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BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN – Race winner Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP celebrates in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain at Bahrain International Circuit in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
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BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN – Race winner Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP celebrates in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain at Bahrain International Circuit in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Year after year in the past decade or so, Lewis Hamilton has been rewriting the F1 history books. The Briton has accumulated so much success with Mercedes. In return, the team reward him with a faster and more reliable car every season.
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However, the fact that he has powerful machinery at his disposal becomes a weapon for critics to undermine Hamilton’s talent. The car versus driver debate has gone on for some time now, and it is no different with the 35-year-old as well.
Speaking in an interview, former F1 driver Jan Lammers talked about seeing a potential battle between Hamilton and Verstappen in 2021. He also mentioned that possessing the best car has given people a ‘slightly blurry view’ of Hamilton’s talent.
Motorsport.com quote Lammers as saying, “Of course, I hope to see a thrilling battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen this year.” (translated via Google Translate)
Lewis Hamilton has been driving the ‘best vehicle’ for years, says Lammers
“The question here is: Did Red Bull Racing manage to go in the right direction? Or was Mercedes unmatched at the pace of development?”
Hamilton’s 2020 season was phenomenal, and he certainly looks to be at the peak of his form. The fact that teammate Valtteri Bottas with similar machinery finished a distant second in the title fight last year is testament to the fact that the car is certainly not everything.
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NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 09: Second placed Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP looks on in parc ferme during the F1 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone in Northampton, England. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Lammers continued and said, “Max is a natural talent. We already knew that before we got into Formula One. The same goes for Lewis Hamilton, who had an impressive performance during his youth.”
“His biggest ‘downside’ is that he’s been driving the best vehicle for years, which gives the audience a slightly blurry view of his talent.”
A title race between Hamilton and Verstappen in 2021 would entertain racing audiences
Verstappen won the Abu Dhabi GP race, leading to think that a title fight in 2021 could be a possibility. The key factor to make this happen, though, will be Red Bull’s improvements to their cars in the upcoming season.
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Formula One F1 – Bahrain Grand Prix – Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain – Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in action during the race Pool via REUTERS/Giuseppe Cacace
Hence, F1 fans will look forward to seeing the Dutchman go toe-to-toe with Hamilton in the 23-race calendar. It will be fascinating to see who comes out on top in the battle at the end of it all.
