January 01, 2022 – 2:26 pm Watch
hamilton is worth gold instead of silver
by Martin Armbruster
“I hope I can have my words so that I can eat them” (I hope I find my words to eat them), as boxing legend “Big” George Foreman once said in his role as a TV expert on when he might actually be wrong with a predicament for a fight. went. About a year ago, the author of these lines wrote that Mercedes would easily become the Formula 1 world champion in 2021 and that Lewis Hamilton would not need Lewis Hamilton anyway. It’s time to mash those words.
Mercedes’ dominance suddenly gone
New Year’s Day is usually a good day to look back on what you’ve done last year and you don’t want to stand by. In my case there would be an article from January. So, rewind once: before us – there can hardly be any doubt that after 2020 – there was another Formula 1 year of Mercedes dominance. Brackley was in tough, glue-like talks with series master Lewis Hamilton for a period after 21 at the time. The hiccups and daily water level bulletins were kind of annoying—as was the dreary way in which the Silver Arrows had all but flattened out for years.
“Mercedes doesn’t need Lewis Hamilton,” was my headline. Logic: The black monster would be every world champion in Arrow anyway. That’s why Mercedes should not meet their superstar Hamilton in contract poker. And anyway: Alain-Prost-wise, the record champion should take a year off, instead leave the Mercedes cockpit and world championship crown to George Russell in 2021, and then begin a comeback in 2022.
Of course, I still find this idea fascinating in retrospect. In the real world, however, as is well known, everything turned out differently. Not only this, Hamilton extended his contract in the summer (until 2023). After all these years, Mercedes’ dominance – hard to believe, but true – was really gone. There was little change in the technical regulations, but, an underbody improvement left the silver guys more nervous than expected, and destroyed their improved (aero) overall package.
Hamilton and Max Verstappen fight World Cup duel in 2021 for eternity
Legendary Formula 1 season – thanks to Hamilton and Verstappen
What Formula 1 fans had dreamed of for years suddenly became reality: Red Bull and Max Verstappen roaring with full force, heating up the hell for the top dog. Hamilton did not drive to record title number 8 for the 2021 Formula 1 season. It became a titanic battle: Hamilton vs. Verstappen, wheel-to-wheel, over turns and brakes, over the limit and beyond. The Formula 1 season turned legendary in 2021. The unreal ending in the desert seems almost a logical culmination, given the asphalt madness.
What this crazy year revealed: Mercedes needed and finally needed Lewis Hamilton! Certainly: under Verstappen’s relentless pressure, Sir Lewis also made his own mistakes, more than usual, and many on balance. But: Mercedes also took the record champion in a World Cup game when the “bulls” seemed to be galloping. Hamilton never allowed the gap to become too big in the crucial stages and always backed off whenever he had to. And kept “pure” against rock-hard Verstappen when he thought it was necessary.
When the initially stubborn W12 purged again at the end of the season, Hamilton was in top form at the end. Just like in Brazil, when he ran from back to 5th in the sprint race, plowed the ground again from 10th on the grid at the main Grand Prix (set back again), sniffed Verstappen and won in style. used to achieve An Ayrton army. In the final stages of the World Cup, the Briton had tougher nerves than his Dutch rival, with whom (in Saudi Arabia, for example) sometimes swallowed. The fact that Hamilton missed out on an eighth crown in Abu Dhabi was ultimately unfortunate, as he nevertheless congratulated (deserving) world champion Verstappen at the Parc Fermé in a very big game.
There will be references to Hamilton Russell
Without the skills of the seven-time world champion, Mercedes would have lost to the Verstappen/Red Bull combo in 2021. Would a George Russell (in the author’s scenario) in 21 situations at Black Arrow, ie against a Verstappen in this form, really qualify for the World Cup right away? Suspicious, probably not. In any case, Valtteri Bottas was not proven. The Finn, admired by Alfa Romeo, was once again a light year behind Hamilton in the same car.
So also in 2022: Mercedes needs Lewis Hamilton. As a vanguard to immediately overthrow the new king Verstappen. As a benchmark and indestructible reference for the highly traded Russell. As a meticulous worker and driver (because even in that respect, Hamilton deserved gold for Team Silver in 2021).
In general, Formula 1 needs figurehead Hamilton, record champion and record GP winner, player, world star. Preferably a few more years. Because at some point the United Kingdom knight Sir Lewis Hamilton will take off his racing suit forever – and it will be as if it were with Lauda, Prost, Schumacher and company: you will miss him.
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Closing remarks by the author: Should Lewis Hamilton collapse completely in 2022, contrary to expectations, and be dispensable for Mercedes, I will refer to Konrad Adenauer as a preventative measure and say: “I’ll have to stop my chatter from tomorrow.” What do you care?”
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