After what has been the first three races of the Formula 1 championship, it seems clear that the new regulations have achieved a paradigm shift from what was seen last year when all the focus was on the Red Bull and Mercedes drivers.
For their part, this season has already produced some memorable moments, and what appears to be an unrivaled performance from the Ferrari drivers.
With this in mind, and taking into account what has been Lewis Hamilton’s hegemony over the last few years, one might ask: Is Hamilton capable of challenging for the title? Here we tell you.
Hamilton’s season so far
Since the pre-season, motorsport fans have been waiting in anticipation of Lewis Hamilton’s performance this season. Hamilton might be one of the reasons the sport has gained more momentum over the last few years.
More F1 fans don’t only watch the races regularly, but also participate in betting on their favorite driver. Most well-known online betting platforms now offer F1 2022 odds. Last year, sports bookmakers displayed a clear reality: the projected race winners were a dichotomous choice between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
Despite this, anyone who participates in these speculative dynamics can see how online betting sites are showing the growing expectation of internet users for an eventual win for the Ferrari driver.
With this in mind, it is worth asking: what about the ever-favourite Lewis Hamilton? So far, problems have been mounting within the Mercedes team. Since the pre-season, Lewis has been pessimistic about the performance of his W13.
Among the wide range of problems with the “silver arrow” are low revs and bouncing, which, at least in the Mercedes cars, also appear when going through corners; something that was particularly evident at the Australian GP, a circuit renowned for its high average speed.
At the moment, Lewis Hamilton is in a modest 5th place and is struggling to get back to his usual podium positions. The English driver has expressed his disappointment at being “far from a decent lap” and frustrated by his fourth place finish in Australia, three seconds behind team-mate Russell, and some 28.5 seconds off the leader.
Uncertain future ahead for Hamilton
It is clear that the new aerodynamic regulations are bringing a paradigm shift for the drivers; however, this appears to be proving particularly problematic for the German team.
During the Australian Grand Prix, Russell claimed that they are a long way behind Ferrari and Red Bull, something that is eventually reflected in the performance of the cars.
During recent interviews, Toto Wolff has claimed that Lewis and George will get their Mercedes right sooner or later.
Along with the interview, the team principal said that they are concentrating on making incremental changes to the car, rather than trying to fix them all at once, which would deprive the team of a learning process that needs to be gradual. Whether that will happen in two races, five races, or until the end of the season, I don’t know.
The upcoming races in Imola, Miami, and Spain will reveal the direction the team can take the W13’s performance.
Despite this, and even though the season is only just beginning, the fact remains that, at least for the time being, Lewis Hamilton does not appear to be a solid bet for a possible champion for the 2022 season in the world’s top class of motorsport.