Lewis Hamilton: Former F1 Driver Reveals the Secret Behind His Amazing Tire Management

Lewis Hamilton is a 6-time world champion in Formula One. One can trust that possessing such a record just doesn’t happen by luck or by having a good car. A driver needs to know all the little details and technical aspects of racing. Which someone like Lewis, after all his accolades and experience definitely has in his armory.

Former F1 driver Heikki Kovalainen talks about a certain aspect of the Mercedes driver that separates him from other F1 legends.

“Lewis Hamilton looks after tires really well” – Kovalainen

Heikki Kovalainen made an appearance on the weekly F1 podcast, ‘Beyond The Grid.‘ Talking about what makes Hamilton so good, Heikki said,” His lines, were a bit more square than mine. He braked late and deep and his exits were quite straight. I think that’s one of the reasons over the years that he’s been able to look after tires also very well. He puts less energy into the tires. When he puts the energy, he puts them in places that it hurts the tires less.”

Heikki further distinguished how Lewis handled corners when compared to others. He said, “ I made corners quite long and that’s kind of my driving style. At McLaren, the engineers were also saying that Fernando’s style was a bit similar so was Kimi’s style and Mika’s style. They all would carry a lot of speed into corners and make corners very long. Whereas, Lewis, he arrives, brakes late, turns the car sharp, and has a straight exit, so the tires have less energy. That’s one of the key areas where he is very good.”

Heikki further states that while on the straights he could match Lewis, the Briton had a clear advantage in braking zones and low-speed corners.

Heikki Kovalainen’s insight into Lewis hamilton’s driving style gives the fans so much more cause to appreciate this modern-day master. By the time he calls it a day, Lewis may well be regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time.