Sir Lewis Hamilton suffered a shock after he lost at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He could not believe that he would lose the opportunity after coming so close. Neither could the fans imagine the predicament Mercedes and its star driver would be in. In 2021, he had the best chance to win his eighth title. But things went topsy-turvy for the Mercedes star since last year. It was a tough loss to swallow for the seven-time champion. Anyhow, Max Verstappen went on to win 34 races in the next couple of years. But losing so narrowly to the Dutch driver will always give Lewis Hamilton a sense of regret.
However, in 2023, there were a couple of drivers who tasted one or more GP victories in 2023 other than the Dutchman. Sergio Perez won a couple, and Carlos Sainz of Ferrari was the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race this year. However, many fans and experts blamed Lewis Hamilton for the downfall of Mercedes. Recently, James Allison defended the seven-time champion from such blame and allegations.
James Allison Defends Lewis Hamilton
The Mercedes Technical director mentioned, in an interview with the Controls podcast, that they screwed up while developing the car. It is not Hamilton’s fault, as Allison doesn’t believe the driver has off days. The only reason why the Mercedes car is not as quick as the Red Bull anymore is because they made mistakes while developing the car in the Brackley factory. At least, that’s what the Mercedes Technical Director feels. The German team dominated the grid for almost the last decade. Since the cost cap era began, Mercedes has struggled to catch up with Red Bull.
Lewis Hamilton has been very open about the problems he has been facing since the start of the new season. In the last race of 2023, Lewis had to manage brake issues from the start to the finish. As per The Mirror, Rosie Wait of Mercedes mentioned that the team’s first priority in Abu Dhabi was to get it to the finish. They didn’t want the car to retire. Anyhow, the brake issues have been a major reliability concern. Abu Dhabi has not been Hamilton’s favorite destination since 2021. But in the last race, Lewis Hamilton could only manage a P9 finish.
Max Verstappen And Red Bull Have Been Too Fast Since 2022
It has been a long time since Mercedes competed for the title. There has been a huge gap between the Red Bull and Mercedes cars. In the last couple of seasons, Red Bull has won 38 races but Mercedes barely managed to win the Brazilian GP last year. With just one win in the last two years, Mercedes has fallen far behind their rival team.
As a result, Lewis Hamilton, who’s the face of Mercedes, has not been able to dominate the grid for the last three years. Moreover, he has never been winless in any season until last year. Since 2022, the seven-time champion has been winless. He had a few P2 finishes in 2023. But Max Verstappen was just too fast for Hamilton.