F1 world champ Lewis Hamilton is urged to end hissy-fits or risk ruining his place in sport history

LEWIS HAMILTON has been told to ditch the hissy-fits whenever he is not on the top step of the podium.

The defending world champion was left sulking after missing out on pole position in the Monaco GP only to turn the result around with a victory on the Sunday.

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However, former world champion, Damon Hill, says Hamilton needs to learn how to keep a lid on his emotions or he risks being remembered as a sulky F1 star.

He said: “He has to be careful. He has had a very unusual upbringing and he likes the lifestyle but everything depends on how he performs in the cockpit and out of it, as well as the messages you give out.

“It can all slip through your fingers really quickly. He is 31 and in the prime of his career and it won’t be long before he is one of the older guys out there.

“If I was ever to presume to offer him some advice, then he has got to get things into perspective.

“He could go down as one of the all-time greats or as someone who is not magnanimous in defeat. He has got to be careful.

“Sir Jackie Stewart has a set of values and he is right and he tries to convey those values and they do mean something in sport.

“It is about your conduct. Sport is a test of how you cope in adversity during the bad times, not necessarily just about how brilliant you are all the time.

“He has employed all sorts of techniques to help him in his battle with Nico Rosberg, but he has to be careful that it does not descend into bitchiness, which would be a great shame.”

Hamilton stopped the rot with his victory in Monte Carlo, which was his first win in SEVEN MONTHS.

Rosberg’s poor race saw him come home in seventh place, reducing the German’s lead in the championship to 24 points.

Hill now believes Hamilton must go on a winning run while also warning the 31 year-old he will come under increasing pressure to defence his crown.

He added: “I used to wonder how Michael Schumacher did it.

“Year after year after year, campaign after campaign, he would keep on doing it, and I remember his fifth championship and he was in tears.

“The mental strain was enormous for even someone like Michael. They might make it look cool, but it is incredibly hard to maintain that dedication and focus each year.

“I said last year that when Lewis won the championship, he backed off after then. He now admits as much.

“Lewis started celebrating, and why not, after all he has won three championships. But Nico got confident in that little window at the end of last season.

“He built up a head of steam and carried it into this season. It is now up to Lewis to convert the win in Monaco into a string of victories.”

But Hill believes Hamilton’s job of reeling in Rosberg could be made the more difficult due to the rise of Red Bull.

Max Verstappen won on his debut in Barcelona while Daniel Ricciardo should have converted his pole into a victory in Monaco had it not been for a bungled pitstop.

Hill says: “F1 owes Red Bull an enormous amount. They are one of the sponsors who are trying to promote a lifestyle which fits perfectly with the sport.

“They are not a corporation that is trying to sell nice comfortably cars and they have invested heavily.

“So to see them back in the driving seat is good for the sport and good for us and Daniel in particular is a great ambassador for the sport.

“And that is also good for Nico. If there is more competition for points, then it is going to be harder for Lewis to bag a load of them.