In a celebrated career spanning over 16 years, Lewis Hamilton is currently going through one of his longest winless streaks. Having last won a race in 2021 in Saudi Arabia, the Briton has failed to register a record-extending 104th race win. Following the heartbreak of the AD21 incident, Hamilton has not been able to bounce back in a similar fashion to take the fight to Max Verstappen.
Talking about ‘bouncing,’ the 2022 season saw both Mercedes drivers battle with porpoising issues, as Hamilton emerged as the primary victim of the same. The season marked his first year without a win as a Mercedes driver, highlighting a significant downfall in the Briton’s performances.
Of late, though, Hamilton has been on a steady road to recovery, securing back-to-back on-track second-place finishes (DSQ in Austin). Given the same, the seven-time world champion believes the 2023 season was the prep year for something big, as reported in an update on X by user Deni.
“I’ve started to have races that remind me of my past, and you can see the fight is still there, the hunger is still there. I can feel that the ability is still there, so it gives me massive confidence moving forwards. This year is preparation for THE year, in my mind.”
Ahead of the Sao Paulo GP, Hamilton sits 20 points away from the P2 position in the driver’s standings. With enough time to overtake Sergio Perez, the 38-year-old believes he is on track to register his first race win since 2021, and the honorary citizen of Brazil is hoping to end his drought in his ‘Home GP.’
Lewis Hamilton looking to register his first race win in nearly two years in Sao Paulo
Hardly anyone is unaware of the prowess of the almost all-conquering RB19. Hamilton is no stranger to the same, as he believes the Red Bull car will blitz past the field once racing begins in Interlagos. However, should it not be the case, the Briton is ready to fight for a race win at the track where his team won their last race in 2022. Having only been two seconds behind Verstappen in crossing the finish line at Austin, Hamilton knows he has a car that’s capable of causing trouble to the reigning world champion.
As such, the onus will be on the team’s engineers to come up with the perfect strategies and relevant race plans to fight for the winner’s trophy. Given his track record, Hamilton will not want his team to leave end the season empty-handed.
As the season heads into its final three races, Hamilton and Mercedes face a tough battle, apart from their desire for a race win. While the British driver hopes to cut down the 20-point gap between him and Sergio Perez to secure P2 in the driver’s standings, he will need full support from his teammate to fend off an oncoming challenge from Ferrari, who is looking to oust Mercedes from second place in the constructor’s championship.
