If they booed Lewis Hamilton in London, he left his rivals wishing he had staged another no-show yesterday and brought roars of delight which echoed for miles.
Hamilton opted out of an F1 show in the city centre last week for a two-day break in the Mykonos sun which earned a heap of criticism.
On a grey, drizzly day at Silverstone watched by 100,000 F1 fans, he delivered pole position in dominant style to ensure he would continue his assault on the record books and keep his name on everybody’s lips whether you like or loathe him.
“I am the first black F1 driver, so I am going to be different
There is, of course, no reason to loathe someone who is as supremely talented and has three world titles, 56 victories from 197 races and 67 pole positions.
He has transcended F1 in the same way that David Beckham did with football and has lived up to his reply a few years back when asked how big he wanted to be as a sportsman and came back with “global”.
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With 4.6m Twitter followers, 4.5m Instagram fans and 4m Facebook followers, Hamilton has hugely more fans in his army than any other driver.
His constant visits to Los Angeles, his celebrity friends, private jet, dogs and bling are the trappings of a 32-year-old who came from humble beginnings in Stevenage. Perhaps it is this which accounts for Hamilton’s “my own man” attitude, such as ducking the London night attended by every other driver.
After being cosseted from an early age by McLaren, he developed later in life, before being persuaded by Niki Lauda, another law-unto-himself in winning three world titles, to join Mercedes.
Now he is the main man at Mercedes and if he opts for a Greek island rather than Trafalgar Square, there is less stress for the team in bowing to his demands even if it seems like a poor decision given his British background.
As long as he delivers in the car, as did another free spirit such as James Hunt, who took the title in 1976, then Mercedes seem prepared to let him do what he wants.
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And doing what he wants this weekend included inviting along as his guest 18-year-old Billy Monger, who lost his lower legs in a Formula 4 race at Donington in April. Hamilton has also found time for terminally-ill children who were at the circuit, and after being interviewed on the track yesterday he grabbed his brother, Nic, who races in the British touring car championship, and dragged him across to join in the adulation of the fans.
There are many who are irked by his style, his ripped jeans, the glinting earrings, the tattoos, and quite a few in the paddock, including many media, who feel distanced from him nowadays.
They would prefer warmer personality like Jenson Button, a rascal such as David Coulthard or the irrepressible Sir Jackie Stewart.
However, this does not recognise the individuality of Hamilton, whose dad held down three jobs at one point to keep his lad in a kart and on the track.
And it is wrong to ignore the fact that he is the first black F1 world champion, overcoming a host of early prejudices.
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“I think it’s a shame that people are so quick to put you in a box; sometimes it’s as if you do one thing and that’s all you’re allowed to do,”said Hamilton in a BBC blog some time ago. It’s especially bad in F1 — it’s almost as if you are expected to be like James Hunt, or some other dude who used to be in F1. And I’m nothing like him or anyone else.
“People need to remember that I am the first black driver in Formula One, so I am obviously going to be different to past drivers. I post the photos because I lead such a busy life; I am constantly doing interesting things, or meeting new people. I am lucky enough to get to do things a lot of people will never experience.”
How long he will continue is the pertinent question. Worth more than £200m, he long ago passed the point of having to drive for anything more than pride.
In the paddock, there is talk of him being partnered next season by his current rival, Sebastian Vettel, whose contract with Ferrari expires at the end of the season. Another rumour has Hamilton ending his career by driving for Ferrari in 2019.
Whatever lies in store, there is nobody on the horizon to replace him. Best to revel in his presence now.