“I’m more relaxed than I’ve ever”– Lewis Hamilton claims title challenge against Max Verstappen doesn’t give him sleepless nights

Tanish Chachra | 03/12/2021
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Lewis Hamilton vying against Max Verstappen in the title challenge claims that competition with the Dutchman doesn’t stress him.

The winner of seven championships, Lewis Hamilton, is now competing against Max Verstappen to take his tally to eight titles. However, his strive for the record-breaking figure has posed him the biggest challenge after 2016.

Though, Hamilton claims that the intense competition by Verstappen doesn’t stress him. And this year, it has hardly given him any sleepless nights.

“It’s different in one sense because we’ve got two incredibly close teams,” Hamilton said. “It’s different because as a team, we’re fighting for uncharted territory. No one has ever won eight titles, team or driver, so that’s relatively fresh and new.”

“And then on the other side, I’m more relaxed than I’ve ever been because I’ve been around a long time. It’s not my first. I remember how I was [with] my first championship, and even my second and my third, the sleepless nights and all those sorts of things.”

“I’m [now] a lot more sure of myself and just applying myself better than ever before. I know I can’t change anything from the past, but all I can do is prepare the best I can for what’s up ahead of me, and I 100% know I have.”

Also read: Lewis Hamilton will continue to wear the rainbow helmet in last two races of the season

Lewis Hamilton just triggered a zone in Brazil

Asked whether Hamilton has upscaled his level this year, Hamilton replied that he doesn’t think so. But he feels a certain undiscovered element got triggered in Brazil.

“I don’t know if I agree with it, to be honest. I don’t believe that I have gone to a different level. I think I’m generally at a reasonable level just in general. Maybe I tapped into something different in Brazil that maybe I haven’t there before.”

“I definitely have before in my career, because I have come back from those positions many, many times before. I like to think that I have been delivering well all year.”

“But you are constantly learning more about everything, your surroundings, your team and how to get more out of every individual. I like to think that all of us have, and it has not just been me.”

“It has been the engineers, it’s been the mechanics and I think every individual in the team has pulled a bit more. That is what has been needed. We always need more performance, more focus and more power and strength, and I think everyone collectively has.”

Also read: Sister of man imprisoned in Saudi Arabia asks Lewis Hamilton for help

Post Edited By: Tanish Chachra
Lewis Hamilton Mercedes

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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