To say that Lewis Hamilton’s 2024 campaign has been a rollercoaster ride would be an understatement. Even before the season began, the Briton made the headlines with his decision to go to Ferrari next year. And then started a series of dry spells as he could not score podium places with the Mercedes W15. While the 39-year-old patiently waited for the lows to pass, his team made some updates to the Silver Arrows car that completely transformed it. This led to Hamilton and his teammate George Russell going for the top spots at almost every Grand Prix that came after the Canadian GP.
At the British GP, Lewis Hamilton appeared to be the strongest force at the practice sessions. On top of that, he scored a brilliant front-row start to his home race too. And in a battle against the best of F1 at Silverstone, Lewis reigned supreme as he grabbed his first F1 victory in 2.5 years. But that was not the end of it. Before the summer break began, he inherited yet another win as the FIA disqualified George Russell for violating F1 rules with a car that could not pass the permissible limits. So, how did Lewis survive a victory draught of 945 days to finally find his race-winning form?
One might assume that, as a 7-time World Champion, Lewis only knows how to win. But the Briton faced the most cruel defeat when he failed to win a single race since the Saudi Arabian GP in 2021. Speaking on how he remained level-headed during the times, Lewis said, “It’s been mostly a battle of the mind. Keeping yourself sane, trying to pick up new tools. Ultimately, it always comes back to persistence and dedication. Hard work. It always does eventually pay off.”
The hard work did pay for Lewis as he has a dream victory in Silverstone in the presence of his parents. And like the true Champion that he is, the Mercedes racer refused to think that his wait for a 104th Grand Prix win was not worth it. He claimed he has learned some lessons during that grueling time as he said, “I probably learned to be a better teammate in this period of time, because we’ve [Lewis and his Mercedes crew] had more time to focus on communication.” Well, Hamilton being back to his winning ways has sparked the hopes of his innumerable fans for an 8th World Championship win.
Lewis Hamilton’s thoughts on an eighth World Championship
In his 17 years as a Formula 1 racer, Lewis Hamilton has reached peaks that no other person had before. He is the only driver with 105 Grand Prix wins as of now, and he holds the record for the highest number of Championship victories with Michael Schumacher. However, he is still showing no signs of retiring at 39 and is winning races now as well. So, several pundits have said an eighth Championship may be possible for Lewis in the upcoming seasons.
When Lewis Hamilton was approached for his thoughts on whether he could get another F1 title, he did not say no. Rather, he commented, “It would mean everything to win an eighth title. It is impossible to know what the future holds and what it would feel like, but doing something that no one else has done would be mind-blowing.” Thus, standing in the corridor of his 40s, Lewis Hamilton still dreams of an eighth World Championship.