Formula One’s newest British star’s reputation is in tatters after lying to get one of his competitors into trouble. He deliberately mislead an official enquiry, only to be contradicted by audio evidence. Under “safety car” conditions (where you aren’t allowed to overtake because of an accident on the track) during a race, he let another driver, Jarno Trulli, past him. Because of this Jarno Trulli was deemed to have overtaken him and was penalised, losing all points in the race. Even though Lewis Hamilton knew this, he told race officials that he hadn’t let him through.
Sadly, even after the recording of a conversation of Lewis Hamilton telling his team that he had let Jarno Trulli through, he still denied it.
This excerpt from the Autosport website paints a pretty sad picture …
An FIA source told AUTOSPORT: “First of all, Lewis heard the radio exchange. It appeared that the strategy was to be extremely vague and not be very direct with the answers. Then the interview where he said, ‘I was told to let him through’ was played.
“At that point they both got very uncomfortable, but still denied that’s what had actually happened.
“It was a bit surreal, this situation where you had the radio evidence and the interview, and they were putting a completely different interpretation on what the words actually meant. But the words were very, very clear.”
FIA race director Charlie Whiting has also revealed that Hamilton denied more than once in the original hearing in Australia that he had let Trulli pass him.
Whiting said: “When asked very clearly, ‘Did you consciously let him past, did you pull over to let him past’, he [Hamilton] said, ‘No’. The question was asked more than once. He was adamant that he hadn’t slowed down and hadn’t let Trulli past.”
What has happened here? Lewis Hamilton is a very fast racing driver, but he has been so focused on this, his vision so narrowed, that he has forgotten to be a human being. Even his fans are deserting him now. Is there a lesson to be learned here?
As the Church changes (yes I am drawing a Christian analogy from Motorsport) and becomes focused on different and new things, it too needs to remember that it’s made up of people, and remember morality, that age-old binder of society.
This isn’t a call to be old fashioned, but to be aware that being relevant to society, something that the church needs to do, isn’t “selling out”, it’s being respected and trusted. Something that the Church has lost and needs to regain.
The Church is having to re-think itself because it abused it’s power and took it’s position for granted. Now it has lost it it has gained something of greater value – humility. Let’s remember that for ourselves and the wider church as we all move forward together.
As for Lewis Hamilton, maybe he’s a lost cause.
Interesting post Ash and really good analogy.
I’m trying to read between the lines a bit to see where you are coming from – it may be because I am misunderstanding your use of the word ‘morality’.
I what ways do you think the church can be more relevant to society?
Lewis is blinded by his focus, he’s not the only driver on the race track, and the racing itself exists within the world around it. Yes he wants to win, but he should be aware of the wider picture. Breaking the rules and having to be punished is one thing, but then there’s the respect of his team mates and the public, and being able to have a decent perspective and stand back and analyze the situation. These thing all act against his main goal, which is winning.
Likewise with the church. Yes there needs to be evangelisation and spiritual awareness (for example), but as with Lewis, these things don’t exist on their own. There’s a world around and within the church that it needs to be aware of. The church needs to be able to stand back and take a wider perspective, and to understand the world and the people around it.
Lewis has been punished, lost the respect of those around him and he is on his own. Think of him like the raging street preacher, determined and fixed on his goal, brave and unwavering. Yet many if not most in the church, let alone the man in the street, have no respect for him, and his goals get more and more unacheivable.
Morality says that acheiving goals at the cost of everything else is wrong. As the church is in some way the “owner” of morality, it needs to make sure that in calling some things “good”, it doesn’t do so at the expense of everything else, and ultimately the failure to acheive it’s goals.