The going has got somewhat tough for Lewis Hamilton in recent weeks, and yet again the question has arisen of whether he needs an advisor to help him when matters on and off the track are not going so well.
It is remarkable that just when everything appears to be going so right, it can all go so horribly wrong.
The 23-year-old is in need of stability, a calming hand to see him through the growing pains of Formula One, as Michael Schumacher had with Ross Brawn at a time when he set off on the rocky road to stardom.
Last season was phenomenal for Hamilton, no two ways about it, but after the title was ripped from his grasp in agonising fashion, who knows what effect that had on his psyche.
Hamilton had previously been wrapped in a safety blanket afforded him by McLaren for the best part of 10 years as they nurtured him on the path towards F1.
That was steady enough as he let his talent do the talking on the track, enough to impress team principal Ron Dennis who decided to throw his protege into motor sport's deep end.
The precocious Hamilton showed no fear, but then there was no pressure as no-one realistically expected him to perform so brilliantly.
However, in becoming the most successful rookie in the history of F1, that inevitably brought about expectations and demands, a new experience for Hamilton to cope with.
With the championship his for the taking with two grands prix of last season remaining, to then walk away empty-handed would have scarred many a more experienced sports star.
Hamilton may have ultimately missed out, but he had assured himself of global celebrity, a rare status for one so young.
But as Sir Jackie Stewart rightly remarked this week, that is "the privilege and penalty" of being thrust into the spotlight.
It occurred to such an extent in Britain - Hamilton was subjected to door-step journalism and prying camera lenses - that he sought refuge in the tax-haven that is Geneva.
There are those who criticised him for such a move, while others felt it would allow him to clear his head, to regain his focus for this season.
His pole-to-flag victory in the season-opening race in Australia, while behind him chaos ensued, suggested his mind was on track, that there was little trauma after the agony of just a few months previously.
It was a perfect weekend, but with that came a heightened level of expectancy, that this would be his year to atone for the near miss of the season before.
The anticipation has since played its part as Hamilton's enthusiasm has occasionally managed to get the better of him, while at other times he has simply appeared to switch off.
Hamilton has made mistakes that were simply not in his make-up last season, and he is dropping points that could come back to haunt him at the end of this year.
In Bahrain, Canada, and now France, Hamilton has looked every inch the rookie he was supposed to be last season, and with it the media have not so much turned on him, but started to question his moves.
There have been times, though, when he has attracted attention and criticism, such as his ridiculous acting/flying stunt in the build-up to the Turkish Grand Prix, courtesy of team sponsors Vodafone's demands.
So when he has made an error on track, it has been magnified ten-fold, as was the case in Canada when he drove into the back of Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari at 30mph in the pit lane.
In the aftermath, Hamilton did not help himself by failing to hold his hands up and admit responsibility, instead describing it as "a driving incident".
A barrage of criticism followed, and for the first time the British darling of motor sport was being subjected to poor press.
Hamilton responded in kind by letting rip at the media prior to Sunday's race at Magny-Cours.
It seemed a waste of energy at a time when he needed to channel it all into his driving, and that is when a word in his ear to 'cool it' would have been beneficial, but Hamilton appears to be lacking such guidance at present.
And so, as the British Grand Prix fast approaches and with it the pressure multiplies, the best advice he surely could be given at this time would be: 'Don't believe all you read in the papers.'
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