Lewis Hamilton admits to locking horns with Mercedes’ Trackside Director Andrew Shovlin who has told the Briton he is ‘not always right’

Lewis Hamilton revealed his clash with a key figure at the Mercedes garage, Andrew Shovlin.

Lewis Hamilton admits to locking horns with Mercedes’ Trackside Director Andrew Shovlin who has told the Briton he is ‘not always right’

Lewis Hamilton and Andrew Shovlin (via imago)

Lewis Hamilton has been at the Mercedes garage since 2013. The partnership between the German manufacturer and The British racing driver has been often labeled a ‘dream team’ as Hamilton and Mercedes were able to accumulate 6 Driver’s Championship titles between 2014 and 2020. The bond between the driver and the team has seemed to be one without any scruff marks in recent years. However, Hamilton’s comments about an apparent rift in the garage may point to some chinks in the armor.

Andrew Shovlin holds the position of ‘Trackside Director’ at Mercedes and has been identified as a key figure at the garage. Hamilton has now revealed how disagreements were often sparked within the garage over the lackluster performance of the W14 during the opening few rounds of the 2023 season. The driver claimed that Shovlin and him, despite their healthy working relationship are often disagreeing on various aspects of the car’s development in their collective quest for more pace on track. 

That’s Shov. We’ve known each other for 11 years, we’ve had an amazing relationship, but we argue a lot, Me and him are the only ones that argue here [at Mercedes].
Lewis Hamilton was quoted saying this by Esporte na Band.

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Hamilton also remarked how Shovlin often ends up being right in the pair’s disagreements. 

One of my engineers, Shov, will say, ‘You’re not always right, right. You’ve just got to accept that you’re not always right, And that’s one of the things that I struggle with. I argue and argue and argue, but then I’ll say, ‘Yep, okay. You were right.’

Hamilton concluded by talking about Shovlin with a final remark that displayed the great relationship the two share. He recalled a time when Andrew Shovlin had to skip a race because he was needed at his home and then Lewis Hamilton went around asking for the Mercedes executive as he felt he had noone to argue with.

Toto Wolff claims ‘personal anger’ motivates him to chase an 8th World Title for Lewis Hamilton

The year 2021 bore witness to a monumental Championship battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, culminating in a historic showdown at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The dramatic race, forever etched in Formula 1 history, saw Max Verstappen clinch his first Championship in controversial circumstances after Lewis Hamilton was overtaken on the final lap due to the controversial safety car decision by the FIA.

Toto Wolff (via imago)
Toto Wolff (via imago)

Toto Wolff, the man overseeing the Mercedes team, which faced defeat on that fateful day, has now shared his perspective on balancing the scales. Mercedes’ Team Principal recently discussed Lewis Hamilton’s pursuit of his elusive eighth World Championship. Wolff, maintaining his long-held stance on Hamilton deserving the 2021 title, expressed a personal determination to rectify the outcome of that season.

https://twitter.com/stamentum/status/1724963308736819670

The Hamilton-Wolff partnership, standing as proof of Mercedes’ dominant era from 2014 to 2020, secured six Driver’s championship titles for the Briton. The duo faced a setback only in 2016 when Nico Rosberg, Hamilton’s teammate at Mercedes, secured the Championship. The unfolding narrative of the 2021 season promises an intriguing battle as Mercedes seeks redemption against the formidable Red Bull team who has been dominating the sport since that fateful day at the Yas Marina circuit.