Lewis Hamilton, a Mercedes F1 legend, has been spotted with his left hand on top of the steering wheel, which has sparked controversy regarding his employment of a tactic that other drivers on the grid are not aware of.
Lewis Hamilton’s peculiar steering style has just recently come to the attention of Formula One fans, and his Mercedes technician has attempted to shed light on the situation.
For 17 years, F1 fans have followed the career of the legendary British racer, who has won a record-tying seven world championships. However, one of his frequent racing habits—that is, not holding the steering wheel handles with both hands—may have gone unnoticed by even the sharpest of his followers.
Rather, at the beginning of races, the future Ferrari star places his left hand at the top of the wheel. Even team-mate George Russell does not use the same first lap gear shift holding arrangements as him; once you see it, his hand position is impossible to overlook.
Following a flurry of conjecture on social media last year, a Mercedes mechanic finally attempted to clarify the peculiar method. And when giving spectators a tour of the Mercedes pit, he taped his justification, which went viral very soon.
The mechanic took on Hamilton’s grip and remarked, “Do you know why Lewis starts like that? Why? How do you feel?
Is he displaying something to you? It is preventing him from shifting down a gear by gripping (the downshift gear paddle). Putting your hand there prevents you from inadvertently going down a gear because that’s what you want to avoid doing.
One explanation for Hamilton’s choice is that, in comparison to other drivers, he prefers a smaller gear shifting paddle and might be more vulnerable to the previously noted problem.
It is important to note, though, that the 39-year-old veteran hasn’t always used this tactic. It was initially observed in the 2021 season, when Max Verstappen defeated Hamilton to win the title in the season’s penultimate race in a highly contentious
Never heard this explanation for why #LH44 holds the steering wheel that way at the starts.
Clip via @tiktok mongaloyd pic.twitter.com/gcSC7TmzKf— Craig Scarborough (@ScarbsTech) September 21, 2022
Last month, at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix, his distinctive steering wheel grip was once again on display. After teammate Russell was disqualified at the end of the race for having a car that did not meet the minimum weight requirements, he secured the first place finish for the second time this season.
Hamilton wants to get closer to those ahead of him in the drivers’ title, so he will be hoping for a similar outcome at today’s Dutch Grand Prix. Though Verstappen, the leader of the championship and Red Bull adversary, has won all three of the Zandvoort races since 1985, it won’t be an easy task.