2021 was not a good year for Lewis Hamilton. The gut-wrenching defeat he faced at the hands of Max Verstappen and Red Bull would surely haunt the 7x champ for quite some time now. He’d have hoped that 2022 would be the year when he would challenge for that elusive 8th title. Little did he know that he would end up languishing 6th in the driver standings, defeated by the young pretender George Russell. Arguably, it was all down to how Mercedes goofed up the regulations, but still, questions were raised about the time the 7x champion left at the sharp end of the field.

Only a handful of drivers in the history of the sport have a legacy as intact as Hamilton. For example, Daniel Ricciardo was a bona fide superstar. However, after two squalid years at McLaren, the doors to an F1 career have seemingly all shut. According to ex-McLaren ace Juan Pablo Montoya, the moment of truth has arrived for Lewis Hamilton against his teammate. And the Colombian already knows the outcome.

While giving his two cents on the rivalry between Russell and Hamilton, as per Motorsport.com, Montoya began by explaining why Russell finished ahead of Hamilton in the standings. He said, “Because that was largely due to the problems Mercedes had with the car last year. Lewis offers an opportunity to shine. He’s a pilot who will catch it when it happens.” [translated via Google Translate]

In 2023, Montoya believes the tables will turn. He continued, “When you’re fifth and you know it’s nothing more than that, you don’t see life go on as if it depends on it. Then he’ll just do whatever it takes to secure fifth place. But there’s also a young driver on the other side of the garage who wants to prove himself in every race. But if Mercedes has a winning car again, I believe we will see a different Lewis.”

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Lewis Hamilton has been hyped to prove his doubters wrong in 2023. But what does Hamilton think of his own 2023 chances?

Lewis Hamilton makes a bold claim before the 2023 season

Lewis Hamilton is one of the two drivers in the history of the sport to win 7 titles (the other being Michael Schumacher). And moving into a year when he can be on the cusp of securing that elusive 8th title, the stats may not be with him.

According to the record books, no driver has ever won a race after crossing the 300 GP mark, which Hamilton crossed in 2022. When the Brit was made aware of this stat, he responded with just one line. He told Formula 1 Magazine, “But there has never been a driver like me either.”

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Do you think Lewis Hamilton can become the first driver ever to win 8 F1 titles?