Hamilton warns Verstappen: “I know how hard it is to stay the best”

The 2022 Formula 1 season was a stark reminder for Mercedes and its seven-time world champion of the taste of defeat. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen was dominating the category, securing his second world championship title on October 9, 2022, at the Japanese Grand Prix.

The end of Lewis Hamilton’s reign since Abu Dhabi 2021.

Lewis Hamilton’s defeat in the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix put an end to his long series of world titles. However, the team had won the constructor’s title…a meager consolation. If the 2021 season for Mercedes ended in disappointment, the 2022 season proved to be its worst season.

However, Lewis Hamilton remained optimistic and refused to consider last season as a failure. On the contrary, he believes that it opened his eyes to the value and taste of victories in Formula 1. The British driver was dominating the category and tended to see his successes as normal. Now, it’s a whole different story.

“We’ve had so much success before that it felt a bit empty to us. We won, but we were expecting it. It’s weird because it’s actually such a big deal,” he said to Bild.

A warning for Max Verstappen

The driver did not explicitly state it, but his words imply a warning for the young double world champion: “I know how difficult it is to be at the top and stay there,” he said. A warning, advice, but also a new motivation for Hamilton, who intends to give it his all to return to the top of the rankings. The British driver is determined: his goal is indeed to challenge Red Bull and Ferrari throughout the 2023 season.

Lewis Hamilton finished sixth in the 2022 Formula 1 season, keeping a close eye on the second victory of the Dutch driver. Currently, Hamilton holds the record for world championships alongside Michael Schumacher, and he intends to add an eighth title to his list of achievements.