I got up at 5am (6am after moving the clocks forward an hour) this morning to watch the Formula One race in Melbourne, Australia. I’m not going to bore you with a potted review of the race - that’s what the news networks are for - but I will pass comment on Lewis Hamilton’s behaviour.
He will never read this, but I’ll say it anyway…
If you are being paid millions of dollars to represent the corporate interests of the sponsors of your team in front of a global television audience, you do not react to being soundly beaten by your team mate by blaming the team. You do not throw accusations at them during the race, knowing that the audio feed may be broadcast. You do not refer to the team you are a member of as “they” when things do not go well for you.
I would imagine at this point in time the corporate sponsors of the McLaren Formula One team will be sliding all of their chips towards Jenson Button. He didn’t get his road car confiscated by the police, he doesn’t complain in public, and he uses the term “we” when talking about the team, rather than “they”.
If there’s one thing I can’t tolerate in people, it’s refusal to accept responsibility for their own shortcomings. In Lewis Hamilton’s case, the words “grow up” would seem to be fitting - or rather “grow up, and stop behaving like a spoiled child. You were beaten today by a far better person”.