Lewis Hamilton has had the most torrid time of his F1 career over the past few months. Having lost the last lap shootout in Abu Dhabi to claim a record 8th drivers’ title, he now is suffering with a terrible Mercedes car and being beaten soundly by his new young gun team mate.
To add insult to injury, Hamilton was lapped by his title rival from 2021 in the latest round of the championship in Imola.
Following the season decider in Abu Dhabi, Toto Wolff claimed, “Lewis Hamilton will never recover from the pain,” and the downbeat media interviews he has given this season appear to bear this out.
Yet it’s a similar pain Lewis inflicted on Felipe Massa when winning his first title with McLaren. Another last lap decider where the Brazilian crossed the line as champion but Hamilton passing Timo Glock on the last corner reversed the result in his favour.
Lewis appears lost in the Mercedes W13. Beaten by his team mate in 4 out of the 5 races (inc sprint) this season. His loss of confidence in the 2022 Mercedes is apparent for all to see.
F1 journalist Alberta Fabrega sent F1 fans into a frenzy of speculation following his claim to have insider knowledge that “the [driver] market is moving and something is happening”, adding: “I am not surprised by those who leave, but I am surprised by those who arrive. Well, it is a change of drivers between teams.”
Social media was then rife with speculation that Hamilton is leaving. Yet the reality is the British champion is going nowhere. Red Bull and Ferrari seats are locked down for at least two seasons and Mercedes is still Lewis’ best bet when they sort out the car for a race win this season.
There’s little point Hamilton going to any of the other teams, but the mental strain of the past few months could see him decide he just wants to retire.
Again, this writer thinks this option seems unlikely as it would play to Lewis’ detractor’s claims he can only compete when the car is better than the rest of the field. Better suck it up like other ageing champions and be gracious towards young George.
Mika Hakkinen claimed this weekend that Hamilton will be “weighing up his options” but Lewis has dismissed this as “nonsense”.
Who the driver ‘leaving’ according to Fabrega, is anyone’s guess. Though the return of Kevin Magnussen to Haas has exposed Mick Schumacher as a fairly ordinary driver.
Haas have significantly benefitted from ditching their Russian ‘spinmeister’ for KMag and maybe Gene believes the team would be better served replacing Schumacher with another experienced driver.
Haas are on the up. Could be a possible option.
New faces, new scenery, a Ferrari engine and no pressure for an expected win every race. If he can maybe get one on front of the grid or a suprise win it would do a bit to change a few peoples opinion of him. I don’t see that as an impossibility, KMag is hardly an exceptional driver, but he’s doing better than anyone expected.
I think the Ferrari engine is a blessing and a curse in the same breath. The power it delivers is unquestionable, but the drivability appears to be detrimental to the tyre wear.
Something about good tyre management (insert race a, b and c), something about no one as experienced driving a Ferrari engine car and KMags endurance experience void as they use sensible tyres.
Cba to do propper research. Hopefully one of the fanbois will.
Bnwo is future. people of colour black rule the world taking a kne should be made compulsory for all events. Priveleged euro fair skinned drivers should be bamned instead replaced with people of colour and lgbtq people. Sir lewis h was robed last year coz the white supremacistt fear that he will break record of their fakee champion. Sir lewis h is was and forever the real GoAt without sir lewis no one sees this path etic sport. Black men and white women are the perfect combo like kelly and lewis. The white lineage will be end ed soon. Black lifes matters wakandaforever
Classic BLM political trite, even if badly expressed.
This is in F1 site btw.
I can realistically only see Latifi getting replaced by Piastri (this could happen for next season anyway), although this wouldn’t be a swap as Latifi wouldn’t move to Alpine.
BTW, RBR isn’t locked for two seasons, only Max beyond this season’s end.
However, another in-season change between RB-owned teams won’t happen for now.
I am not at all surprised that Hamilton is feeling low. The blame lies fairly and squarely at the door of the FIA who sacked Masi but then didn’t follow this up by stripping Verstappen of the title and awarding it to Hamilton. This insult was the start of his present feelings.
It was a blow to lose the championship for sure, but the history books are closed and he needs to focus on beating his team mate now and hope for a better car in 2023.
I agree he needs to focus on right now and beating Russell would be a good start and get over whatever it is that is causing him to drive like he is on a Sunday afternoon out.
He didn’t lose the title last season he was brutally robbed of it by Masi after leading for 50 laps and then Masi putting Max on his tail with one lap to go on new tyres. I think he is still suffering from the shock of that but I’m sure his team will help get his focus back.
