Lewis Hamilton has had a difficult couple of seasons as he has failed to win a race since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Despite the struggles the Briton has been facing, he still remains as committed as ever to fight for wins and championships. Ted Kravitz recently revealed on the most recent episode of the Sky Sports F1 podcast about how Hamilton is mentally preparing himself to challenge Max Verstappen for the title in 2024.
“Whatever I am doing now is to prepare for a championship challenge in 2024,” Kravitz quoted Hamilton as saying. The British journalist then added that the Mercedes driver is now “mentally preparing” himself to fight for the title next season.
Moreover, with Mercedes improving the car, Hamilton is growing increasingly confident. In a recent interview with Sky Sports (as quoted by Last Word on Sports), the 38-year-old explained how Mercedes need to be “strategic and clinical” to close down the gap to the mighty Red Bull.
However, it was not that long ago when Hamilton was miffed because of Red Bull’s advantage to develop the 2024 car much ahead of their rivals. Since the Milton Keynes outfit have already sealed this year’s championship and do not have much to compete for, Hamilton pointed out how the team have already devoted most of their resources to producing the RB20.
Lewis Hamilton faced immense backlash for his suggestion to the FIA
In an interview earlier this year, Lewis Hamilton explained how it is unfair for any side to get such a headstart over their rivals in producing next year’s car. The seven-time champion instead believes that the FIA should introduce a rule about when can teams begin working on next year’s car.
Hamilton’s arch-rival, Max Verstappen, unsurprisingly did not take the Mercedes driver’s remarks too kindly. The Dutchman hit back at Hamilton by pointing out the hypocrisy in the Briton’s remarks.
In reply, Verstappen stated (as quoted by De Telegraaf), “Life isn’t fair. I didn’t hear him say this when he won titles all these years, did I? Then it doesn’t seem appropriate to me now“.
While Red Bull definitely seem to have the edge at the moment, Mercedes do have a better understanding of the regulations now. The Silver Arrows can use this understanding to produce a stronger car for the 2024 season and perhaps even challenge Red Bull for the title.
