While Max Verstappen effortlessly secures his third World title, Lewis Hamilton finds his greatest fulfilment in championships where fierce competition was present.
With an impressive tally of seven World titles, including six earned within a mere seven seasons alongside Mercedes, Hamilton experienced the bitter taste of defeat to Verstappen in the intense title race of 2021, a battle that raged until the very end.
Since then, Verstappen has commanded the Formula 1 arena, amassing a remarkable 15 race victories last season alone en route to his second championship triumph. This year, the Dutchman’s dominance continues, with an outstanding seven wins out of nine races, leaving him with an astounding 81-point lead in the standings.
Nevertheless, Lewis Hamilton finds it difficult to comprehend the true fulfilment that comes from such a dominant position.
The British racing sensation admits that while periods of dominance are not uncommon in the sport, it is the championships he had to earnestly fight for that remain etched in his memory.
Reflecting on the broader issue within Formula 1, the 38-year-old shared his thoughts during an engaging conversation with BBC’s Jennie Gow.
The prevailing challenge lies in the historical prevalence of prolonged stretches of dominance, which Hamilton believes have somewhat diminished the true essence of the sport.
“I had it and I was really, really fortunate to have it here with this team. Michael [Schumacher] had it, Seb [Vettel] had it, now it’s Max’s period.
“There’s no telling how long that will be, whether we get the car on track and fight them back next year or whether Ferrari can, or whether it will be us next, or Ferrari next, or Red Bull next.
“When we were dominant, the best years were when we were fighting when we had the close battle with Red Bull, when we had the close battle with Ferrari.
“On some of the other times when the gap was a little bit bigger, that wasn’t really the most fulfilling period of time. But there’s nothing we could do about, we just did a better job and that’s where Max is.
“Ultimately, him and his team have just done a better job than everyone else and you cannot take it away from them.”