Here we go again…….
I know how you feel. It took me years to get over Adelaide ’94. But once I got older and was able to look back at that season objectively, I soon realized that the best driver that year won the championship, regardless of how it was won.
It’s gonna take time. Stay strong.
Interesting perspective – taking the whole season into account – because Max was the better racer. More Poles, less engines, more no fault points lost….. and Lewis had more than the share of good fortune. Think Imola 12 months ago. He was dead and buried without the red flag.
Hindsight is indeed a wonderful thing.
My recollection of Monza is a bit different to yours, Max tried to drive Hamilton wide in a chicane when he had no clear line as Hamilton was on the driving line with Max expecting Hamilton to give way when he wouldn’t have done and inevitably resulted in a crash where Max ended up on top of Hamilton’s car with only the Halo saving Hamilton’s life. Instead of checking on him he strutted off upsetting a lot of drivers that day. He was rewarded for such a ridiculous stunt with two penalty points and was lucky to get away with that. Your description of ‘dead and buried’ would be an accurate description had it not have been for the Halo.
Also, you can say that with the best poles and better results also described Hamilton’s season in 2016 when he was robbed by Rosberg. So I would say that statistics mean nothing as last season Max had already lost in Abu Dhabi with Masi saving his bacon and statistics wouldn’t have saved him.
Well eagleeye, you don’t live up to your name. MV looked at LH and saw him try full throttle to get out from under Mv’s car. What’s the point of going to the car then? Aside from the risk of shooting loose?
In addition, if MV hadn’t been pushed back onto the track by the curbs, the two of them would have made it through the bend. unfortunately the effect of the curb misjudged.
There is nothing wrong with my eyesight Dre or my judgement. I’m afraid your letting your obvious anti Hamilton bias affect your yours.
In the first place the move to barge into a place in a chicane that simply wasn’t there unless Hamilton moved sharply off to the right and off the racing line, meant a collision was pretty inevitable. The most ludicrous thing is Max expected him to move out of the way, how arrogant and entitled do you get but that is Max and especially as Max has a history of crashing rather than give way. The Stewards also agreed and gave him two penalty points which is a serious breach, perhaps you have conveniently forgotten that. Also, without the Halo Hamilton would almost certainly have the rear of the car landing on his head, Max was lucky not have faced a manslaughter charge, that was no racing incident, it was reckless and dangerous and the stewards and pretty everyone else who aren’t Max fans agreed.
Secondly, Hamilton hitting reverse was the exact same excuse that Max used but to stomp past in a strop, upset a lot of people including drivers that day, it showed such immaturity and a lack of respect but that is also Max and a crappy excuse, any decent person would still have checked on Hamilton, especially as it was Max’s fault.
Are we saying that he’s NOT focused now?
Thank you Stoner, I’m less bothered about Abu Dhabi as that is history and wont change but more concerned with what it has done to Hamilton. He is a shadow of his former self and he needs to recover from this. Strange to say but thankfully he doesn’t have a competitive car right now so he has time to recover as this season is already a right off and he has another season or two still in him. I would really like to see him get that 8th title as he deserves it.
Schumacher was a great driver but was plagued with cheating incidents throughout his career, although he denied it he deliberately steered in Hill as he knew that if they both didn’t finish he would win. Like you I felt like throwing stuff at the TV after the Adelaide race and still don’t know how he got away with it. Remember him parking up in the middle of the track at Monaco to get pole, I’m not sure any driver would get away with that now.
This year is a write off, but it should have been last year. It’s no secret that RB went all in last year to win that championship. AMG MB were initially not going to spend and focus on the new regs. That would have been the sensible option. The gamble failed and it’s also affecting them this year.
His mood can be put down to expectations. He is expected to win by his team, their financers and his fans. He cannot deliver and this is adding pressure to him. That’s my opinion. Or maybe he’s partying a bit too much again.
🙂 Or eating too many vegan burgers?
I looked into his little fast food venture. I’d be depressed too with the bill!
Maybe man would be happier after a big tasty and box o mcnuggets.
Last lap shootout, do me a favour! More like shooting fish in a barrel! Thanks to Masi Max went from five places back after being behind for 50 laps to right on Lewis rear wing on new tyres with one lap to go. There was no need for a green lap let alone only un-lapping the cars between Lewis and Max, instead of all cars as per the rules, which only suited one driver Max. The other drivers had no clue what the hell was going on, it was a total farce.