Formula 1: The only thing that can stop Lewis Hamilton from 8th world title
The dust has settled on the best race of the season in Turkey, where Lewis Hamilton clinched his seventh Formula 1 world championship with a sensational drive. Only he stands between himself and title number eight.
Last time out in the Turkish Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton once again proved his mastery of changeable conditions and ability to manipulate the tires to perform how he wants them to. In winning the race, he won his seventh Formula 1 world title, equaling Michael Schumacher’s record, one which many expected to never be beaten.
It seems there is only one thing that will get in the way of him eclipsing the great Schumacher and adding an eighth to his tally, and that’s himself.
An announcement made back in March made Hamilton and Mercedes the red hot favorites again for 2021.
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As the coronavirus pandemic brought a halt to the season opener in Australia earlier this year, days afterward, all 10 teams unanimously agreed to push back sweeping technical regulations from 2021 to 2022.
That means teams can use their chassis from this year heading into 2021, and that would prove to be music to the ears of Mercedes and Hamilton amid their turbo hybrid era dominance, as nothing seems to be able to stop them. But that’s only if Hamilton signs with the team for next year.
Hamilton has not yet put pen to paper on a deal past this year, with team principal Toto Wolff saying the latest world title makes him even more expensive.
Wolff has said that it is unlikely a deal will be done before the end of the season, but he is hopeful of tying down Hamilton to a new contract by the end of the calendar year.
It’s not just racing that matters to Hamilton.
Shortly after winning his seventh world title, he said he feels he’s “just getting started” and is using his position as a platform for change in society and the sport.
He’s also said, speaking to the official Formula 1 website: “I’m very conscious of the idea that I do want to continue with Mercedes; I’d love to help them on this quest pushing for change. They’re obviously making their cars green and electrifying more, and I’d like to help them on that road.”
This year in particular, he has campaigned for equality, championed the Black Lives Matter movement throughout and said he wants to help the sport become carbon neutral on the podium after winning title number seven.
Performances on the track speak for themselves. Since the hybrid turbo era began back in 2014, Mercedes have been unstoppable, scooping up all seven constructor titles and all seven driver titles, with Hamilton winning all driver titles with the exception of 2016, when teammate Nico Rosberg clinched it in the final race in Abu Dhabi.
While Rosberg kept Hamilton fairly honest throughout all four seasons when they were teammates, Valtteri Bottas has not yet held a torch to his rival in the four campaigns they’ve been together. Bottas has won nine races compared to Hamilton’s 41 since they became teammates. Rosberg won 22 compared to Hamilton’s 32 in their four years.
To put that in perspective, Rosberg and Bottas have both won nine races since the 2016 season started, and the former retired four years ago.
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So it doesn’t seem that Hamilton will be tested too much from the opposing side of the garage, and with the technical rule changes being pushed back a year, Mercedes and Hamilton hold all the aces once again going into 2021. But this is all if he signs. If he does, expect history to be made.