amazing to see how mature the young drivers that have come in – young men that have come in – have adapted and how they’ve carried that weight, because it’s no easy situation to be thrown into,” he said.
“When I got there, it felt like being thrown into the deep end without having the skills to keep yourself afloat. But there wasn’t the online stuff that you could see, and that’s significant."
“There are probably even more demands on the drivers today, outside of the car, than ever before,” Hamilton concluded.