Will Hamilton ever win again? 'There is no doubt about his qualities'
Exclusive
- Ludo van Denderen
It has been almost two years since Lewis Hamilton won a Grand Prix. To illustrate: the last time the Briton triumphed, Max Verstappen did not have a single world title to his name. Given the strength of Verstappen and his team, Red Bull Racing, it seems that Hamilton's 104th win may well be a while away unless something out of the ordinary happens.
Currently, Hamilton leads important record lists: most victories in Formula 1 and - together with Michael Schumacher - most world titles (7). Until 2021, Hamilton's success was reflected in yet another fact: in every year he competed in Formula 1, Hamilton managed to take at least one win. That ended last season, and the Brit remains without a win in 2023.
Andretti believes in Mercedes turnaround
However, Mario Andretti, himself a Formula 1 great after his 1978 world title, has not written Hamilton off. During an exclusive interview with GPblog the 83-year-old expressed his expectation that Formula 1 will see Hamilton on the top step of the podium again. "I think so. Yeah, for sure," Andretti said about a possible Hamilton victory.
"You can see Lewis is very aggressive, and that's the way it should be, obviously. He probably doesn't feel that he has the equipment that he used to have a few years ago. But that's all in the works, I'm sure. Everyone is working hard and trying to improve the situation [at Mercedes]. And there's no question about his ability. No question."
McLaren, Ferrari and Alonso also in the mix
According to Andretti, there will be an exciting battle at the front of the field at some point. "There's going to be a fight. I guarantee you that from the standpoint of Max Verstappen, he knows that things are not going to be the same always. That's the beautiful thing about the sport. But you have protagonists here who are capable. You have two drivers at Ferrari that are capable. They've already shown they can win. You’ve got McLaren. And don't discount Fernando."
Alonso started the season particularly strongly, but lately, he and his Aston Martin team have struggled. "Fernando is always there," says Andretti. "I love the spirit that he has at this stage of his career. But like you said, going back to Lewis, yes, no question that you will hear from him sooner or later."