2021 was the year when Lewis Hamilton was thrown off of his high perch in Formula 1. That’s when he lost to Max Verstappen in the title fight. After winning 7 titles in the sport, and recording at least one win in every season he has competed in, Hamilton has been winless since Jeddah ’21. Since then, Verstappen’s won 3 consecutive titles and found a worthy adversary in Charles Leclerc. Nevertheless, Hamilton still believes that he is the only one who can beat the Dutch lion, as reported on X.
The 38-year-old Briton has had a rough couple of years with Mercedes. He has consistently struggled for pace and results. Adding insult to injury, he’s often been outclassed by his teammate, George Russell, too.
Lewis Hamilton vs Max Verstappen, who’s more marketable.. 👀 pic.twitter.com/ZfP6DECHR0
— Mercedes.F1Motorsports (@MF1motorsports) October 18, 2023
Since the 2022 regulations kicked in, Mercedes has been playing catch up with Red Bull. In 2023, the team has arguably taken their biggest steps forward in terms of performance and philosophy. Yet, the gap to Red Bull remains, and Hamilton expects more from his team.
Lewis Hamilton issues Max Verstappen a warning despite sketchy future
The only other thing that Hamilton really wants, than that elusive 8th title, is to beat Max Verstappen. And he is confident in his abilities. Talking about the future, Hamilton was quoted (on X) as saying, “I want to be fighting Max [Verstappen], I believe I’m one of the only drivers that can do so.”
There is no doubt that the 7x champion is considered as one of the greatest drivers this sport has ever seen. But talent and pace can only get you so far in this sport. Championship success really depends on whether or not you’ve got a championship-worthy car under your belt or not.
Lewis Hamilton: “I want to be fighting Max, I believe I’m one of the only drivers that can do so.”
— Mercedes-AMG F1 News (@MercedesNewsUK) October 20, 2023
With the evidence at hand, it still is uncertain whether Mercedes will be able to close the gap enough to the Bulls to fight for a championship next year. Even if they do, Hamilton would be fighting on two fronts as Russell would not let himself be defeated easily.
2023 US GP a test for Mercedes
The Silver Arrows have not stopped working, even though only 5 races remain on the F1 calendar this year. At the 2023 US Grand Prix, the Brackley-based team has introduced a set of upgrades on the W14, hoping to extract performance and learnings for their 2024 challenger, the W15.
2024 is still a bit away. The team are also wary of their fight for P2 in the Constructors’. Hence, their updates target the underbody and floor of the car specifically. Downforce has been a key concern for the Silver Arrows and an improved air flow profile with these upgrades is what they are looking to extract out of this revamped package.
As FP1 came to a conclusion at the Circuit of the Americas, the early signs look promising for the team with Lewis Hamilton in 3rd, 0.281 seconds off the leader, Max Verstappen.
