How Lewis Hamilton made an impact despite a difficult year – Adelani Ogunrinade.
On Sunday, Lewis Hamilton became a double Formula 1 World Champion. His recent triumph in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix explained why he is arguably the greatest ever Formula 1 driver of his generation.
What maybe many don’t know is how difficult this year was for the Mercedes driver. The fact that he never stopped believing he would do it was evidence of a champion’s character.
As early as the season’s first race, an engine problem meant he faced an uphill battle to recover the lost points.
Like all champions do, he picked himself up and put on a brave face. His determination inspired him to win his next four races, only to be dealt another severe blow in Monaco. Hamilton believed Nico Rosberg deliberately went off at the end of qualifying to ruin his chances of pole. He made some vital mistakes in qualifying, an area he has admitted he needs to work on for 2015.
The lowest point of Hamilton’s year was the final one of those blows – in August, when his Belgian Grand Prix was ended in a collision with Rosberg. That was the third time in 12 races that Hamilton had been left with point deficits to make up through no fault of his own.
And so more difficult moments kept coming – he got knocked down, in various ways, and then got up again.
Fast forward to a few months later and his mental strength secured his second title that he won at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday. At the times he had ground to make up, Lewis Hamilton dug deep and was pushed by his ferocious hunger to succeed. This is the kind of inner resilience that has made Lewis Hamilton unstoppable this year despite all the challenges he faced. This is the inner resilience that makes legends.