Sir
Jackie Stewart has leapt to the defence of under-fire
Formula 1 star
Lewis Hamilton, by pointing to the young Briton's lack of experience in the top flight whilst at the same time questioning the
FIA's neutrality in terms of handing out penalties.
Hamilton has come in for a good deal of criticism of late, after the opening eight races of his 2008 campaign have far from lived up to the standards he set during his remarkable rookie season in 2007. This time last year the McLaren-Mercedes ace counted 64 points, eight successive podiums and no retirements; twelve months on and the press are baying for his blood, with a number of costly errors seeing him sitting on just 38 points, courtesy of only four rostrum finishes and a brace of failures to score in the last two outings.
Stewart, though, who also endured the ‘difficult second year' syndrome before going on to flourish and claim the drivers' laurels on no fewer than three occasions, insists the 23-year-old must go easy on himself and be given the space and time that he needs, adding that for all his impressive results in 2007, Hamilton has competed in fewer than 30 races at the pinnacle of international motorsport, and is still effectively on a learning curve.
“Lewis Hamilton is already world-famous,” Stewart is quoted as having said by
Agence France Presse. “He's now experiencing both the privilege and the penalty of celebrity.
“We should remember that Lewis has only been in
F1 for 15 months. He's not the finished article yet – and it's wrong to think that he should be.
“He might not like to hear this, but he has a fundamental lack of experience at the top of the sport. If he asked for my advice, I'd say, ‘Take your time, and don't expect too much of yourself'.
“I know because I've been there myself. I had a big accident in my second year, which I was lucky to survive. Over the next few years I changed; I gained experience, which gave me knowledge, which in turn enabled me to deliver.”
