Formula One ace Lewis Hamilton lost his hegemony in the championship since the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP. In the final race of 2021, there was a huge turning point in the F1 sport. From 2014 to 2021, Mercedes never lost the constructor title to any team. Hamilton lost the Driver’s title twice in that period. In the turbo-hybrid era, the great Briton lost in 2016 and 2021. Moreover, in 2016, Hamilton lost to his own teammate, Nico Rosberg, after an epic battle. But in 2021, Mercedes faced the challenge of the Red Bull renaissance. The Austrian team gave Verstappen a car to challenge for the title. Eventually, after an epic showdown, Max Verstappen broke Lewis Hamilton’s winning streak.
For the first and only time in the turbo-hybrid era, Mercedes lost a title, not a constructor, though. Later, in 2022, Red Bull broke Mercedes’s streak, winning the constructor world championship. Since then, they have not looked back. Max Verstappen won three world championships in a row, and Red Bull won a couple in a row. On the other hand, Mercedes has not provided its drivers with the right car in the last two years. But this year, they may have made some improvements. However, Lewis Hamilton fears another Red Bull-dominated year ahead of them in 2024.
Will Red Bull Have An Even Better 2024 Season Than Last Year?
In 2023, Red Bull won 21 races of the overall 22 Grands Prix. On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton remained winless, and so did his team, Mercedes. Unlike in 2022, when Hamilton had a winless season, however, Mercedes won one race with George Russell in Brazil. Even with how the opening GP of 2024 panned out, it seems Max Verstappen and Red Bull might have another dominating season. They had a one-two finish at the very beginning of the new season.
Moreover, Red Bull won by a margin of 22 seconds. As a result, Lewis Hamilton fears that there is no beating the Austrian outfit while Max Verstappen steers the wheel. Carlos Sainz Jr. finished at P3 in the opening Bahrain Grand Prix. He was 25 seconds off the pace. After the race, Lewis Hamilton told the media that he doesn’t feel downbeat. But he thought Mercedes was super-average on Saturday. Moreover, Hamilton pointed at Red Bull’s timing, saying, “Red Bull will win everything for a while.”
George Russell Agrees With Lewis Hamilton
Hamilton’s teammate also mentioned after the race in Bahrain that clearly Max Verstappen is the favorite. George Russell feels the Dutch racer will win the championship again in 2024. There is no stopping him. But Russell said the rest of the drivers will at least try to get a win here or there. But Russell feels nobody can challenge Verstappen for yet another title.
However, the only positive thing that Hamilton believes the Silver Arrows can look at is the car. For the last couple of seasons, they did not have a car to fight with. But this year, the seven-time champion feels they have a platform that they can start adding to. Hence, as a great team like Mercedes, Hamilton feels they will look forward to the “Building process from here on.“
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