Why Lewis Hamilton was termed an 'outlier' on the current F1 grid by former Red Bull driver

Former Red Bull driver David Coulthard feels Lewis Hamilton is a bit of an outlier in a young field of drivers who tend to socialize with each other.

The current F1 grid has quite a few drivers that made their way through the ranks together. They have grown up together and many have been friends for a long time.

These drivers tend to hang out together even on their holidays, as was visible with George Russell and Daniel Ricciardo spending a part of their summer break together.

On the Formula For Success podcast, hosted by David Coulthard and Eddie Jordan, David talked about the chemistry of the current grid. He also pointed out that Lewis Hamilton is arguably the only one that tends to keep his distance from everyone.

Highlighting how quite a few drivers hang out together while Lewis Hamilton is always in the paddock with his bodyguard, Coulthard said:

“I think there’s a group of young drivers right now that seem to relate to each other. The only, I guess, outlier would really be Lewis, maybe it’s because Lewis has been around for longer. He’s the only driver who has actually a security man that works with him at the track. I don’t know what danger he feels he might be in."

He added:

“Somebody coming up and asking for an autograph? But, other than that, there does seem to be… you see quite a lot of the younger guys, your Georges, your Landos, and whoever else, hanging out with each other away from the racetrack.”

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Eddie Jordan credits Lewis Hamilton for his presence and fame in the paddock

Eddie Jordan did however feel a part of it could be put down to Lewis Hamilton's presence on the grid and his fame. Compared to Max Verstappen, who is a much more laid-back personality, Jordan credited Hamilton by saying:

“You’ve got to give Lewis some credit. Because he is still the most revered driver in Formula 1 at the moment. I know we talk about Max, but Max is a much more laid-back kind of guy. Whereas Lewis, he’s front of house – he’s box office, top class.”

The Mercedes driver's contract has still not been finalized and with the announcement getting delayed so much there is still confusion around his future. Lewis Hamilton has assured that his future continues to be with the German team. Having said that, the details have certainly left everyone a little confused.