Former F1 winner Eddie Irvine has explained in a recent interview why he believes that Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes‘ era of domination in the sport is now over. The 58-year-old is referring to the years of the turbo-hybrid era (2014-21) when the Silver Arrows won eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships. Hamilton himself won six of his seven championships during this period. Irvine revealed in his recent interview that he doubts that the Briton will now ever win a record eighth title since F1 is currently in Max Verstappen and Red Bull’s era of domination.
While speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport (as quoted by motorsportweek.com), Irvine said, “The era of the triumphs of Hamilton and Mercedes is now over. But Lewis is still a very good driver, very focused on objectives and eager to obtain results“.
Hamilton and Mercedes have indeed struggled since F1 introduced the new ground effect regulations in 2022. While the 39-year-old has failed to win a race for more than two years now, Mercedes as a team have also managed to win just one Grand Prix since the start of the 2022 campaign.
George Russell registered that victory at the 2022 Brazilian GP. Although Hamilton has failed to win a race since the Saudi Arabian GP in December 2021, Irvine believes that the Briton himself has done nothing wrong.
The former Ferrari driver believes that it is Mercedes who have failed to produce a quick enough car. Despite all the skepticism surrounding Mercedes’ abilities to provide Hamilton with a championship-winning car, team principal Toto Wolff is absolutely determined to right the wrongs.
Toto Wolff is keen to help Lewis Hamilton win a record eighth title
Toto Wolff recently grabbed all the headlines after he extended his stay at Mercedes. The Austrian revealed that one of the primary reasons he did so was to help Mercedes beat Red Bull with Lewis Hamilton on his side.
Wolff does not doubt that Hamilton still has what it takes to help the Silver Arrows win back their crown again. When asked if the 39-year-old can still win another championship, Wolff emphatically replied to La Gazzetta della Sport (as quoted by crash.net), “The answer is clearly yes in capital letters“.
According to the 52-year-old, the only thing Hamilton needs to fight Max Verstappen and Red Bull is a strong car. Wolff is confident that the W15 will indeed be much more competitive than its previous two predecessors. “Those who have driven in the simulator have told us that the 2024 car doesn’t look like the car of the last two years,” he revealed.
James Allison discusses the improvement of the W15 compared to the W14:
“We do have some hope for is that some of the more spiteful characteristics of the rear end of our car will be a bit more friendly to us, and the handling of the car a happier thing.”
“That’s all in… pic.twitter.com/k3hx6WpnMi
— Mercedes-AMG F1 News (@MercedesNewsUK) January 19, 2024
As per Hamilton’s most recent deal, Wolff will have two years to win championships with the Briton, who extended his contract until the end of the 2025 season. One reason why most experts believe that it is unlikely that Hamilton will ever win another title is due to his age.
However, Wolff made it clear that Hamilton is at “a different level“. Hence, Wolff expects that the seven-time champion can continue to drive at his peak despite turning 39.
