Lewis Hamilton's 8th F1 title looks difficult thanks to Mercedes, feels former McLaren driver

Former McLaren driver Mark Blundell recently shared his thoughts on Lewis Hamilton and his chances of winning a world championship in the 2023 F1 season. After an intense 2021 F1 season in which he lost the world title to Max Verstappen, Hamilton's performance has taken a slight dip, even more so after the 2022 F1 season in which Mercedes struggled to build a fast car.

Hence, Blundell feels that Hamilton might not be able to win his eighth world title in 2023, particularly because of car performance. The former McLaren driver doubts that Mercedes will be able to suddenly create a championship-winning car after a poor season in 2022. He said:

“I’m not sure it’s going to be possible for him to do it in 2023, I just am not sure that the car is going to be strong enough for him to do it.”

He further added:

“There’s no denying that Lewis’ ability is there to win a World Championship, we’ve seen it time and time again. But you’re only as good as the car and something in the back of my mind niggles me that Mercedes is not going to come out as the fastest car on the grid for race one. I’m not sure why, other than I think there’s a bit of focus that’s been lost inside.”

Whether Mercedes will be able to make a fast car for the 2023 F1 season or not, this is not the only obstruction Lewis Hamilton will face. Several young drivers like Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, etc. will also have their eyes on the prize. Though the seven-time world champion has raced and beaten some of the strongest drivers in F1 history, the 2023 F1 season will be a tough one for him nonetheless.

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George Russell speaks about his relationship with Lewis Hamilton

Last season, we saw how George Russell performed much better than Lewis Hamilton and even grabbed his maiden race victory in Brazil. Though people might think that this could've soured their relationship, Russell assured them that this was not the case. Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, he revealed how he and Hamilton have a great relationship, saying:

"Lewis and I have a good relationship. If you look at the past, he has had teammates with a more similar age and they have fought for that leadership position, but between us, there is no leader. Lewis is at a more advanced part of his career and I'm at the beginning of mine, he's had all the success, he has nothing more to prove. We are helping each other, trying to improve the car, we want to take Mercedes back to the top."

Since Mercedes struggled quite a lot in the 2022 F1 season, both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton had to join forces and prioritize the constructor's standings more than the driver's standings. However, only time will tell how their relationship will pan out once they have a strong car, giving them both a chance to win the championship.