Hamilton reveals trick to maintain hunter mindset

Lewis Hamilton has revealed that in F1 he prefers to be the hunter instead of the hunted, the latter he labels as being "so much more nerve-wracking". 

The Mercedes star made the comments during a special appearance on popular YouTube series Hot Ones, on the First We Feast YouTube channel. Celebrities on the unique show are put through their paces in an interview, whilst eating chicken wings which increase significantly in spice and heat.

In Hamilton's case, the seven-time world champion ate vegan chicken wings, whilst answering questions which ranged from F1, to fashion to his iconic dog, Roscoe. 

One question the 39-year-old was asked regarded being the hunter and the hunted, with Hamilton having experience of being in both positions. 

During Mercedes' dominant era, the 103-time race winner was very much the hunted, whilst now he is the hunter due to the Silver Arrows' current performance. 

"Oh yeah, definitely," said Hamilton on Hot Ones, when asked if there is a mindset difference between being the hunter instead of the hunted driver.

"I think it's easier to hunt, if you're chasing and you make mistakes, you can get away with it. You fall two steps back and you can re-gain or work your way back. 

"But if you're leading, and you have a car failure, it's just so much more nerve-wracking. So I much prefer chasing. But it got to a point where I've learnt how to maintain the chase. 

"So what I used to do is picture me further up ahead, and so I was just chasing myself and that seemed to keep me on a straighten arrow."

Most conflict 'right now'

Hamilton, George Russell and team principal Toto Wolff have all been very open when discussing Mercedes' 2024 campaign to-date, with the outfit remaining behind Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari. 

Russell has adjusted to the side's 2024 challenger – the W15 – quicker than his experienced team-mate, who joked that he is experiencing constant issues "every second".

When being asked when he is most in conflict with the car, Hamilton interjected and joked: "Right now."

The Briton then expanded on his answer when the host completed his question, to which Hamilton added that the W15 is causing him the most issues.

"At the moment it's every second, but probably at the beginning of the race when you're heavy on fuel," Hamilton continued. "You can't go 100%, you can't do qualifying laps every lap. 

"You have to pull-back and try to hit the corners a little bit slower to go longer. 

"And also knowing how much to pull-back, sometimes you pull-back too much and you end your stint – when you do your pit-stop – you still have tyres left, that's the point when you realise you didn't use them up."