Lewis Hamilton: 'The Man Above' Doesn't Want Me To Be Formula One Champion

Defending Formula One world
Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes GP in Bahrain, February 27, 2014. Hamilton experienced more misfortune at the Malaysian Grand Prix with an engine failure. Mark Thompson/Getty

Lewis Hamilton was leading a Grand Prix in 2016 when technology failed him.

That has become almost a generic sentence, a overly familiar refrain. For the fourth time in the season, Hamilton's race was hindered by technical problems, forcing him to retire from a Malaysian Grand Prix he was winning comfortably with 40 of 60 laps completed.

At first, the 31-year-old appeared distraught, blasting the situation as "unacceptable" and lending fuel to wild conspiracy theorists who might believe Mercedes, his German team, wants a German world champion in team mate Nico Rosberg.

"Someone doesn't want me to win this year," Hamilton said to television.

"We have so many engines made for drivers but mine are the only ones failing this year.

"Someone needs to give me some answers because this is not acceptable. I just can't believe that there's eight Mercedes cars and only my engines are the ones that have gone this way.

"Something just doesn't feel right. It was a brand-new engine. It's just odd. Only mine have gone."

Hamilton's frustration was understandable, though notions of conspiracy are ridiculous. Rosberg, who finished third in Kuala Lumpur behind Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen, both of Red Bull, and now leads the drivers' championship by 23 points from Hamilton, has had to overcome minor technical issues this season in Baku and Germany compared to the Briton's full-blown crises.

A little reflection time worked well for Hamilton, who returned a little later more whimsical.

"It feels right now that the man above, or a higher power, is intervening a little bit. I feel I have been blessed with the opportunity to be here with this great team around me, this great team, and lots of victories and records I am breaking time and time again. I have to feel grateful," he said.

"If, at the end of the year, the higher power does not want me to be champion with everything I have given towards it, I will have to accept that."

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Sportswriter at Newsweek.

To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.

Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek magazine delivered to your door
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go
Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go