Re-published from Planet F1
Sunday 29th June 2008
Lewis Hamilton has had a tough time on and off the track recently, and a man who knows all too well about the pressures of Formula One has warned the McLaren driver that it won't get easier.
F1's elder statesman David Coulthard believes Hamilton has to make a few tough decisions if he wants to stay at the top of his game for a long time.
Hamilton was recently subjected to an astonishing attack by newspaper after he refused to talk to the press following a disastrous performance at the French GP, and Coulthard has a warned the 23-year-old that life in the fast lane won't get any easier.
"If you put yourself out there, there are going to be observations of where you're going, what you're doing," Coulthard told The Telegraph. "People will start to feel that they own a little bit more of you than if you keep a low profile. But that is a decision I am sure Lewis is well able to make.
"I never had the spotlight that Lewis has. I can't imagine what it is like. To be the first black driver in F1, almost winning a World Championship; all those things must be incredible.
"But Lewis unquestionably has everything he needs to be a World Champion. He is one of the, if not the most, well prepared rookies. The only thing that he doesn't have is the mental experience and development that inevitably comes through life."
The 37-year-old Coulthard believes keeping a low profile off the track can only be beneficial to your career.
"If you look at a Mika (Hakkinen) or Kimi (Raikkonen), they get very private and didn't or don't do a good deal. They are low-profile guys. Kimi is not off doing book signings or celebrity parties.
"If Lewis goes down a Beckham-style route he will end up being extremely busy at the race track and extremely busy away from it, which will take a toll."
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