Former Ferrari engineer shares the ‘truth’ about Lewis Hamilton after ‘arrogant’ accusations

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Jock Clear has defended Lewis Hamilton from accusations that ‘it’s all about him’. Clear has worked with the seven-time world champion at both Ferrari and Mercedes.

He helped Hamilton win the second of those titles as a senior performance engineer at Brackley in 2014. They reunited at Ferrari in 2025, though Clear predominantly worked as a coach for Charles Leclerc and the team’s academy drivers at that point.

Before Hamilton’s move to Mercedes, Clear also supported Michael Schumacher. Speaking on Peter Windsor’s YouTube channel, he said both drivers are united in their selflessness.

Jock Clear says Lewis Hamilton is a true ‘team player’

Hamilton, the most successful driver in F1 history, has occasionally been accused of acting like he’s bigger than his team, but Clear says he’s anything but ‘arrogant’.

Clear, who left Ferrari at the end of last year, believes Hamilton wouldn’t have had the same success in F1 if he had behaved in such a manner.

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“It hurts me when I see comments about how people think Lewis is arrogant, he’s clearly not a team player, it’s all about him, he’s the big ‘I am’,” he said. “Nothing could be further from the truth.

“The guy is great as a team player. It’s reassuring to know that those skills and those qualities are what makes success in F1, because it is a team sport.”

Far from projecting arrogance, Hamilton called himself ‘useless’ at one point in 2025. He says self-doubt has been a trend throughout his career, but it has come to the surface in a troubled period after Abu Dhabi 2021.

Max Verstappen is not as ‘selfish’ as he might seem

Clear made a similar point about Max Verstappen, rejecting the idea that the Red Bull driver is ‘selfish’ even though he infamously refused to follow team orders at the 2022 Brazilian GP.

While the Red Bull core is now breaking up, Verstappen harnessed the power of a ‘fantastic team’ to win four consecutive titles between 2021 and 2024.

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“I don’t know him, I haven’t worked him, but we have this view that Max is ruthlessly selfish,” said Clear. “There’s no way that Max is a selfish driver.

“I know that, in the background, he has developed a fantastic team at Red Bull. He knows that’s what matters – GP, Adrian, Christian, they all put it together.”

Verstappen is long established as the number one driver at Red Bull, whereas Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have equal status at Ferrari.