Having trouble Lewis Hamilton, a driver for Mercedes, hasn’t won a Grand Prix since 2021.
When Lewis Hamilton stated in a lie detector test last year that he would stay in Formula One until he won an eighth Drivers’ Championship, it turned out that he was telling the truth. His decision to switch from Mercedes to Ferrari speaks volumes about his drive to create history, and based on his current performance, it appears like a wise choice.
Over the past two and a half years, Hamilton has been forced to lower his sights significantly from winning another world title, despite improving in all but two of the seasons between 2014 and 2021.
The seven-time world champion hasn’t even won a Grand Prix since 2021 because Mercedes hasn’t been able to fully grasp the rules governing ground effect design. Hamilton has now acknowledged that he has “had enough” of seeing other people struggle to win.
The shocking revelation and Hamilton’s choice to sign a contract to leave Mercedes and join Ferrari the following year are the result of his unwavering desire to defeat Michael Schumacher and win an eighth world championship.
When Sky Sports put him in front of a lie detector last year, that much became evident. Hamilton paused and said, “Yes,” when asked if he intended to stay in the sport until he won another championship. It was assumed that Hamilton was being honest.
It was revealed that Hamilton and Ferrari had reached a multi-year agreement just 11 months later. While some believed that the 39-year-old made the decision to follow through on a childhood ambition, reflection on the lie detector test and the possibility that he may not have much time left at the top level point to winning another title as the primary driving force.
“For me, this whole journey has been massively emotional just because I have so much love for this team,” Hamilton reaffirmed following the Miami Grand Prix. I’m not unhappy there, so I’m not leaving. My departure is not due to problems in my relationship.
“I have loved Mercedes since I was 13 years old. I adore the folks. They have supported me through good times and bad. Thus, the transition is undoubtedly peculiar at the moment.
To get back to the top, Hamilton would have to dethrone Max Verstappen from his position. Given that the Dutchman has won the previous three Drivers’ Championships and is likely to win a fourth, doing so might be nearly impossible.
The gap was evident once more in Miami, where Verstappen finished nearly ten seconds ahead of Hamilton in P6, even with a safety car bunching up the field halfway through the race and him taking a rare second place behind Lando Norris.
