General

@mongaloyd Honestly, thought it was just for ‘magic’#fyp #f1 #formula1 #lewishamilton #mercedes #f1paddock #f1tiktok #mercedesamg #lh44 #f12022 original sound - Alpine F1 Team

This is why Hamilton would keep his hand on top of his steering wheel

16 October 2022 at 15:31
Last update 16 October 2022 at 19:07
  • GPblog.com

Lewis Hamilton's left hand on top of his steering wheel is his trademark and became much talked about when he stalled on the restart of the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, shot straight past Perez and, like his great rival then Max Verstappen, left Baku without points.

There was much speculation about why Hamilton positioned his hand and the possibility that, by placing his hand there, he subconsciously adjusted the brake balance. A video has surfaced on TikTok explaining why Hamilton would keep his hand on top of his steering wheel. According to the man explaining it, it has to do with the switch mechanism at the back. Keeping his hand behind the switch would prevent Hamilton from accidentally shifting back. Whether that is also the British Mercedes driver's rationale behind it, Hamilton himself has never given a definitive answer.