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It's true that actions speak louder than words. So to hear Lewis Hamilton insist he believes 100 percent in Ferrari to make the right calls under pressure means nothing, really. Because in Singapore last time out he proved that, in the heat of the moment, he trusts himself more than the Scuderia’s strategists. He was wrong, and he was the first person to admit that. It would've been impossible for him not to, given everyone could see he threw away a podium to finish sixth.
But it was solid evidence that, if he thinks he can do something different to try for a better result, even if it goes against Ferrari's thinking, he'll do it. And in Austin this week he vowed to keep "continuously challenging" his team. Which tells me he hasn't lost faith in himself despite this humbling incident.
Why would he? He's not a seven-time world champion and the most successful driver in Formula One history by accident. Yes, he has had the fastest car in the sport for much of his periods of success, but that doesn't matter if you don't take every opportunity.
George Russell has proven that this year, having failed to live up to his pre-season tag as the heavy title favourite. Kimi Antonelli has largely done that throughout the season and that's why he's on the verge of rewriting history.
Ferrari have plenty of problems, but one of the biggest is that they haven't created enough of those opportunities for their drivers. That's why they're approaching 20 years since they last won the F1 title.
That's why Charles Leclerc is prone to crashing in big races – because he's pushing too hard to make up for his car's shortcomings. And that's why Hamilton bravely but unwisely overruled his strategists in Singapore – because he knew he wasn't going to catch eventual winner Max Verstappen any other way.
Ferrari get their strategies wrong more than you'd like, but that's mostly because they're constantly having to rely on it to be successful. If they can just find the pace they need to challenge for success on merit, watch the blunders fade away.
Ben Sulayem's bonkers reasoning
Remarkably, F1 seems hell bent on heading to the Middle East to round off its season after all. And FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem's main reason for ignoring the obvious threat of visiting the region seems to be that his children live there.
Yeah, because the fact that Emirati people live in the UAE is obviously comparable to putting on a massive global sporting event put on by an American-owned championship just across the Persian Gulf from Iran.
From the archive
F1's first ever visit to Austin, Texas, produced a grandstand finish when Lewis Hamilton fended off Sebastian Vettel to win by less than seven-tenths of a second.
Of all current F1 drivers who have raced at COTA multiple times, Pierre Gasly is the only one with a perfect qualifying record against his team-mates, having been faster than them on all seven occasions.
Inside track
When F1 chiefs were looking to build on the success Austin has had in building the sport's US audience, a circuit in New York was explored along with those that have been created in Miami and Las Vegas, but COTA's continued popularity contributed to the Big Apple plan being squashed.
Big moments. Packed grandstands. A championship battle that’s heating up.
When the Formula 1 season delivers like this, watching from home just isn’t the same as being there when the lights go out.
With Gullivers Sports Travel, you can experience the most iconic races on the Formula 1 calendar LIVE! Enjoy tickets, handpicked hotels, and seamless travel with one of the UK’s leading sports travel specialists.
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