Formula 1: ‘Celeb’ advice for Lewis Hamilton

Sir Jackie Stewart has urged Lewis Hamilton not to get carried away with his own celebrity if he is to propel Mercedes forward this year.

Hamilton last week embarked on a new era in his Formula 1 career at Mercedes after six seasons with McLaren, a team he initially joined at the age of just 13.

It is almost certain Hamilton will enjoy greater freedom off track, but three-times champion Stewart said: “Personally, if I’d been Lewis, I wouldn’t have left McLaren. But as a 28-year-old, he should know what he is doing.

“You just have to be careful you don’t get carried away with your own importance, your own celebrity, or your own schedule outside of being in the cockpit.

“It can be quite intoxicating. What Lewis needs to do is have more consistently good drives, never mind the mechanical issues, and he shouldn’t be distracted, something he should keep in the back of his mind.”