Mastering a ‘diva’ of a car demanded fresh application – and the battle with Max Verstappen is the most enthralling in yearsFor Lewis Hamilton the 2021 Formula One title race has been like no other. As it enters the final decisive phase, the world champion is in position to pull off perhaps the greatest achievement of his career. His fight with Max Verstappen has been an unmissable affair, but what has caught the eye is how Hamilton has fought to drag this mighty tussle into an enthralling endgame.Two races remain, with the first 20 yielding no clear advantage for either driver. A season that has ebbed and flowed between them, punctuated by brilliance, bad luck, conflict and drama, has seen...
Formula One finally has the title fight it has craved, with neither driver prepared to give an inch as they head to MexicoFormula One finally has the title fight it has craved, with blow and counter-blow. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are locked in a rivalry as gripping as some of the great head-to-heads and the intensity of a thrilling championship is set only to ramp up as Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix heralds a potentially nail-biting run-in to close the season.Hamilton and Verstappen have had two serious clashes this year, both life-threatening. Despite the risks, it is clear neither is going to yield any time soon in the heat of competition between two such singular and determined drivers. Continue reading...
This season’s F1 championship has produced a fascinating fight to the wire and it would be foolish to predict the final outcome Formula One is a sport defined by tiny margins, yet for years has not enjoyed a championship as closely competitive as this season’s mighty head-to-head between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Their duel is entering the endgame which will be as fiercely fought as it is difficult to call. So well-matched are the two drivers and their rides that nerveless, flawless execution will be imperative. Five races remain and they are no place for the faint-hearted.F1 is revelling in a season such as it has not enjoyed since the turbo-hybrid era began in 2014. Hamilton’s Mercedes team has...
World champion’s mental robustness was unmistakable in a thrilling Hungary GP and should stand him in good steadLewis Hamilton was left in no doubt he had put in a shift at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Visibly exhausted on the podium after his comeback from last place to third, the world champion had been through the wringer at the Hungaroring on Sunday. Yet the race and the weekend demonstrated his real strength is beyond crude physicality.In Budapest, his mental robustness and composure, born of experience and maturity, were unmistakable. In what is shaping up to be a mighty scrap with Max Verstappen, it is brains not brawn that gives Hamilton the edge. Related: Lewis Hamilton backs Sebastian Vettel after F1 body’s...
The world champion is exhibiting the finest of qualities as he faces perhaps the greatest challenge of his Formula One careerThe measure of a man, it is said, may be judged by his handling of adversity. The greats dig deep, weather the slings and arrows and emerge, beaten or victorious, with head held high. For Lewis Hamilton facing perhaps the greatest challenge of his Formula One career, the test has come with the world champion better suited than ever to prove he is not only a great competitor but a true sportsman.Hamilton goes into this weekend’s British Grand Prix having taken a pummelling from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen for five consecutive races. He was once more beaten by Verstappen in...