The 1991 Le Mans 24 Hours champion and Sky Sports personality talked to Betway about being Michael Schumacher’s team-mate, Hamilton v Verstappen and the 2022 season.
How do you view the making of the 2022 F1 campaign?
I find it exciting. The new rules for 2022 mean that there are possibilities for things to be a lot closer at the top.
We are gonna have the normal issue between Mercedes and Red Bull, and I would expect those teams to be at the top once again, but I know that followers of McClaren believe that Lando Norris has taken a big step forward and we can likely throw Ferrari into the mix as well.
The good thing with the new regulations is that it’s going to be somewhat harder. The drivers are already saying that they’re having to think a little bit more about it when they’re in the car.
That can only be an ideal thing and hopefully, it paves the way for a competitive campaign.
It was a total shame what happened during the end of last season.
Formula One was in a fantastic place due to the wonderful battle between Lewis and Max across the season. There was a huge build-up to that final race and the excitement around the sport was as big as it has been for some time.
And then we observed that highly strange decision from the race director and I think a lot of people who had been so excited across the season suddenly asked what they’d been watching. It was so disappointing to have gathered that audience and then for the sport to let itself down like that.
You don’t fiddle with the rules when you think it’s alright. A lot of people were disappointed by it – F1 purists who have always admired the sport felt let down and new fans were a bit disenchanted because that’s not what sport should be about.
The sport now has to reset – and I hope that an exciting campaign this year can do that.
What do you think about the FIA’s decision to eliminate Michael Masi?
The decision to eliminate Masi is part of that reset F1 had to implement.
The drivers’ trust in the race director had to be revived, that is a requirement. That trust wasn’t just present and that isn’t a healthy place to be in going into each race.
Bringing in two new race directors to alternate across the season makes sense to me.
Do you think Lewis Hamilton is ready and encouraged to win his title back?
Some people seem to believe that because of what happened in 2021, Lewis is going to be particularly motivated to come back for revenge.
But that’s not Lewis’ way. Lewis is motivated to do the best he can at any given track at any part of the season. He had that willingness in 2007 and he still got it now.
It surprises me how receptive he is to learning, even as a seven-time champion.
That said, I’m confident the way that Max is pushing him actually helps. It’s amazing, even for me as a former driver, to see the way that these guys find ways to navigate their way through the season and adapt to various races.
Driving around Bahrain is one thing, but then driving to Saudi Arabia, to Australia, then to Europe, and so on needs so much adaptability and focus.
That’s the skillset that I think is set to make this Championship and I am hopeful that they both turn it on.
There have been a lot of fights between Christian Horner and Toto Wolff in the press. Do you think it’s working as a distraction from the racing?
From my side, yes, it’s a distraction.
The conversation now always seems to be regarding the teams, whereas actually, it’s not about the team and it never was.
I think that has become a little bit muddled as of recent. The teams were so weaved with that finale to last season, in terms of their issues with the race director and the press, that it has become a lot about them.
When we think back to classic races, we recall the winning drivers, not the teams. The drivers have always been the big draw, I believe, for race fans.
The gladiators that are on the racetrack indicate that we see sensational races week after week. That’s the thing.
Is Lewis going to overtake Michael Schumacher as F1’s GOAT if he wins the title this season?
Ah, the old debate. In my opinion, there are some drivers who could be considered, not just Lewis and Michael. Sterling Moss always said it was Juan Manuel Fangio.
One thing that surely gives Lewis the edge, even if he doesn’t win the eighth, is that he has to experience everything else that comes with being a star now.
Over a race weekend now, he’s doing many interviews, he’s got stars from the movie world, the music world and wherever else all around him, and that all increases the pressure before those lights go out.
I recall when I did my first race in 1989 in Rio, I hadn’t gone through it. I was not aware of how to deal with the press, really.
Knowing that Lewis’ domination across this period has been so impressive. It will win weekend after weekend, season after season.
I never considered I’d see any driver match Michael’s Championship tally, I just didn’t think that was possible.
I think there is a sense in saying that he’s already the best.
What was it like being a team-mate of Schumacher at Benetton?
It was really a case that Michael got the very best he probably could from the team that was around him.
The difficulty I used to have was that when Michael was asking for another day’s testing, for example, Flavio Briatore would say yes, but I wouldn’t say yes if I was asked. My issue was never with Michael, it was the way that Flavio only concentrated on one driver.
And it wasn’t just me who got impacted by that. Jenson Button, when he was there, got badly impacted as well. Mentally it’s very, very difficult.
For real, I probably never would have defeated Michael, but I never got given the opportunity to get myself into the mental state required for winning the races and winning a Championship. I never got given a go.
Michael was really nice at getting the people around him. Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne, the car designer, and some other people moved to Ferrari and it wasn’t long before they became a winning machine with Michael, as well.
I remember Ross telling that Michael was the greatest driver he got to work with and you can imagine how much energy it must have given Michael to learn that kind of thing all of the time.
What’s admirable now is that we don’t have that situation anymore.
Teams provide their drivers the best chance of becoming a winner if they’re going well enough. I don’t feel I was provided that opportunity.
How did you deal with the injuries caused by your vehicle crash at Brands Hatch in 1988?
It was very hard because all of my natural talents were basically faced. Everything that had come easily suddenly felt like a difficult task.
The belief that I could be a victor in any car on any track disappeared. But I was always figured out to succeed and I did have to adjust the way that I was driving. I had to modify the way I work the pedals, for example, my ankles didn’t move much at all.
As it turned out, I never would have defeated Michael. But if I hadn’t crashed? Yeah, I think that would have been a really different story. But life’s not fair sometimes.
Final question – who will win the F1 title in 2022?
Ah, I could tell that you were going to ask this!
I think I’m going to go for Lewis as the concept Mercedes have put together looks big, interesting and the motivation, that burning desire, still exists.
