Being “ruthless” is a “necessity” to be a Formula 1 great, with Lewis Hamilton among those bringing out that side when needed.

That is the claim put forward by Red Bull senior mechanic and author Calum Nicholas, who firmly believes that the “nice guy persona” is not a winning one.

Lewis Hamilton showed ‘ruthless’ side like fellow champions

Hamilton has established himself as the most successful Formula 1 driver of all time, with records among his collection such as most race wins (105), most pole positions (104), and podiums (202), while his tally of seven World Championships ties him at the top with Michael Schumacher.

However, it was recently claimed by 13-time grand prix winner David Coulthard that Hamilton differs from his fellow F1 legends, like Schumacher, due to reaching that status with limited controversies along the way.

“Lewis’ legacy as a grand prix driver, as a winning machine, as a World Champion, is one you dream about for your son or daughter. He would make any parent proud,” Coulthard told PlanetF1.com.

“In terms of diversity and inclusion, but also the way in which he’s won his races and championships. They have been clean.

“Michael [Schumacher] and Ayrton [Senna] had a lot of controversy through their careers, and I say that with tremendous respect for both of them. With Lewis, there have been very few of those moments.”

But, in Nicholas’ opinion, a Formula 1 driver must be ready to rustle a few feathers if they want to make it to the top, and he does not believe Hamilton can be considered an anomaly in that regard.

“The idea that you can go and compete at that level and win and not be ruthless, that’s a fallacy,” said Nicholas on the High Performance Podcast.

“If you want to win at this level and be that good and compete… like these are all great race drivers, if you want to beat them, you have to find something extra. And being ruthless is a necessity in that situation.

“And we’ve seen it from every champion that we’ve had in the sport. You know, Lewis in his first championship, he was ruthless when he needed to be.

“Throughout that year with Nico Rosberg, you know, ultimately, Nico came out on top because he did what he had to do. It wasn’t popular. There were tense moments in the garage because of it. But ultimately, that’s what champions do, they do what they need to to win.

“And I think that to sort of bash that and say, ‘Oh, well, you know, you could have been a bit kinder here’. Come on man, we’re here to win. I’m not here to make friends.

“Sometimes, it’s nice to have friends and for people to appreciate you. But ultimately, if you’re not here to win, and that sort of nice guy persona is more important to you, then you’re not going to win.”

Hamilton called time on his record-breaking Mercedes career in order to join Ferrari from F1 2025, as he sets about trying to deny Red Bull’s Max Verstappen a fifth successive World Championship.