Max Verstappen has not been challenged by Lewis Hamilton since winning the dramatic 2021 World Championship.
Max Verstappen has not been challenged by Lewis Hamilton for some time now (Image: GETTY)
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali is convinced that Lewis Hamilton’s sole reason for signing a new two-year deal with Mercedes is to try and push for a record-breaking eighth World Championship and bring an end to Max Verstappen’s dominance. Hamilton’s contract situation had rumbled on for nearly a year after talks were initially held.
The delay led to some questions on whether the Briton was ever going to sign, or even bring his illustrious career to an early end. But Hamilton put those concerns to bed before the Italian Grand Prix when it was announced he had signed a new two-year contract.
The 38-year-old even hinted that this might not even be his last contract in F1 with his motivation still as strong as ever. That motivation has been brought into question ever since he lost the 2021 World Championship to Verstappen in dramatic circumstances.
Since then, Red Bull have gone on to dominate the sport while Mercedes have struggled to find a concept capable of challenging at the front. Hamilton is on the longest streak of his F1 career without a race win, dating back to the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
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Stefano Domenicali is glad to see Lewis Hamilton commit his future to F1 (Image: Getty)
But Domenicali believes Hamilton’s commitment to the sport for at least another two years is a sign that he’s more than ready to continue fighting at the front when given a car that is able to do so. “I am very happy with Lewis’ decision,” said Domenicali.
“He is an extraordinary driver and I believe he has only one objective today – his eighth world title. I’m sure he feels in great shape, he has a lot of confidence in the team and, from a sporting point of view, it’s nice to know he’s there.
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“Furthermore, Lewis has been able to connect Formula 1 with very different worlds, which is undoubtedly positive news for Formula 1 as a whole.” Mercedes’ focus has now switched to the 2024 season where they’re hopeful of closing the gap to Red Bull.
“The sails are set for 2024,” Toto Wolff explained last month. “Now with the car development almost stopped for this year, I find it good because there is so much, we can optimise on the current car without looking too much into upgrades.
“Let’s see how we can really get it into more of a sweet spot while gaining more understanding for next year.”
