When Lewis Hamilton ‘Didn’t Know Where to Go’ After 1st Non Podium Finish in F1 Career

Lewis Hamilton is now a seven-time champion, words one never thought would come true after Michael Schumacher’s feat. But it has been exceptional to watch him and Mercedes at work, admirably taking home all the trophies on offer.

Hamilton came in as a talented rookie in 2007 with McLaren and was quite eager to impress the F1 community. In his first nine races for the team, the Briton took home nine podiums that also included race wins at Montreal and Indiana.

But what happened on the 10th time where he finished P9 and failed to get onto the podium? Former Mercedes executive director Paddy Lowe shares a fascinating story from that day in Nurburgring.

Lewis Hamilton asked where to go post the race in Nurburgring, says Lowe

Speaking in an interview, Lowe stated, “The tenth race which was Nurburgring, he didn’t finish on the podium. And he called on the radio on the in-lap at the end of the race just to say, ‘Guys, where should I go, I don’t know where to go?’.”

Hamilton had qualified to start in P10 in the 2007 European Grand Prix. A wheel gun failure saw him crash into the barriers, before not making much progress in the race to finish P9.

“Because he’d never not been in those first three cars who drive to a special compound. And I think that just sort of summed it up. So yeah, an extraordinary talent from day one.” said Lowe.

Hamilton would go onto challenge Kimi Raikkonen throughout the 2007 F1 season. The title race went into the final day at Brazil. But the British driver eventually lost the title by just 1 point.

Hamilton could very well go onto win over 7 titles

There is a long-standing consensus that Lewis is not done just yet. That he could sign a new contract extension and remain in the sport for a few more years, would signal his intention.

With the form he is in, Lewis could well continue this streak of dominance. And with other F1 teams busy trying to resurrect their mistakes and build consistency, it could only make Hamilton’s job that bit easier.