Mercedes’ star driver, Lewis Hamilton, is keen to get back to winning ways. It has been a long time since he saw the top of the podium. In fact, it has been a long time since the fans saw a different driver on the top of the podium other than Max Verstappen. The Dutchman became the first driver to win ten consecutive races in Formula One. He broke Red Bull’s former champion driver, Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine consecutive wins.
The current season of F1 has not seen any other team win a single race so far. It has only been Red Bull. However, while talking about the next race, Lewis Hamilton mentioned the team is bringing high downforce for the Singaporean Grand Prix. And apparently, it is good news, according to the seven-time champion.
Lewis Hamilton Feels Hopeful About The Next Race In Singapore
Sadly, Mercedes failed miserably in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, where both Red Bull and Ferrari got the better of them. However, the team CTO, Mike Elliot, announced that they would push the car to the limit to try to finish in second place. Albeit, they have shifted their focus to the 2024 season. Clearly, the Silver Arrows find the high downforce circuits more suitable than the long straight circuits. Lewis Hamilton believes the last race was the worst for Mercedes last weekend. However, Hamilton will go to the Singaporean Grand Prix with a lot of optimism.
The seven-time champion hopes that when they put their high downforce wing on, they do better. He just hopes he is right about the high downforce effect. He believes the Marina Bay Circuit will be suitable for the W14 car. Moreover, team Principal Toto Wolff seems to agree with Lewis Hamilton about the assumption of the next Grand Prix. The Mercedes boss feels that his team must maximize the opportunity they have in the Singaporean Grand Prix. Red Bull also mentioned they were expecting a difficult race due to the street circuit format.
What Happened To Other Powerhouses Like Mercedes And Ferrari?
This year, new challenges have come from teams like Aston Martin and McLaren. Clearly, the cost cap regulations have brought most of these teams closer to each other in terms of speed. Alpine is also showing positive growth. However, Red Bull has reached a whole other level of domination. But some experts believe it is not the car, actually, it is the Max Verstappen factor. He has won 37 races in the last two and a half years.
On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton has been winless since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. In the current season, he gained a pole position in the Hungarian Grand Prix but could not capitalize on it on the final race day, falling to fourth place. It seems like Mercedes is still unable to figure out a way to build the fastest car. However, since the start of the season, the team has introduced many upgrades that helped them gain a few podiums but not a win yet.
