$450 Million Worth Floyd Mayweather Once Inspired Lewis Hamilton To Fend Off Sebastian Vettel’s Formidable Challenge

Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have gone up against each other on many occasions. That being said, the most blockbuster title fight to ever take place between the two would have to be in 2018. Until late into the season, it seemed as though Vettel had a hold of Hamilton. However, the Brit defied all the odds to come out victorious. But an interview he gave later that year after the championship showed us exactly what it took for the then 5x Champion to defeat the mighty German.

In an interview with BBC, Hamilton explained how $450 Million worth Floyd Mayweather inspired him to get the better of Vettel. He said, “If you imagine, erm, look at [Floyd] Mayweather as he goes into the ring. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him not look like he knows he’s going to win. Even if the opponent is taller or whatever.”

And for Hamilton, even though he was going up against one of the greatest there ever was, he held true to his own skills. “But when I came out behind, I know where his strengths are, I know where his weaknesses are and I know where I’m better. So it’s game on. I’m like, ‘Let’s dance. You might get the better of me [in] this bit but I know how to get by you.”

Read More: Alarm Bells Ring for Lewis Hamilton After Mercedes Gives an Honest Assessment of George Russell’s Rookie Season

It must’ve been easier for Hamilton to get the team behind him to do whatever was necessary to beat the man driving for Ferrari. But if only fate had taken a slightly different turn, things could’ve gotten really perilous for the 7x Champion.

Sebastian Vettel could’ve partnered with Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton’s rivalry with Sebastian Vettel is the stuff of legends. That being said, it would have been a colossal spectacle for all Formula 1 fans to witness two of the greatest F1 drivers ever to have gone toe-to-toe with each other in equal machinery.

Vettel revealed on the F1 Beyond the Grid podcast, “I spoke with Niki [Lauda, then Mercedes non-executive chairman] but to be honest I was half way through the Ferrari period and joining would have been a big deal because Lewis was sort of their No.1 and I’m not sure whether they would have liked to have us both in the team.”

WATCH THIS STORY: New Lewis Hamilton F1 documentary coming to Apple TV+

If Vettel and Hamilton had become teammates, how do you think their championship tallies would’ve panned out?