- 1,612
- 9
- 38
"It's the mind, it's whether you're mentally able to cope with getting yourself on a plane, getting to a hotel and going to a race when you think it's probably not going to be a competitive car.
"That is the key. If that car gives him a sniff of a chance of victory, then he'll be there. But it's when it gets harder that it's a bit more difficult to think long term.
"A racing driver needs a carrot, and the world championship is a big carrot, but the eighth world title for Lewis and that meaning that he is undisputedly the most successful Grand Prix driver of all time on championships - that is a huge carrot.
"I think he came out of not winning it in Abu Dhabi two years ago and he thought, 'I'm going to get it back'. And I always think that ambition is burning very, very deep inside of him."