A Mercedes mechanic has explained why Lewis Hamilton holds the steering wheel in a peculiar way.
Fans have noticed the seven-time World Driver’s Champion does not hold both handles with either hand but instead has his left hand at the top.
Despite Hamilton’s elite status, it appears to be a technique that no other driver on the grid has decided to adopt, not even teammate George Russell.
Despite much speculation on X, he has never revealed the reason behind it and instead, it has been alluded to by a team mechanic taking fans on a tour of the Mercedes pit.
It is a technique deployed only at the start of a race before he takes a more conventional grip.
In a clip shared on the social media platform, a Mercedes mechanic informs fans that it is to avoid a gear shift disaster at a crucial point of the race.
Adopting the same grip as Hamilton the mechanic said ‘Do you know why Lews starts like that?
‘Why? What do you think?
‘Is he showing you something? Or is he holding (the downshift gear paddle) so he can’t go down a gear?
‘Because what you don’t want to do is accidentally go down a gear so If you put your hand there, you can’t go down a gear.’
One of the suggestions for Hamilton’s decision is that he favors a smaller gear-shifting paddle to that of his fellow drivers and could be more prone to this issue.
Lewis Hamilton first started using the grip in the 2021 season
However, it is worth noting that the 38-year-old has not always used this technique with it first being seen during the 2021 season.
Mercedes and Hamilton have struggled to get to grips with the new regulations introduced at the start of last season with the British driver yet to win a race since the start of 2022.
While their new direction of adding side pods has seen them start to compete at the top end again, they are still well off the pace of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.
