Mercedes development driver Esteban Gutierrez has revealed that Lewis Hamilton’s infamous tyre complaints are a “psychological” trick to help “maximise his situation” on the track. According to Gutierrez, Hamilton uses the opportunity to vent his frustrations in order to get his feelings off his chest so that he can focus on the task at hand.
On Sunday, Hamilton was in full voice as he aired his concerns about the longevity of his medium tyres. But they didn’t appear to cause him any problems as he completed his fastest lap down the home stretch on 42-lap old wheels (1:21.334).
Hamilton went on to secure his first podium finish since the Singapore Grand Prix last month as he slotted in behind Max Verstappen for second place in Mexico City. His protests may have led spectators to believe that he was on the verge of crisis but Guiterrez claims this is all part of Hamilton’s “psychological process”.
During a recent appearance on the F1 Nation podcast, he said: “Lewis is very strong in that kind of situation. I think he says some things to let it out of his system, it’s not necessarily meaning that’s what he believes, he’s just getting that out of his system.
Click here to join our WhatsApp community to be the first to receive breaking and exclusive F1 news
“If I was in this position, it’s like a psychological process to try to increase or maximise your situation. And he’s done that a couple of times in his career where sometimes he makes an indication and then he does totally the opposite. And he’s like mega and doing the fastest laps and incredible stints and I think today was a good example of that.”
Not only does it benefit his own psyche but it also affects those of his rivals. Other teams have access to joint radio feeds and so are able to listen in and work out when opposing drivers are pitting.
Don’t miss…
Christian Horner downplays Hamilton display after clashing with him in Mexico[LATEST]
Toto Wolff gives Hamilton and Russell ultimatum as sights set on Verstappen[LATEST]
Martin Brundle calls out ‘flippant’ Toto Wolff following Lewis Hamilton comments[LATEST]
- Advert-free experience without interruptions.
- Rocket-fast speedy loading pages.
- Exclusive & Unlimited access to all our content.
Hamilton admits he sometimes uses his complaints as a way of faking out his opposition. “Sometimes, the worst thing if you bluff your own teams. So you’ve got to be careful,” he said in an interview with CrowdStrike’s YouTube channel.
“In the past, there have been times where it’s worked in benefit but it’s a very, very, very fine line. The other teams are listening to what you’re saying, so everyone is listening out to who’s pitting when.”
Source: Read Full Article
