Lewis Hamilton has not had the best of years in F1 by his standards, but he’s still putting in performances worth remembering.
Ever since his move to Mercedes in 2103, Hamilton has been used to competing in a race winning car. His arrival in the Brackley based outfit kickstarted an era of dominance that saw him win six World Titles in eight years.
He lost out on the 2021 World Title in heartbreaking fashion and many expected him to come back for his eighth Title this year. The regulation changes however have hit Mercedes hard. They no longer have the fastest car on the grid, lacking behind in terms of performance to Red Bull and Ferrari.
Chilling. pic.twitter.com/czNJDxSwYi
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) July 24, 2022
Hamilton too got off to a poor start, but after riding that early storm he is now on the top of his game. His P2 finish at the French GP means he now has four consecutive podium finishes. The 37-year old is also very close to matching the record of Championship leader Max Verstappen, despite being five places below him.
Lewis Hamilton has almost matched Max Verstappen’s points streak
Red Bull and Ferrari have the fastest cars on grid, but both have struggled with reliability this campaign. That is something Mercedes have really worked on this year, and they have not had a single power unit related retirement up until now.
That combined with Hamilton’s consistency has seen the Brit earn eight consecutive points finishes. It is the longest active points streak in F1 today behind Verstappen’s, with 9.
Behind the two World Champions lies another two-time winner, Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard has had seven consecutive races where he has finished in the points.
Longest active points streaks in F1:
1. Verstappen – 9 races
2. Hamilton – 8 races
3. Alonso – 7 races— Slipstream (@SlipstreamDRS) July 25, 2022
Hamilton’s French GP win came at a grueling cost. His drinks bottle failed midway into the race, which meant he was severely dehydrated at the end. The seven-time Champion admitted he may have lost up to 3 kgs after the outing in Circuit Paul Ricard.
Hamilton is currently P6 in the Drivers’ Standings with 127 points to his name. His teammate George Russell is 16 points ahead of him in fifth.
