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“Last Year Was Perhaps His Last Chance…”: Former F1 Driver Makes Troubling Lewis Hamilton Prediction, and Only Mercedes Can Prevent It

Published 05/01/2022, 10:48 AM EDT

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via Reuters

The start of the 2022 season hasn’t been the way Lewis Hamilton would’ve wanted. Calling it bad would be much of an understatement, as the championship protagonist lags behind his title rivals by a mile. He’s not only behind the Ferrari and Red Bull drivers, but also his newly recruited teammate, George Russell.

As things stand, Lewis is far away from the championship battle. The seven-time world champion just had one podium finish this season, thanks to double Red Bull DNFs in Bahrain. With the recently concluded Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, the Mercedes maestro has hit a new low as he qualified in P14 while ending his race in P13. If the situation doesn’t improve this year or next, Hamilton might bid goodbye to the sport.

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Talking about this, former F1 racing driver Gerhard Berger conveyed to Speedweek, “The title that got out of hand against Max Verstappen last year was perhaps his last chance to become an eight-time world champion. If the car doesn’t work this year and 2023, his career could end.”

“After so many races in which he has been so dominant, I can imagine that in a situation like this he loses his will. Finally, the fact that George Russell was faster than him at the start of the season will soon make him nervous,” Berger further stated.

What are the issues faced by Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes?

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As the Red Bulls and Ferraris are bagging good points, Mercedes are still to figure their way out against the porpoising. Not only do the bumpy rides give the Brackley-based team a headache, but also their slow speed on the straight has become a cause of concern.

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As time passes, Lewis Hamilton and his dream of having the eighth world title seems to be floating away. As of 2021, the Mercedes driver had only one championship rival, Max Verstappen. Coming into 2022, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen both are in the race. With two wins each, the Monegasque and the Dutchman are way ahead in points as compared to the Briton.

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Lewis collected 28 points after four races so far and is in P7 in the Constructor’s Championship. While George Russell is in P4 with 49 points. Charles Leclerc continues to lead the driver’s championship with 86 points, followed by defending F1 champion Max Verstappen with 59 points.

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Written by:

Sabyasachi Biswas

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Sabyasachi Biswas is an F1 writer at EssentiallySports. He has completed his Master's in Mass Communication and Journalism from Jadavpur University, Kolkata. Sabyasachi is an ardent Red Bull and Max Verstappen fan and has been following the sport for over a decade now.
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Edited by:

Ranvijay Singh