The ‘motto’ of Lewis Hamiltonwhich the seven-time world champion has tattooed clearly visible also on his back, is “Still I laughed“. Paradoxically, never as in this difficult season, in which the Englishman from Mercedes went on vacation only sixth in the drivers’ standings and without yet having won a GP – a negative career record for him -, the Stevenage veteran kept his words true. who has chosen to engrave on the skin. After a literally disastrous start to the championship, with only one podium collected in the first eight races of the year and several setbacks in direct confrontation with his new boxing mate George Russell, the # 44 has in fact been able to raise his head.
Hamilton has taken five podiums in the last five races before the start of the holidays – a streak that no one else has achieved in the same period – and has regained points after points in the championship compared to all direct rivals. Now, with nine GPs still running, His Majesty’s cheering idol is still sixth in the ranking but only 32 lengths from second position, occupied by Charles Leclerc. The figure that makes the most impression, also considering the decidedly relative competitiveness of the W13 Mercedes so far compared to Ferrari and Red Bull, is that of the last eight GPs. From the race of Barcelona forward, in fact, Hamilton would even be second in terms of points obtained.
The reference to that weekend is not accidental: the Catalan trip in fact traditionally represents the beginning of the so-called European season‘, the one in which the cars are updated with the first upgrades brought by the teams. In these eight GPs, without ever winning, Hamilton collected three points more than Perez, seven more than Sainz, 11 more than team-mate Russell and even 36 more than Leclerc. Only Verstappen did much better, having put 63 points in the safe more than his British rival. Continuing with this trend Hamilton could seriously target even the second place in the drivers’ standings at the end of the season. A totally unthinkable result just a few months ago, perfect testimony of the great work done by Mercedes and the infinite hunger of its iconic driver.
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