CAN HAMILTON DO IT FOR MERCEDES?
Briton heads into the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on the crest of a wave as six-time world champion |
There is a fire that burns in Lewis Hamilton that shows no sign of abating. At the US Grand Prix on November 3, Hamilton won the Formula One drivers’ championship for the sixth time. Only Michael Schumacher, who retired in 2012, has won more, with seven.
As the season-ending Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix takes place in the UAE this weekend, Hamilton has opened up about his hunger to add to his collection of titles.
“I’m going to be racing for more years — I want to win every year,” Hamilton said. “I don’t think I have hit my peak yet, so that is comforting.
“I’ll be pushing more than ever in these following years, going into every year as if it’s my first. Everyone starts from a clean slate, and that will be the same next year. We are all fighting for that world title, and I’m still chasing it.”
There are no major changes to the regulations for 2020, which means, because the cars are not changing, Hamilton and Mercedes will again be favourites to win championships; the team won its sixth consecutive constructors’ title in October.
Hamilton said he was not motivated to equal, or better, Schumacher’s record, which was once considered untouchable.
“I’ve always said to you that reaching Michael’s record was never a target for me,” Hamilton said. “I’m not really one that thinks of records and those kinds of things. I thought that getting anywhere near Michael was just so far-fetched.”
Toto Wolff, the Mercedes motorsport boss, said the record had stood because it’s difficult to achieve.
“If we are able to provide the drivers with a good car next year that is competitive, we continue to work on the gaps we still have, try to minimise the mistakes, there is no reason why he can’t go for a seventh title.”
Wolff was asked what makes Hamilton so special.
“He just drives cars bloody fast,” Wolff said. “It’s where talent meets a big push for selfimprovement all the time, and that combination makes him stand out in his generation.”
Hamilton won the championship last year with a stellar season, winning 11 grands prix and securing 11 pole positions. He achieved a level of excellence rarely seen in Formula One, making few errors on the track.
This season has been more difficult. He has only started from pole four times but has still won 10 races.
He has found a way to win despite Mercedes not always having the quickest, or the best, overall car, and Ferrari and Red Bull posing robust challenges.
Other drivers said Hamilton was able to push the limits of what appears possible in a car.
“You can’t just have talent, you have to want to win, and his determination to win is very evident when he is racing,” said Damon Hill, the 1996 Formula One world champion.
“When he is in the car, he is able to extract every last drop
of performance out of himself and do things that other people can’t.”
Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari is a four-time champion and finished second to Hamilton in 2017 and 2018. This season the German driver has struggled, winning only one race.
He has respect for Hamilton, saying “he is absolutely one of
the best”. “Lewis is undoubtedly a great professional who stands out among all the drivers of his generation,” Vettel added. “If somebody wins the title six times, he deserves all of it.”
Mario Andretti, who won the 1978 Formula One world title and four IndyCar titles, said Hamilton was a force “right from the very beginning” after
starting his career with McLaren in 2007, when he finished second in the championship.
“You can see he has never lost his nerve to be up there,” Andretti said. “He wants for nothing less. “The best part about him is that he is really enjoying life, and he is on top of the world right now.”