Formula 1: Can Lewis Hamilton win a close championship battle?
By Asher Fair
Lewis Hamilton hasn’t won a Formula 1 championship by fewer than 46 points in more than a decade. Is he capable of winning a close championship battle?
Since the 2008 Formula 1 season finale, the Brazilian Grand Prix, which featured Lewis Hamilton making a pass for fifth place on the last lap to take the championship away from race winner Felipe Massa, the 33-year-old Briton has been crowned champion four more times.
Hamilton is now one of only three drivers in Formula 1 history who have won at least five championships, as he joined five-time champion Juan Manuel Fangio and seven-time champion Michael Schumacher on this list by winning his fifth career title this past season.
But since the last lap of the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix, which led to Hamilton winning the championship by just one point over Massa (98 to 97), he has not won a championship by fewer than 46 points. Take note that the scoring system in the 2008 season is different than it is now; the modern-day scoring system was implemented ahead of the 2010 season.
Next season’s Formula 1 field is expected to be the most competitive field in several years, particularly among the top three teams: Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, Scuderia Ferrari and Aston Martin Red Bull Racing.
More from Formula One
- Formula 1: Top Red Bull threat identified for 2024
- Formula 1: Why the Max Verstappen retirement obsession?
- Formula 1: Williams ‘mistake’ hints Logan Sargeant’s future
- Formula 1 awaiting key confirmation for 2024 season
- Formula 1: The ‘championship’ Max Verstappen only leads by 3 points
Most notably, young superstar Charles Leclerc is set to replace Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari, and it is no secret that Ferrari made gains on Mercedes this past season and were arguably quicker than the Silver Arrows in more races than not.
Also, Red Bull Racing are set to switch from Renault engines to Honda engines, a move that is expected to give their cars more reliability and more power.
With all of this in mind, it is not hard to envision the championship battle in the 2019 season being a close one. In only two of the last six seasons has the championship been decided in the season’s final race. However, it may very well come down to that next year.
Is Hamilton capable of winning a close championship battle?
The two seasons during which the championship has been decided in the final race of a season in last six seasons are the 2014 and 2016 season. Hamilton won the 2014 championship, which featured a double points-paying season finale, over teammate Nico Rosberg by 67 points (384 to 317), but he finished the 2016 championship battle in second place to Rosberg, and he finished just five points behind him (385 to 380).
Meanwhile, Hamilton has won the other three championships not discussed above that have been decided since the start of the V6 turbo hybrid era in the 2014 season. He won the 2015 championship by 59 points over Rosberg in second place (381 to 322), he won the 2017 championship by 46 points over Vettel in second (363 to 317), and he won the 2018 championship by 88 points over Vettel in second (408 to 320).
On a side note, Hamilton would have won the 2014 championship by 42 points over Rosberg in second place (359 to 317) had the season finale not been a double points-paying race.
Again, if Hamilton is not the sport’s dominant driver, does he have what it takes to come out on top after a hard-fought battle with one or more drivers?
The way Hamilton won the 2008 championship makes it easy to say yes. However, the fact that he has never won another championship by fewer than 46 points (42 points had the 2014 season finale been a regular points-paying race) means that he has truly never won a close championship battle using the modern-day scoring system. He has relied solely on his dominance to get the job done.
Meanwhile, Hamilton has lost four championships by 46 points or fewer, although his 46-point loss in the 2009 season to Jenson Button (95 to 49) as the fifth place driver isn’t exactly applicable in this situation since the scoring system was far different than it was now.
The scoring system was far different than it is now in the 2007 season as well, but Hamilton finished in a second place tie in the driver standings and lost the 2007 championship by just one point to Raikkonen (110 to 109).
Using the modern-day scoring system, Hamilton has finished behind the champion by 16 points or fewer on two occasions. In the 2010 season, he finished in fourth place in the driver standings, but he finished behind champion Vettel by just 16 points (256 to 240). As discussed above, he finished in second place to Rosberg in the 2016 season by just five points (385 to 380).
While Hamilton has proven time and time again that he knows how to win Formula 1 championships, it will be interesting to see how he performs in a close battle that comes down the wire since he hasn’t won a championship by fewer than 46 points in more than a decade.
Next. Top 10 Formula 1 drivers of all-time. dark
Do you believe that Lewis Hamilton is capable of winning another Formula 1 championship if the championship battle comes down to the final race of the season, or perhaps even the final lap of the final race of the season? Will we get the chance to see a close battle in 2019? Which driver do you believe has the best chance of preventing him from winning the 2019 title?
The 2019 season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, March 17, 2019 with the Australian Grand Prix from Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in Melbourne, Australia. Be sure not to miss this race or any of the other 20 races on next year’s schedule, which extends into early December.