After winning his very first race in Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton drew comparisons with the golf legend Tiger Woods. Ever since then, he has won 7 World Drivers’ Championship (WCC) titles and the comparison seems more fitting now. But now that he is nearing his first race-winless season, is it safe to say the “Tiger Woods effect” is gone?

In a season that has not just been physically, but also mentally draining for Lewis Hamilton, the US Grand Prix came in as a breath of fresh air. Not only did he drive beautifully, but he also challenged for the win, something that still escaped him. The car had extreme porpoising problems which hurt his back earlier in the season. The effect seems to be negligible now, if not completely gone, also the final changes to the car have paid off well.

Is Lewis Hamilton’s “Tiger Woods effect” broken?

Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel battling for P1 briefly sent F1 fans down memory lane. Hamilton overtook Vettel in the 41st lap of the race with a move that only someone of his caliber could make look easy. He led the race for 9 laps before Max Verstappen overtook him to lead the race and eventually win the GP.

In his podcast Fast and Loose: F1, actor Will Arnett praised Verstappen for overcoming the awe that Hamilton commands. “There’s such a huge hurdle, I think in any sport, in any competition, that psychological hurdle of “I can’t beat this guy”. Lewis certainly had that, the “Tiger Woods effect”, if you will, for many years. Max got over that and now it seems he’s just doing what he wants a little bit.”

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The Flying Dutchman overtook Hamilton in the 50th lap. Hamilton fought back by trying the Ol’ Switcheroo twice but could not make the move stick on either occasion. The Brit kept fighting until the 54th lap of the race when he was shown black and white flags for exceeding track limits too many times.

Lewis Hamilton does not like the Tiger Woods comparison

In his autobiography, Lewis Hamilton: My Story, the boy from Stevenage recalled the time when he was compared with the golf legend. That was when he had won just one GP.

Lewis, who reveres Woods for his contribution to the sport, wrote, “I think Tiger Woods is a sensational athlete and it is an honor to be compared to someone like him. But I do not want to be the Tiger Woods of motor racing – just being the Lewis Hamilton of motor racing will be cool enough for me.”

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With the kind of pace RB18 is showcasing this season, it will take a lot more than Mercedes’ latest changes to the car for Hamilton to win a race this season. Another stroke of luck like the US GP perhaps where Verstappen had a horrible pit stop and stood stationary for 11.1 seconds?