Lewis Hamilton shares the significance of number 44 to his fans and family - "It's the number that..."

Lewis Hamilton mentioned that his car number '44' has a special significance in his personal life and also has a connection to his childhood.

In 2014, Formula 1 allowed drivers to choose their own numbers for their cars. Hamilton, who had previously raced with different numbers on his cars owing to his position in the championship, chose number 44.

Speaking to F1.com, the Brit revealed that he had always raced with '44' on his car before entering the sport.

“That’s the number we raced with for many years, and then when I joined Formula 1, I had to be whatever the team asked me to be, and then further into my career they then decided to allow the drivers to choose their one number and that would be their number forever, and I went back to the number where it all started," Hamilton said.

The 38-year-old added that the number had a special significance to his family and fans.

"It’s the number that my family recognised the most, it’s the number that has been loyal to me and to my fans,” he said.

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"Lewis Hamilton is a driver who if there is an opportunity to shine, he will grab it with both hands" - Juan Pablo Montoya

Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya mentioned that the sport will see a different version of Lewis Hamilton in 2023 compared to his dejected 2022 campaign.

The seven-time world champion was often seen frustrated with the W13's inability to fight for race wins in the first half of 2022. Although he did rack up multiple podiums by the end of the season, Lewis Hamilton was unable to hold on to his record of winning at least one race in every season that he competed in.

Speaking to Motorsport.com, Montoya predicted that Mercedes will have a more consistent car this season.

"Yes, because last year it was also largely down to the problems Mercedes had with the car. And Lewis is a driver who if there is an opportunity to shine, he will grab it with both hands," he said.

The 47-year-old stated that without a competitive car, Hamilton did not have any motivation to give it his all last year.

"But when he lies fifth and knows there is no more in it than that, you won’t see him driving like his life depends on it. Then he will just do what it takes to secure that fifth spot," Montoya added.

While the Colombian was confident of Lewis Hamilton's talent, he mentioned that the F1 icon should be wary of his young teammate, George Russell.

"But on the other side of the garage, with George, you have a young driver who goes flat out every race and wants to prove himself every time. However, I expect that if Mercedes has a winning car again, we are going to see a different Lewis," Montoya said.

The Mercedes F1 team will launch their 2023 car on February 15th with both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in attendance.