Sir Lewis Hamilton has dominated the grid since he made his debut in Formula 1. He had the best rookie season of all time. Moreover, the British driver was too close to win his maiden title in his rookie season. However, he had to wait for his sophomore season to win his first Driver’s World Championship. Back in 2007 and 2008, there was a hardcore rivalry between McLaren and Ferrari for F1 hegemony. But starting his F1 career with the British Auto racing team paid dividends for the great English racer. After a dominant start in his career, he happened to win his first title in 2008 but then came to a phase where he could not win the title for a while. Later, he joined Mercedes in 2013, and that marked a massive turning point in his career.
Several experts had advised Lewis Hamilton not to join the Silver Arrows because, previously, they weren’t a contender. But then the change came in 2014 when the turbo-hybrid era began. Mercedes did not lose a single constructor title between 2014 and 2021. On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton went on to win six of those eight Driver’s world championships. The two times he came second in the turbo-hybrid era were to his 2016 teammate Nico Rosberg and to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in 2021. Nonetheless, Hamilton got used to the tag of being the most dominant driver. He said, “It was so boring.”
Lewis Hamilton Feels Current Situation Is Much “More Rewarding”
Between 2014 and 2020, Lewis Hamilton won six titles, losing only in 2016 against his then-teammate Nico Rosberg. But in the latter part of that era, there were not many drivers who really challenged the great Briton. He went on to win 61 times after he secured pole position. That’s the best record for an F1 driver. Recently, on the Performance People podcast, the seven-time champion mentioned that the habit of dominating the race weekends became so “Boring” for him. He would lead those races all the way through. Now, when he fights from the back, he realizes that those days were really boring. Despite being boring, those days made Hamilton statistically the greatest driver of all time. Nonetheless, the Mercedes superstar said that it was not racing because there could have been a test for him to fight a time gap behind him.
Then, he would have to psyche himself thinking that he was a fighting an imaginary car ahead. Lewis Hamilton said, “You have to be chasing something.” Now, the situation is completely different as he has a number of cars ahead of him, and then he would have to rely on tracks like Austin or Silverstone, where he can overtake. At present, Hamilton is trying to discover different lines and utilize the wind and the tyres. Moreover, the seven-time champion says when he finally gets someone during a battle, its just the best thing and most rewarding experience he could have as a driver.
A New Chapter Awaits For The Seven-Time Champion In 2025
Back in 2022, Mercedes must have missed the mark when the new rules and regulations came along. They fell so far behind their rivals, Red Bull, that they could hardly win a single race in 2022. But Lewis Hamilton was winless in both 2022 and 2023. Never before in his career, he had a winless season. But the most decorated racer in F1 took nearly 1000 days to end his win drought. Finally, he won an F1 GP and that too at home in the British Grand Prix this year.
Later, the seven-time champion managed to secure another win after his teammate received a controversial disqualification at Spa, Belgium. But the great British racer is preparing to embark on a new journey that starts next year. He will start his dream collaboration with Ferrari in 2025. Can this epic collaboration benefit both the iconic F1 brands, winning titles and whatnot? Only time can tell.
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