Formula 1: Alarming stat shows Lewis Hamilton is barely challenged

Mercedes have dominated Formula 1 since the start of the V6 turbo hybrid era in 2014. But for the last four years, it has been all Lewis Hamilton in particular.

The 2013 Formula 1 season is still the most recent season to feature a world championship won by a team other than Mercedes. Since the V6 turbo hybrid era began the following year, the Silver Arrows have not lost a constructor title nor a driver title.

A total of 128 races have been contested since the 2014 season began, and Mercedes have collected 95 victories, including six in the first seven races of the 2020 season.

Six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton hasn’t won every championship since this era began, but he has won five of six and is well on pace to win six of seven and become the only seven-time world champion aside of Michael Schumacher.

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The 35-year-old Briton is also well-positioned to break Schumacher’s all-time wins record of 91; he currently sits at 89 after yet another dominant performance in Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.

The only world championship that Hamilton did not win from 2014 to 2019 took place in 2016, when he was barely beaten by teammate Nico Rosberg, whom he had beaten in the driver standings in 2013 and then again to win both the 2014 and 2015 world titles.

But over the last few years, Hamilton has hardly been challenged by teammate Valtteri Bottas, and that has resulted in him winning world championship after world championship in dominant fashion.

In fact, since the start of the 2016 season, Rosberg has more wins than Bottas.

Why is that alarming? Rosberg hasn’t been behind the wheel of a car in nearly four years, as Bottas replaced him after the 2016 season when he unexpectedly retired.

Rosberg won nine times en route to winning the 2016 world title. Bottas is sitting at just eight wins since joining Hamilton.

Hamilton, who has won 46 times since the 2016 season began and 36 times since Bottas became his teammate, hasn’t won fewer than nine races in a single year since 2013 when he won just once.

There are a number of statistics that point to Hamilton’s dominance over Bottas. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find any statistic that actually backs the 31-year-old Finn over his teammate.

But this particular tidbit goes to illustrate how little Hamilton, who has clinched each of the last three world championships with multiple races remaining and is well on pace to extend that streak to four, has been challenged by anybody the rest of the field during his historic run.

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So far this season, Hamilton has won five times. Bottas has won once and sits in third place in the driver standings through seven races behind Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who has also won once. Hamilton’s lead over Verstappen is a whopping 47 points with 10 races to go.

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