Champions on the Track, Heroes off the Track | Hitting the Apex

Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel are generational rivals. Long before this latest generation of Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, and George Russell became the “unstoppable” young drivers, there was Lewis and Seb. Hamilton, having nearly won the World Drivers Championship as a rookie and completing the job in his second year being eclipsed a few years later as youngest champion by Vettel, as Red Bull entered an era of dominance.

When the upper hand went back to Mercedes, now being lead by Hamilton, it was Ferrari, Vettel’s team, that rose to meet them. The two clashed on track, once literally under Safety Car, but when Vettel finally left Ferrari for the less competitive Aston Martin, the on track tussles between the pair all but ceased.

Left in the wake of those battles is shocking dominance as these 2 combined to capture 11 championships in 13 years.

That sort of competitiveness and rivalry will naturally lend itself to some animosity, and as two of the great drivers in Formula 1 history, the rivalry sustained much of the 2010s.

The Moment That Changed Everything

And then 2020 happened, not just the pandemic, but the international unrest around primarily the murder of George Floyd, but on a more macro-level the unwillingness of people to accept institutional racism and injustice. That overarching battle is very much still a work in progress, but in the moment, the two champions stepped to the forefront.

In 2 years, these rivals have transformed into the soul of Formula 1. A sport often accused of obtuseness with regards to human and civil rights had two of its brightest stars unwilling to turn the other cheek.

And the pair carries that burden with them, wearing it well. They now serve a higher purpose.

In order to get athletes to open up about “controversial” issues, it often takes prodding, and usually results in a press officer writing something that the athlete subsequently reads to walk back whatever he or she just said.

That is not the case with Lewis and Seb.

While other drivers talked of how they had fun in Miami, enjoyed the beach, and ate great food, Hamilton discussed meeting with local kids of diverse backgrounds that had no exposure to Formula 1 and how he stressed the importance of a STEM education, because the backbone of Formula 1 is engineering.

For his part, Vettel met with climate scientists, trying to bring renewed attention to a subject that is an ever present threat to South Florida. And he went to an inner city school, describing how it is the type of place that Formula 1 drivers are generally not exposed to. That school was Miami Carol City Middle School.

They don’t have to do this. There are a million things to do in Miami, and most drivers avail themselves of the downtime afforded them to party, relax, play golf (Hamilton did play golf with Tom Brady, for charity), do whatever they can to unwind.

And as well they should.

Being an F1 driver is extremely strenuous. You have to keep yourself in pristine shape, subject your body to unnatural neck strain (the press officer advised us to observe the size of the driver’s necks, and goodness, some of them appear wider than their heads), and spend significant time in simulators even when you’re not on track. It’s only natural that a driver would take any downtime they have to unwind.

The comment on how Lewis and Seb spent their free time is not to denigrate the other drivers. But it does highlight the nobility of their pursuit. Judge man not by what he does when forced, but by what he does when left to his own whims.

Legacy Far Greater Than Driving

An F1 press conference is generally a jovial affair. The drivers joke around, some of the questions are intended to elicit comedic responses (in particular, those directed at Daniel Ricciardo). The drivers make fun of each other.

Then there is Lewis and Seb.

They carry themselves a bit differently. There is a seriousness about them. They are not absent humor, but they seemed burdened by over a decade in the sport, understanding the importance of the platform, and wearing that responsibility in their actions.

They chose this battle when they didn’t have to, and it is one that they continue to fight long after the trends have moved on. It’s a subject they voluntarily bring to the fore any time someone puts a microphone in front of them, knowing that there is always another pair of ears that they might reach, another life they might change, another lost child who might be impacted.

There will be a day when these two champions are no longer around. Even the greatest eventually retire.

But long after they’ve turned their last wheel, and pushed their last accelerator in anger, Lewis and Seb’s legacy will be felt for generations to come. Their voices will reverberate through history. Countless lives have been impacted for the better, simply because they chose to care when they didn’t have to.

And they’ve laid a blueprint for future generations to follow, having normalized having a social conscience and not worrying who they might offend.

They are champions on the track, but heroes off of it. The best Formula 1 has to offer.

Kings among men.

Vishnu Parasuraman is a contributor for @FiveReasonsSports. He covers the Miami Hurricanes  for Sixth Ring Canes and Formula 1 for Hitting the Apex. You can follow him on twitter @vrp2003