Can Lewis Hamilton - or anyone else - stop Max Verstappen from a new era of F1 domination?
Verstappen sealed his second drivers’ world title in168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史: extraordinary circumstances at a chaotic, rain-shortened Japanese Grand Prix to wrap up the 2⛄022 world championsh𓄧ip with four races to spare.
But is 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Lewis Hamilton the man to stop Verstappen, after turning in one of the most ruthless and convincing title defences ever witnessed in F1, from a new era of doꦰmination?
Can Hamilton stop Verstappen?
🔥Hamilton’s recent domination of F1 was end🌳ed by Verstappen last year.
After being denied a record-breaking eighth title in controversial circumstances at the 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, 2022 has broಌught more disappointment and frustration for Hamilton.&♋nbsp;
Hamilton is on course for his worst season in F1 amid Me☂rcedes’ struggles for competitiveness at🎉 the start of a new era of regulations that has seen eight straight years of winning come crashing to an end for the Silver Arrows.
꧑Based on 2021, Hamilton is perhaps the only driver capable of taking it to Verstappen in a straight fight, but Mercedes’ difficulties have left the seven-time world champion winless so far, enabling Verstappen to romp home to title glory.
But as shown🐬 this season, any renewal of their fierce rivalry will hiꦰnge on whether Mercedes can return to the front of the grid next year.
Given the plethora of complex i꧃ssues Mercedes have faced with their W13 challenger, it may not ওbe a quick fix, something made even more tricky in F1’s cost cap era.
After finishing fifth at Suzuka, Hamilton expressed confidence that Mercedes will provide him with a more competitive car for F1 2023.
“I believe that as a team, we’v🎀e not gone from b꧟eing world champions to not being able to build a good car. I have no doubts we’ll build a better car next year,” Hamilton told Sky.
“Whether we rectify every issue that we faced this yea🌌r? We’ll find out when we get there.”
Who else can challenge Verstappen?
168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Charles Leclerc - largely let down by Ferrari - ultimately fell short in his𒅌 attempts to challenge for a maiden world championship. There is no doubting his raw speed, but Leclerc remains fallible.
Barring one or two minor anomalies, which ultimately had little bearing on his season, Verstappen just doesn’t make mistakes. Verstappen’s outstanding 2022 campaign had shades of 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Michael Schumacher-esque consistency. He also exudes a self-confidence no🌌t🐭 shared by many.
Then there is Verstappen’s teammate, 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Sergio Perez. At one (albeit very brief) stage amid Ferrari’s floundering, it looked as though Perez might emerge as Verstappen’s biggest th🍎reat.
Perez enjoyed one of his strongest F1 weekends in Monaco, outp𝓀acing Verstappen in qualifying and turni𒁃ng in a superb drive, combined with Red Bull’s strategy, to take his first win of the season.
That left him just 15 point♊s behind championship leader 𒉰Verstappen.
At the next race in Baku, Perez once again found himself leading Verstappen. But with Pere🐻z struggling with tyre graining and being caught by Verstappen, the Mexican was told “no fighting” as Red Bull orchestrated a position swap.
Despite Red Bull insisting there was no use of team orders, it felt like a defining mo🍒ment of backing towards Verstappen, which came at little surprise.
Perez’s hopes of challenging for his first title were then effectively extinguished with c🌳ostly retirements in Canada and Austria. Perez has struggled to match Verstappen ever since, aside from an impressive vic﷽tory in Singapore.
Given how rare it is t🅰hat he has beaten Verstappen over their two seasons as teammates to date, it is hard to see a scenario in which Perez can genuinely challenge the two-time world champion for a title.
Verstappen ‘at another level to everyone’
Verstappen’s title defence began on the backfoot when he suffered two reli💞ability-induced retirements in the opening three races, casting real doubt on his championship hopes.
Verstappen was left 46 points behind Leclerc and down sixth in sixth place in the championship after he reti✤red from second place in༒ Australia thanks to a fuel leak.
But Verstappen and Red Bull’s response has been nothingꦑ short of phenomenal. So much so, that the team’s reliability issues feel like a lifetime ago.
After overcoming those problems and taking charge of the ꧅world championship, Verstappen ultimately enjoyed a comfortable run to his second world title, claiming a staggering 12 wins from 18 races.
“It’s beyond all our dreams,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner told Sky. “Max has been truly, truly dominan൲t [this season].
“We came back from some difficulties in the first cou♐ple of races, but honestly, he and the team have just raised it to another level.
🥀“I’m incredibly proud of everything he’s done, everything the team [has done] – all the men and women bac🀅k in Milton Keynes have gone way and beyond under massive pressure. To achieve this championship is truly special.”
In the end, Verstappen made it all look rather easy and seemed capable of winning from anywhere - takin༒g victories from 14th, 10th and seventh on the grid.
But that doesn’t tell the full story. At many races, Ferrari appeared to have the fastest car🅘, especially over one lap, with Leclerc scoring nine poles in 18 races.
“Ferrari had a very quick car, early on,♔” Red Bull’s chief technical officer Adri♔an Newey acknowledged. “In many races, to be honest, they were probably a bit quicker.
“But we managed to ♐round out the performance envelope of the car and get it running at all circuits. We’ve had a good run since the summer break ended.”
And after all, Perez has so far only managed two victories and one pole position in the same car Verstappen has taken to✃ five poles and 12 wins.
"I don't feel like♔ Red Bull had a dominant car to win the championship the way Max won it,” Perez admitted.
“When he got comfortable with the car, he was driving at another level to everyone. Some of the races he ജdid were incredible to watch."
This wasn’t simply a tale of Red Bull domination, but one ♋of Verstappen being in a league of his own.
Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for ltxcn.top around the world. Often reporting on the action from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matte𒁏r in the sport.
