Once again, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton missed another chance of winning the title he so desperately wanted. After all, it would be his eighth Driver’s World Championship. Now, things are quite uncertain as to whether Hamilton can win another title with Mercedes. The way things stand in the current season, Ferrari and McLaren have a better chance of winning a race than Mercedes. However, it is becoming almost impossible to beat the champions Red Bull and Max Verstappen.
Even McLaren’s Lando Norris mentioned that they should have won in the Qatar Grand Prix. But to their utter shock, it was Max Verstappen yet again on the top of the podium of the Qatar Grand Prix. It is more of a reluctant acceptance of defeat than a shock to see Max winning another race. On the other hand, it seems Lewis Hamilton is giving up on toppling Perez to finish at P2 at the end of the 2023 season.
Why Is Lewis Hamilton Giving Up On His Quest For A P2 Finish Beating Checo?
There are still five more races remaining in the ongoing season. Currently, Hamilton is still 30 points behind Checo in the standings with 194 points. Moreover, the pace of RB19 is pretty discouraging for the Mercedes star in hopes of beating Checo to a P2 finish. Recently, Lewis Hamilton told the media that it will largely depend on Checo’s performances in the remaining GPs. As things stand, Hamilton feels it should not be too difficult for Sergio Perez to secure a P2 finish. But Hamilton would love to finish second this season.
He is really proud of where his team is currently. However, the seven-time champion is mainly focusing on a second-place finish for his Mercedes team. Moreover, Lewis Hamilton is wary of the progress of Ferrari as he says they are not really comfortable at P2 currently. But if they can squeeze the last juice of the car to beat the Italian team, it would be a pretty satisfactory season for the Brackley team. Anyways, Hamilton says he is really proud of where Mercedes is at present, considering the way they started in 2023.
Mercedes Can Lose Their Place To Ferrari Or McLaren
The only other team than Red Bull that can enjoy the feeling of winning a race this season so far is Ferrari. Rumors suggest Ferrari offered Lewis Hamilton a contract. But Hamilton recently mentioned in an interview with the German newspaper Bild that he got no offers from Ferrari. Moreover, Hamilton is happy at Mercedes as long as he and Wolff are tight. But when Mercedes can provide the seven-time champion with a championship-winning car is still a big question.
Moreover, in 2023, Lewis Hamilton is getting closer to a P2 finish, trying to overtake Sergio Perez in the standings. But it won’t be easy as Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc are proving to be a threat, as well as McLaren’s Lando Norris. Mercedes can lose their place in P2 again to Ferrari this year, like what happened last season. Moreover, Norris or Sainz can even topple Hamilton from P3. On top of that, if Sergio Perez finds consistency in the remaining races, he might ensure his place at P2. But everybody knows how terribly inconsistent Checo has been this year. The Mexican driver is on the verge of losing his Red Bull seat.