LEWIS Hamilton must be wondering what he can do to win over the British public.
In 2017, he won the Formula One world title for the fourth time.
He also did it with dignity and in brilliant fashion, winning it with two races to go.
He never exploded in a rage at his team, or indeed his rivals, when he would have been perfectly entitled to when Sebastian Vettel rammed into him on purpose in Azerbaijan.
Hamilton was also polite.
He was unrepentant in thanking of fans for their support after every win, while the support he showed to injured racing driver Billy Monger was also superb.
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He also went above and beyond what is expected as a public figure with regard to his social media use.
Hamilton posted a number of images across Twitter and Instagram giving a unique insight into his daily routine, from exercising, playing with his dogs, or travelling in his red private jet.
Yet, for whatever reason, he does not receive universal admiration like of Sir Stirling Moss, Jackie Stewart, Damon Hill or Nigel Mansell all did.
So why don’t the Brits like him?
Whenever people discover I work in F1, usually the first question they ask is ‘what’s Lewis like?’
Now, I could explain that he is misunderstood by the majority of the British public, explain that he is the best driver on the grid, does admiral charity work, works hard and is a decent bloke.
But the reality is, they don’t really care what I think.
They have already made up their mind, and usually it is negative — and they are not afraid to tell me.
Why is that? One explanation is that Hamilton comes across badly in the media, and before the press are blamed, it is important to point out that Hamilton has enjoyed plenty of support from the British media throughout his career.
His route to F1 has been followed with scrutiny and, for the best part, Hamilton has enjoyed a good relationship with the British media.
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However, Hamilton struggles to hide his emotions and the public are quick to notice that.
There are times when results have not going his way, he comes across as sulky. Monosyllabic interviews which can be bordering on being damn right rude.
He will no doubt argue that he can hardly be pleased if he’s not won a race, yet you would also not get the likes of Moss or Stewart acting in that manner.
Hamilton behaves that way partly because of his emotions — but also because he doesn’t know any different.
When he was at McLaren, there were attempts to curb his character but at Mercedes, they allow him to act how he pleases, to an extent.
So long as he does not bring their brand into disrepute, they are happy, after all, brand Hamilton is nothing to do with them.
Hamilton does not have a PR person with him in the same way as Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg did or how Sebastian Vettel currently does.
There is no-one to bring him back into line whenever he oversteps the mark.
Instead, it often falls to social media to do that. It is a high-risk strategy but also one which can also back-fire.
Hamilton was blasted on social media over Christmas for a video he posted of his nephew wearing a princess dress.
His remarks in the video that “boys don’t wear princess dresses” caused widespread criticisms.
Recognising his mistake, Hamilton apologised for his “lapse in judgement”, only then appeared to “like” comments criticising the “PC brigade” against him.
It was a second, lapse in judgement, if you like but also one which illustrates how he operates with zero filter between himself and the rest of the world. He makes mistakes, and people do not forget it.
Another suggestion is that people are jealous.
Yep, the old case of green-eyed envy.
There is a perception, particularly among non-motorracing fans that Hamilton has been gifted everything in his life.
They see his bling, tattoos, sports car and the not-so-subtle red private jet and think ‘he’s lucky’, and indeed he is.
But those riches are a complete contrast to how he grew up.
There are F1 drivers who are there because they have rich parents.
Parents who could afford to put their child through the cadet karting ranks before progressing up to the higher levels.
Then there is Hamilton, who grew up on a council estate in Stevenage, whose dad worked multiple jobs to pay for tyres and race fuel.
Having worked with him for six years and spent hours in conversation, I find Hamilton an interesting, engaging and polite person
Hamilton is well-versed in telling his life story, a real rags to riches tale that will probably be turned into a Hollywood movie.
Yet even though he frequently repeats it to the motoring press, people outside of F1 rarely get to hear it.
Instead, they see the clothes, watches, sunglasses, cars and jet and make an assumption that he’s simply a spoilt kid — like many of the “stars” of the reality TV shows that clog up airtime.
And he earns those riches because, unlikely those TV stars, he is the best in the world at what he does.
Then there is the fact he doesn’t live in the UK?
Should that really matter? Well, it does for Hamilton is frequently criticised for his avoidance of paying taxes.
It is strange, because when Jenson Button moved to Monaco, he was not criticised in the same way as Hamilton was.
The big mistake — and we are back with the PR gaffes again – was citing that a reduced tax bill was one of the reasons he’d previously moved to Switzerland.
Hamilton also hit the headlines last year in the when it was revealed that he avoided a tax bill on his private jet through a complicated scheme laid out in the Paradise Papers.
Hamilton had done nothing illegal, yet he was again the subject of much debate, his previous form had made him an easy target for yet more criticism.
How does he turn it around?
The simple explanation is I don’t know. Having worked with him for six years and spent hours in conversation, I find Hamilton an interesting, engaging and polite person.
Sure, he can sometimes have an off day, don’t we all?
And I don’t enjoy the same fashion sense as he does.
However, I have come to witness him work as a sportsman and an individual. He is a rare talent and one that should be heralded by the British public, not condemned.
Statistically, he is the best racing driver we have ever had and over one-lap in qualifying perhaps the best there has ever been.
Hamilton also fought against racism during his early career and is still the only black racing driver competing at the highest level.
He deserves a level of respect, not because he is a polished individual at the top of his game but because he is simply being himself.
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