Lewis Hamilton’s future in F1 was cast into doubt on Thursday as Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff claimed he may never get past the controversial final lap that decided the 2021 driver’s title in Abu Dhabi. Since the Brit was overtaken by Max Verstappen for his record-breaking eighth world championship, which is a clear low point, Express Sport instead looks at the five greatest moments of the Stevenage-born star:
First win in Canada
During his hugely successful debut season with McLaren, it took rookie Lewis Hamilton six races to taste victory.
Canada hosted the scene in 2007, and the Briton managed to take the first pole position of his fledgling career by also being the first to cross the checkered flag.
It wasn’t easy, however, with a shocking accident involving Robert Kubica, one of many incidents that brought out the safety car and clumped the field together.
But Hamilton held the nerve to see the win at the age of 22 and scored the first win of a mammoth sum currently standing at 103.
Fight the elements
Well into Hamilton’s debut season in 2007, he took one of the most mature victories of his entire career at Fuji Speedway in Japan.
Even in his early twenties, the Briton was struggling with treacherous conditions such as rain and fog, which made visibility extremely poor.
In addition, the track was on the F1 calendar for the first time in three decades.
But the youngster held on to his impressive win as more experienced drivers like McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso spun and succumbed to the elements.
World Cup luck
After Hamilton missed the drivers’ championship by just one point on Kimi Räikkönen in 2007, it went one better and took the crown a year later.
And similar, if less controversial than on Sunday in Abu Dhabi, everything was decided in the last round.
A late rain shower had devastated the field, some drivers opted for the pit lane and others stayed outside.
Hamilton was part of the former group and his final overtaking maneuver on Timo Glock left his family going wild in the McLaren garage, much to the despair of Felipe Massa’s Ferrari fans, who were already partying.
Up there with the best
When Hamilton was on the grid for the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix, he had spent seven years at Mercedes and collected five other world titles in the process.
And after a rainy afternoon of racing, he had to call up all his experience, while Max Verstappen, Alex Albon and Sebastian Vettel all had problems.
Hamilton fell by the wayside while others pitted, and a swift move from Sergio Perez took him to the checkered flag, offsetting Michael Schumacher’s record of seven world championships.
“This is for all the kids out there who dream the impossible. You can do it, man, I believe in you,” he said on team radio.
The Interlagos comeback
One of Hamilton’s most impressive accomplishments came during the recently concluded 2021 season.
The Brazilian Grand Prix turned out to be miserable for the Briton and Mercedes after they were disqualified from Friday qualifying due to a rear wing penalty.
Hamilton then made an admirable comeback during Saturday’s qualifying sprint, but another start penalty resulted in him starting the crunch far behind on Sunday.
But he fought his way back to the title challenger Max Verstappen and prevailed despite all the adversities to keep his chase for the title alive – a fight that lasted until the last round at Yas Marina on Sunday.
Did you miss our previous article...
https://formulaone.news/mercedes/totos-postseason-f1-press-conference
