'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAYACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABhAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQYQAAEDBAMBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAIBAwQABRESBgciIUEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAURAQACAgIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwASESExQWH/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AIc/sW98V5ZxqRJFg413tspsbe00hR0JlpCacLf1nbZVwtbWR2FHCQ6JWmHsLhIuGfmUX89UpSNVtug7y5fPeH2QhGSEQBfX3P/Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Lewis Hamilton will be heading into the 2023 F1 season motivated and hoping to win what would be his 8th world title. The Mercedes driver has been a legend of the sport for a while now but has arguably not had the best of seasons in 2022 and 2021.
The 2021 F1 season featured a rather tragic ending where a late-race intervention by Michael Masi cost Hamilton the title. The Briton was admittedly disturbed by what had happened and it took him some time to recover from that. Unfortunately, the 2022 F1 season was even worse for Hamilton as his car was simply not good enough to compete for the title. To make things worse, he finished the season behind his teammate George Russell and did not win even a single race all season.
Trending
The 2023 F1 season is the last one for Hamilton on his current contract. The Mercedes driver is trying to sort out the contract negotiations, but at the same time, he will be hoping to challenge and win what would be his 8th world title in F1. There's certainly reason to believe that Lewis Hamilton could end the 2023 F1 season as an 8-time world champion. Let's take a look at the reasons why.
#1 Red Bull is compromised big time!
Red Bull dominated the 2022 F1 championship. The team started the season with a stutter as reliability was a major issue for them. However, as the season progressed, it got stronger in every race.
By the end of the season, the team clearly had the best car on the grid. It was competitive in all conditions, be it the slow-speed sections or the fast ones, be it in dry or wet weather. It was an all-round package that was hard to beat on most tracks. Having said that, while the advantage did exist, it was not a major one.
This season, Red Bull will be facing a compromised development time. The team won the championship in 2022 and hence, the development time was already limited. With the cost cap breach penalty added to it, that's a serious handicap.
Mercedes, a car that was on the ascendancy near the end of the season, should be able to take advantage of that and possibly even overhaul Red Bull in terms of performance. If that happens, Lewis Hamilton will be in a prime position to take advantage of the situation and win the title.
#2 Ferrari is still not ready to win the title
At the risk of almost writing off the chances of the most successful team in F1 history, let's be fair: Ferrari is not ready to win the title. To win a title, it is not enough to have the fastest car at the start of the season. This was something that Ferrari could do in 2022.
To win a title, you need a fast car at the start of the season, the capability to develop it throughout the season, the drivers and an in-race strategic unit that deliver results every weekend, and most importantly, the ability to perform under tense situations.
When you look at teams like Red Bull and Mercedes, you see these teams ticking most of the boxes. Ferrari, however, does not! Its strategic unit has a major question mark over it, but that's not the only one. The team's in-season development of the car is doubtful, as it compromised the team last season.
For Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes, Ferrari could prove to be a challenge at the start of the season but as it progresses, that challenge will certainly fade away.
#3 Lewis Hamilton should have the edge against his teammate
Finally, some detractors are probably reading a lot into Lewis Hamilton getting outscored by his teammate George Russell last season. Looking back, Russell definitely deserves credit for outscoring his veteran teammate. His success and triumph weren't limited to that, as he also secured the sole pole position and win for the team.
Russell will continue to be a challenge for Hamilton, and there's no argument over that. However, when it comes to title battles, one should expect Hamilton's championship experience and mindset to take over.
The 2022 F1 season couldn't be called one-way traffic as Hamilton was Mercedes' best driver in multiple races last season. Overall, if one has to pick between Lewis Hamilton's experience and George Russell's youth, the former should triumph.
