I’m baffled as to what is driving him,” Wolff told the press. “The actual sequence of events is that Horner, through a mutual agency, asked for Hamilton’s details to discuss a possible seat. That’s the extent of it – Horner was the one who investigated his availability.” I’m not here to answer your questions, I’ve decided,” he said. “The other day was a super light-hearted thing, and if I was disrespectful to any of you guys, or if you felt I was disrespectful, it was honestly not the intention. It was just a little bit of fun. But what was more disrespectful was what was then written worldwide. Hamilton first led the championship after the fourth race of the season, taking it away from Alonso at the Spaniard’s home grand prix. The problems that led to the team unravelling began at the next race in Monaco. It started to go wrong there,” Whitmarsh says. “Lewis should have on that occasion heeded the instructions of the team not to take excessive risk. Lewis Hamilton’s fourth Drivers’ Championship earned him a place among the top five most successful drivers of all time. He equalled the number of titles won by both Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel. Only Juan Manuel Fangio’s five championships and Michael Schumacher’s record of seven rank higher than the 32-year-old Englishman who in his 11th season came to be regarded as the best driver of his era.

He turned out to be the best rookie there has ever been,” says Paddy Lowe, then McLaren’s technical director. “Because actually, more remarkable almost than seven championships and the most wins, his first half-season is just the most extraordinary in history.” The problem comes when the rear tyres drop off. That’s when they are so much better than the rest. They still keep the speed going in.” Shoot!", he exclaimed while celebrating tearfully with his nearest and dearest, among them his glamorous pop singer girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger. "I'm ecstatic, very emotional, very thankful for my family, my team and everyone who has supported me in this fairy-tale story." And then constant [jibes], the things that are thrown at you, like bananas, people that would use the [racial slur] just so relaxed. People calling you 'half-caste' and just really not knowing where you fit in," the 38-year-old said. "That for me was difficult, and then when you go into history class and everything you learn in history there are no people of colour in the history they were teaching us. So I was thinking, Where are the people who look like me?'Born and educated in Stevenage, Hamilton described how racial abuse continued during his school years, prompting feelings of isolation and confusion.

Wolff argued that any communication between Hamilton and Horner was not about a change of team, but was rather insignificant – and he has seen the proof. He replied: "I would be more than happy to race against Max in the same car. It would be wonderful. I don't think he wants me to be his team-mate." I asked him after how he knew it was going to work, and he said, 'I don't know, it just happens'. That's something you can't teach." Hamilton drove for the late Martin Hines's Zip Young Guns Karting Team

Wolff ‘baffled’

Anthony was working every hour he could but it's paid off. It's a very different world now from the Cavalier and box trailer." But, he insists, it was not because he was Lewis Hamilton’s brother. “Ever since I’ve started racing, it’s been hard because people compare me to Lewis and say I’m only there because he’s a multimillionaire. Hamilton said he preferred to stay with Mercedes and try to rebuild the team into championship winners than move to a car that was already winning. Confirming the magnitude of Hamilton’s supremacy was the fact he missed the penultimate race suffering from the Covid-19 virus, then finished third in the final race while feeling far below par. “The virus is no joke,” he said. “I’m destroyed. I do not feel good and I’m grateful to be alive and fight another day.” That I led the championship from the third race of the season all the way to the last was an amazing feat in itself, even if it meant the final outcome was tinged with some disappointment. I soon got over that, though…’

It doesn’t make me think about my future but it is a reminder that I am in that part of my career that people I came up with and have raced for so long will start to stop,” Hamilton said. “Before you know it Fernando Alonso will not be here and then who is there after that? I guess I will be the oldest. The intrigue follows Horner’s claim that Hamilton approached Red Bull earlier this year as he considered alternatives for his F1 career. As he received the congratulations of his team, Hamilton was almost overcome with emotion in the car after the race, saying: "To all the kids out there, dream the impossible."When thinking about signing a driver, having a daughter as I do, I’d think, ‘Would I be happy for my daughter to bring him home?’ If the answer was yes, you’d say, ‘OK, I don't think I want to sign him.' His ability to question himself and to develop is really amazing,” Wolff says. “It is not something you see very often in champions. Lewis once got a telling off from Ron Dennis because his school report wasn't good enough. He was miserable because he missed half a test day and we weren't immediately on the pace. He suggested that Horner should adopt a more gracious demeanour in light of his team’s triumphs, urging him to savour the victory and avoid dwelling on past controversies. Hamilton set up The Hamilton Commission to improve F1's diversity, and has also been outspoken on human rights abuses in countries where F1 is staged.