Why Lewis Hamilton will never win another World Championship…

By Joe Murphy

This piece could become redundant in as little as 9 months from the time of writing, should Lewis Hamilton win a record eighth Formula 1 Driver’s World Title later this year. However, this is anything but a certainty. In fact, there is a number of reasons why the record-breaking Brit may never win another World Championship in F1. After the immense success of the Max Verstappen theory piece (available at: https://wheel2wheelreports.com/2022/01/04/why-max-verstappen-will-never-win-a-world-championship/), I felt duty bound to do the same for his biggest rival last season.

Lewis, rightly or wrongly, lost the title on the final lap, of the final race of the season, having had the win in the bag with only a handful of laps to go. Despite the fact he has already won seven of these honours, this will still sting and be very hard to get over, if he can at all. Simply put, it hurt him. Over the team radio after the conclusion of events in the Middle East, he sounded a broken man. Over the winter break, he was totally absent from Social Media and took a break from all public appearances to reset, both mentally and physically.

It is a feeling Felipe Massa should be able to relate to. The Brazilian lost the 2008 Championship to Hamilton himself in similar, yet less controversial, circumstances. Did he ever win a World Title after that fateful Brazilian Grand Prix? No. With Hamilton, there is the the risk that this plays on his mind just that bit too much. He may end up pushing too hard, like a gambler chasing his recent loss. And this never ends well.

Furthermore, Lewis Hamilton may never experience domination in the sport, to the same level as over previous years, again. Not only does he have a teammate with the potential to be more competitive against him, but Ferrari and McLaren are going to be a lot more competitive going forward. Regarding Red Bull, they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, either. Worryingly for Lewis, this all this starts, this year.

Moreover, the change in regulations should encourage more closely fought, ‘Wheel2Wheel’ racing. This is great for spectators and those drivers further down the grid. However, let’s face it, if you are winning most races in a season as Lewis has done for the majority of his Mercedes spell, then you don’t want a thing to change.

Lastly, his age is a big factor. The man from Stevenage isn’t old, but he is towards the final stint of his F1 career. The closing phase, if you will. George Russell, Lando Norris, Pierre Gasly, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen himself, are all examples of drivers with over a decade in hand of Hamilton. It could certainly be argued that the seven-time World Champion only has a couple of seasons left in the sport. Therefore, the pressure is on to win another World Championship in the limited time remaining in his career.

Whilst it is laughable to suggest that Lewis Hamilton isn’t a front runner to win the 2022 title, it is certainly possible that his last, and best, chance occurred in Abu Dhabi back in December. He may never get a better one.