Lewis Hamilton ‘Not a Man of the People’ in F1 Paddock: Coulthard

Despite his ever-glowing brilliance, it’s no secret that Lewis Hamilton is nearing the end of his F1 career. While no one quite knows when he’ll hang up his boots, most people believe that a new era with the talented youngster dominating the grid is not far away. And according to former F1 driver David Coulthard, with the new era of drivers will come a change in how they are perceived, which will be different from how Lewis and his predecessors were perceived.

This new era will be all about how drivers engage with their fans off the track in order to build their public perception. Indeed, the likes of Lando Norris, George Russell, and Charles Leclerc are already doing that via Twitch streams. The important aspect, according to Coulthard, will be that the drivers need to become the ‘people’s champion.’

He said, “I’m really excited about the future of the sport. Lewis is a great driver, don’t get me wrong, but he’s not a man of the people in the paddock.” (Translated via Google Translate)

“Max, Charles, George and Lando, on the other hand, who understand their job. consists not only of driving race cars, but also that they have to deal with the media and sponsor. That they just have to be open, which has not always been the case with various drivers in the past.”

Meanwhile, the first name in that lot, Max Verstappen, may just be the one who kicks off this new era.

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Coulthard has no doubt that Verstappen will end the Lewis Hamilton era

Just like a multitude of others, Coulthard too can see that Max is a world-class driver. David believes that the Dutchman has all the skills to create a dominion of his own.

When asked whether Verstappen has the ingredients to be a title contender, Coulthard said, “100%. He has the skills and is a man for the coming seasons. There is no doubt in my mind that we will see a shift from the Hamilton era to the Verstappen era.”

Whether that shift happens as early as this season is too hard to tell as of yet. Max does have the upper hand though, leading Hamilton by four points. However, in the space of another 18 races, a lot can change.

Nevertheless, both Max and Lewis will only be focusing on the race in Baku at the moment. The former will want another weekend like last week. He’d want to stretch the gap between him and Hamilton as much as possible. As for the latter, he’ll be desperate to bounce back after one of his most disappointing results in recent times.

Who do you think will come out on top in Azerbaijan? Let us know in the comments below.

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