#F1 - eyes on the prize

I think it's fair to say that Lewis Hamilton didn't look very happy at the end of the Monaco Grand Prix earlier this afternoon.  His troubles began yesterday, in Qualifying, when his teammate Nico Rosberg made a mistake - causing Yellow Flags, and denying Hamilton the chance to snatch Pole position away from his teammate when it looked like he was on a very good lap indeed.

There was inevitable controversy around this incident; reminiscent of Michael Schumacher's infamous stunt in Qualifying at Monaco eight years ago, speculation as to whether Rosberg had scuppered Hamilton's flying lap on purpose rumbled on through the night, and into this morning - despite the race Stewards' ruling that Rosberg's mistake had not been deliberate, and that he should be allowed to keep his Pole position.

Naturally, Hamilton was unhappy about how his Qualifying had ended - but he seemed to take a relatively philosophical view on raceday, putting the events on Saturday behind him and looking to maximise his chances in the race from second on the grid.  However, he ended the race in second (where he'd started), and with more grievances than ever - especially over the way in which the team handle Pit Stop strategies between their two drivers.

Hamilton has felt hard-done-by on several occasions this weekend, and (depending on your perspective) you might look at his race weekend in Monaco and feel he does have a point.  However, he has to remain stoical, put these issues behind him and look ahead to the next to the next Grand Prix in Canada, in two weeks time, instead of dwelling on what he perceives as the injustices of the previous race.

To allow oneself to slip into a 'victim' mentality is one of the worst things that can happen to a world-class sportsman.  If Hamilton starts to believe he is the subject of some conspiracy within the Mercedes AMG F1 team, he will effectively derail his hopes of claiming a second Word Drivers' Championship victory this season; he will become paranoid and resentful, and he will start to kick against his team instead of working with them, and he will cease to make calm, rational decisions on the track, instead allowing himself to become motivated by revenge and an attempt to vindicate himself.

When the stakes are so high, and the margins so tight, it is understandable that tensions surface and frustrations boil over when things don't go your way.  Hamilton's reaction to a disappointing weekend is nothing surprising - but how he handles that disappointment over the next couple of weeks, and the mindset with which he approaches the race in Canada two weeks from now, will tell us a lot about his Championship bid this year.

Luck plays a part in any sport.  Part of being a successful sportsman is the acceptance that you don't always get the rub of the green, and sometimes things will go against you; those who are at the very top of their game, in any area, are those who deal with that the best, and getting sucked into the downward psychological spiral of a 'siege' mentality is not the way to do that.

To win the World Championship this year, Lewis Hamilton needs to make sure he doesn't lose sight of the big picture - he needs to keep his eyes on the prize, and not let little things drag him down.