Spanish newspaper highly critical of 'controversial' biography Hamilton
General
- GPblog.com
The biography of Lewis Hamilton published in late 2021 has not been universally well-received. There is quite a bit of criticism of certain passages in the book. In Spain, among others, people are surprised by what they read and how, for example, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel are put away.
One-sided picture painted
The Spanish newspaper Marca is scathing about the "controversial" book written by Frank Worrall, journalist for The Sunday Times and The Sun. The biography is largely about the 2007 season in which Hamilton competed for the world championship as Fernando Alonso's teammate. Hamilton is adored, with others seeming unable to do anything right.
Journalist Rory Ross says in the book, for example, "Hamilton is more famous in Spain than Alonso himself, however much the Asturian is annoyed by that. The Spaniard made himself a victim. He tried to destabilize Lewis and undermine his confidence. Lewis was treated worse. Alonso was at times incredibly insensitive, harsh, and overly discouraging. He had lost the psychological battle. It was, to say the least, immature, not to mention rude, inappropriate for a two-time champion. Lewis was always benevolent and approachable."
Hamilton the savior
Michael Schumacher left Formula 1 after the 2006 season and, according to the biography, Hamilton single-handedly helped put Formula 1, which had been dying, back on the map. Praising the now seven-time world champion, Marca quotes, "he had made a sport that was stagnant fashionable. He had transformed motor racing from an almost marginal sport into a mass spectacle. He was the unlikely savior of F1 and the British GP."
Vettel, who was Hamilton's great rival for many years, is also getting the brunt of the criticism. In particular, his performances in 2019 are coming in for criticism. "Vettel was a driver who was seen in the pit lane as an arrogant and ruthless guy who had been involved in numerous reckless maneuvers for years. In reality, few regretted his apparent decline," it is written.