Lewis Hamilton will start his 300th race at the French GP entering a list of elites and becoming the sixth driver to do so.
Lewis Hamilton has equalled and broken many records in F1. The Briton’s latest record will come this weekend at the French GP as he becomes the one and only driver to start his Grand Prix with a single constructor[Mercedes]. Nobody yet has achieved this feat in F1.
Apart from this, Hamilton will also enter a group of elites by becoming the sixth driver to start his 300th race. The other five drivers are Rubens Barrichello, Michael Schumacher, Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen.
Ominously, no driver has secured a race win after passing this milestone. However, it remains to be seen for Hamilton as Mercedes hopes to deliver a much better result at Circuit Paul Ricard.
Ahead of the French GP, Alonso who shared the garage with Hamilton back in 2008 when they raced in McLaren said, “I don’t think Hamilton has changed much in these 300 GPs.”
“He had talent from his early days at McLaren. It was a pleasure to share this time with him on the track.”
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Lewis Hamilton hopeful for a win at French GP
Going into the race weekend in France, Mercedes has announced major upgrades on the W13. This has raised speculation among the F1 community that the seven-time world champion will take the victory home.
Since its return to the F1 calendar in 2018, the Briton has stood on every podium of the French GP. He has also qualified in the top three on each occasion he has raced in France. Although he was subject to a 10-place penalty in 2008 for an incident at the previous round.
However, his 2021 rival Max Verstappen has downplayed the hype around the Mercedes driver taking the win.
When asked if Ferrari and Red Bull would be battling another team for the win this weekend, the reigning champion said, “I don’t know, maybe. I don’t pay a lot of attention to that. It’s more important to get the best out of ourselves because it’s not been as straightforward as I would like.”
Also Read: Everything you need to know about Circuit Paul Ricard ahead of 2022 French Grand Prix
