"Lewis is at his most dangerous with his back against the wall" - Former Red Bull driver warns of 'being pretty harsh, pretty fast' with Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton has been on the receiving end of criticism that is too harsh and too quick after a slow start to 2022, feels former F1 driver Mark Webber.

Webber started his F1 career with Minardi in 2002 before going on to drive for Jaguar and Williams. The Australian then joined Red Bull for seven seasons and was part of their all-conquering team between 2010 and 2013.

Webber was asked to share his thoughts on Lewis Hamilton during the 2022 Monaco EPrix, where he cautioned those writing the Briton off this year. He said:

“I think people are being pretty harsh, pretty fast on Lewis [Hamilton]. In Bahrain he drove brilliantly to third place. In Saudi, there was a Safety Car involved there with a pit stop. Same in Melbourne. So I think there have been quite a few points he’s missed through no fault of his own.”

Webber went on to add, saying:

“It’s only Imola where he had a tricky qualifying and race. Of course, everyone’s forgetting how the other points were lost through no fault of his own. Never, ever underestimate an organisation like those guys. It’s going to be fascinating to see how the next few weeks go. Lewis is at his most dangerous with his back against the wall. He’s never short of motivation – that’s why he’s probably the greatest of all time.”

Hamilton has 28 points to his tally after the first four rounds of the season and will be hoping to add to it at the upcoming 2022 F1 Miami GP.

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"That’s really, really important to him" - Lewis Hamilton will be motivated to beat George Russell in 2022, claims former Mercedes driver

Former Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg believes Lewis Hamilton will be motivated to get the better of his new teammate George Russell.

Ever since the season opener in Bahrain, Hamilton has been outshone by Russell in the three race weekends that have followed.

While Lewis Hamilton has admitted to being out of the title race this year, Rosberg feels he will certainly be up for the challenge of being the sharper Silver Arrow.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the 2022 F1 Imola GP, the 2016 world champion said:

“That was tough to see Lewis [Hamilton] in that state, he’s really down which is understandable. It is a long season but they’re nowhere with that car; they’re not even going to be able to fight for race wins any time soon. So, it’s difficult for Lewis to keep his motivation up.”

Rosberg went on to add, saying:

“I think he’ll manage because he really is a fighter and remember there’s always that thing that he still wants to beat his teammate. That’s really, really important to him. With George [Russell] performing so well, that could be the biggest motivator for Lewis to just keep going and keep fighting.”

Going into the 2022 F1 Miami GP this weekend, Hamilton trails Russell by 21 points and will hope to bridge that deficit by the time they return to Europe.