2014 marked the last year for Red Bull’s reign in Formula 1, as the Mercedes F1 team were itching to overthrow the Milton-Keynes-based outfit. Lewis Hamilton has bagged every Drivers’ Championship bar the 2016 title. That honor went to Nico Rosberg after a hard-fought dogfight. However, Mercedes has swept the Constructors’ Championship.
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So, this begs the question, who really deserves the credit for their success? It is true that the competitiveness kicked off when Hamilton joined the team in 2013.
However, is it fair to say that Hamilton’s arrival was the reason only reason behind the team’s massive surge in form? Truthfully, Nico Rosberg, Michael Schumacher, and Ross Brawn played a big role in developing the Mercedes car since 2010.
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However, the induction of the legendary Niki Lauda and the Austrian business tycoon, Toto Wolff, brought in the winds of change.
Lauda actually lobbied for the team to sign Lewis Hamilton from the McLaren team at the end of the 2012 season. Admittedly, Hamilton did need a year to be competitive, grabbing a win, four podiums, and finishing 4th in the Championship.
Who is the architect of success – Mercedes or Lewis Hamilton?
Then 2014 came with a massive rules overhaul, and Mercedes took capital advantage. Since then, the juggernaut has been unstoppable, and both cars always pranced their way to glory.
However, Lewis Hamilton was the first to see the chequered flag, nine times out of 10. Without a doubt, Lewis Hamilton is exceptionally talented, but can he be solely credited for Mercedes’ dominance?
Can a team’s success be attributed to just one man? Logically, Lewis Hamilton is merely the driver, and even his teammates Rosberg and Valtteri Bottas, have been performing well.
So, this can only prove that it is the team that deserves to be credited for their success.
After all, Formula One is a team sport, and Hamilton is just one cog in a well-oiled machine. One can also say that the team interpreted the regulations far better than anyone else, which is another reason behind their dynastic dominance.
On the other hand, Hamilton is undeniably the Numero Uno driver.
