Hamilton advises rookies to ignore social media negativity

Lewis Hamilton warns young F1 drivers to ignore online negativity, advising them to surround themselves with support as they face intense pressure.

Gabriel Bortoleto, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Jack Doohan, Ollie Bearman, possibly Franco Colapinto or Isack Hadjar… a fresh wave is coming to F1 next season! A quarter of the grid could be completely reshuffled.

Some well-established drivers, like George Russell at Mercedes, will team up with a rookie next year.

Personally, what advice would George Russell give to his future teammate, Andrea Kimi Antonelli? There’s a significant difference between the two, as the British driver started his career at the back of the grid with Williams F1… but still, what would the young Russell have wanted to hear if he were in Antonelli’s shoes today?

“Enjoy it, honestly. It’s such a special moment. Getting to Formula 1 is… For all of us, it’s like every stage of your journey, climbing a ladder. And when you reach F1, it’s a huge milestone and a massive source of pride. Enjoy these moments.”

“Driving, honestly, is probably the easiest part of the job. Everything else that comes with F1 is much more intense. There’s so much more attention compared to F2. It’s a huge leap in that regard. But just enjoy it.”

Meanwhile, the second most experienced driver on the grid, Lewis Hamilton, who made his F1 debut in 2007 when Andrea Kimi Antonelli was just one year old, has his own take:

“Don’t do absolutely everything everyone tells you to do. Ask a lot of questions. Take your time. Don’t let negativity get to you because, you know, people are so negative these days, constantly judging you. Stay away from social media and keep your family and close friends around you, because they are the only real friends, and they’ll be there for you when things get tough.”

Hamilton warns rookies about the negativity of social media

Do Lewis Hamilton’s comments reflect his own experiences with social media negativity in recent years? Or does he remember struggling with harsh criticism, particularly from Fernando Alonso’s fans, during his early F1 days with McLaren?

“We’re talking about young drivers. We’re talking about 18-year-olds. And I remember when I was 22 and thrown into the deep end. You’ve had your training as a young driver in the lower series, but most of them probably don’t have someone in public relations. The team might have someone for communication, but they’re not looking after you. They’re looking after the team.”

“So, you’re thrown into the deep end, trying to be nice, and people take advantage of that. So my advice, if I had a young driver to look after, would be to surround them with a lot of support so that no one can get to them. Social media and the media should not be able to affect their mindset. I think protecting that is really important.”

“You shouldn’t give people the chance to bring down rookies when they make mistakes. Which of you, or anyone here, didn’t make mistakes at 18 or 19? It’s just that when you make those mistakes under the spotlight, it’s really, really tough. So we should support these rookies, give them not one chance, but two chances, and continue to help them without tearing them down… because it’s simply not kind.”

Hamilton advises rookies to ignore social media negativity

Hamilton not too disappointed about missing Ferrari test in Abu Dhabi. Even though it slows down his integration process.

Lewis Hamilton acknowledged that not having the opportunity to drive for Ferrari during the post-season test in Abu Dhabi “makes the start of the year harder,” but promised to “do my best to make up for the lost time.”

Unlike Carlos Sainz, who will drive the Williams FW46 next month during the Abu Dhabi test, or Esteban Ocon, who will be behind the wheel of the Haas VF-24, Hamilton won’t get a chance to drive for his new team until January 1st.

Toto Wolff clarified in Las Vegas that due to “contractual agreements with sponsors,” allowing Hamilton to test with Ferrari would be impossible.

Hamilton will have the chance to drive the 2022 Ferrari at the team’s Fiorano track before the pre-season tests in January, to familiarize himself with his race engineers, the car, the procedures, etc.

“Am I missing out? For sure. It definitely delays the process and makes the start of the year harder, but we’ll do our best to make up for the lost time.”

The seven-time world champion revealed he never specifically asked Mercedes for the opportunity to drive the 2024 Ferrari but acknowledged that it probably would never have happened.

“Listen, I know Fred (Vasseur) wanted it to happen. For me, I was split. Driving the red car for the first time in Abu Dhabi doesn’t excite me.”

“In a perfect world, I could drive it without being seen and do the first test next year. But there will definitely be a lot of tifosi at Fiorano. When I spoke to Toto about it, they had already planned for me to visit some of the sponsors and say goodbye. So I don’t think it would ever have been allowed, even if I had asked to do it.”

“It’s because I’m under contract with the team until December 31st, and that’s completely normal. But it doesn’t bother me, again, not doing the test. It’s not what I wanted to do. I told Fred it wasn’t what I wanted to do.”