Lewis Hamilton has defined how his crew’s signature “hammer time” radio message initially took place via an trade together with his race engineer Peter Bonnington.
Bonnington – ‘Bono’ – has been Hamilton’s race engineer because the driver joined Mercedes in 2013. Throughout his title-winning 2014 marketing campaign Bonnington’s use of the phrase “hammer time” as an instruction for Hamilton to be on full assault grew to become a daily function of their radio chatter.
It remained a incessantly heard radio message within the subsequent years as Hamilton continued to win races and titles. Nevertheless it has been heard much less incessantly throughout 2022 as Mercedes’ droop in kind left them out of rivalry for victories for a lot of the yr.
However the “hammer time” name was heard as soon as once more on the latest United States Grand Prix as Hamilton pursued eventual race winner Max Verstappen.
The expression comes from MC Hammer’s 1990 hip-hop monitor ‘U Can’t Touch This’. Hamilton recalled how he got here up with the thought to make use of it as Bonnington’s sign for Hamilton to push to the utmost.
“I believe I got here up with hammer time,” he mentioned. “As a result of there was some extent the place he was like ‘now it’s time to push’. And I received annoyed with him, as a result of I’m like ‘dude, I’m already pushing’. However I used to be like, for those who’re making an attempt to indicate that now’s the time to go all-out, use all the things you may have, I mentioned ‘simply inform me it’s hammer time’.
Since they groups up at Mercedes collectively, Hamilton and Bonnington have delivered a complete of six world championship titles.
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“I’m extremely grateful for Bono,” mentioned Hamilton. “I’ve had an incredible journey with him.
“I believe we’ve received one of many longest, if not longest standing driver-engineer partnerships that there’s been, and he’s been vastly integral to my success. We’ve had an incredible journey collectively, we’ve supported one another on and off monitor via good and unhealthy occasions.”
Hamilton describes Bonnington as one in all few individuals who’s capable of put up with him, alongside together with his pet canine Roscoe.
“I like working with Bono, he’s like a brother to me – a brother from one other mom. I believe he’s most likely one of many few individuals that may actually stand me, I might say, on the great and unhealthy days, aside from Roscoe.
“What he is ready to do, how calm he is ready to be all through the race, and the way he’s capable of assist information and assist me navigate via a race, I don’t assume there’s many individuals that might do this.”
Their partnership will proceed into an eleventh season subsequent yr, and Hamilton plans to be on the Formula 1 grid longer than that.
Hamilton’s ‘Hammer time’ messages throughout United States GP
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