Has Lewis Hamilton Won the Monaco GP?

Arguably the greatest driver of all time, Lewis Hamilton can be regarded as the most successful F1 driver. Hamilton already has 103 wins in his pocket and is looking to add more wins to it. With the Monaco GP coming up, Hamilton does have a chance of ending the drought. However, only the greatest with the best concentration can win the coveted Monaco GP. This begs the question, has Lewis Hamilton won at Monte Carlo?

Monaco is a 2.074 miles long street circuit that existed even before the F1 made its debut in 1950. The first race in Monaco was conducted in 1929 and the rest is just history. The slow corners, multiple braking zones, and the barriers close up seem very intimidating. One little mistake can cost you the race, as portrayed by Ayrton Senna in 1988 who retired after leading 67 laps. 

Has Lewis Hamilton conquered the Monaco frontier?

As a matter of fact, Lewis Hamilton has previously won in Monaco. It would be a shame for a driver of his caliber to not have won the Monaco GP. The Briton also calls Monaco his home as he lives in the principality during the off time as it’s a tax haven. The 7x world champion has won the Monaco GP 3 times. In 2008 with McLaren, in 2016 with Mercedes, and again in 2019 with Mercedes. Let’s elaborate a little on all of his wins.

In 2008, the race was affected by rain. Lewis Hamilton understeered the Mclaren and hit the right rear of the car into the barrier which punctured the tires. The highlight was how the Briton made a staggering comeback and won. 2016 was all about Hamilton and Ricciardo fighting hard for the win. And then came the 2019 Monaco win. A win that has a special place in his heart. Lewis Hamilton dedicated the 2019 win to his great mentor Niki Lauda. 

However, as explained by Lewis Hamilton himself, Monaco is not an easy race to win and is very draining for the drivers. Not only physically, but mentally as well. According to Skysports.com, Lewis Hamilton talking about his 2019 win said, “Mentally and psychologically it is probably the most draining [race], because it is so narrow, so quick, so short between the corners. The other street circuits… Baku is slightly wider. This track is literally barrier, barrier, barrier. It’s less physical, just mentally you’re completely stuffed afterward!” 

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We can understand Hamilton’s point of view. However, watching the 2019 Monaco GP, one will certainly notice how hard Lewis Hamilton was driving his car. And it was not because he wanted to win for himself, but he wanted to win for the guy who convinced him to come to Mercedes. 

Hamilton dedicated Monaco Grand Prix victory to hero Niki Lauda

As we’ve already mentioned, Lewis Hamilton dedicated the 2019 Monaco GP win to Niki Lauda. But why was he doing so? Niki Lauda had passed away earlier in the month with Monaco GP being the first race after his death. Niki Lauda wasn’t just Lewis Hamilton’s mentor but also became a very good friend of the Briton. The two even shared a secret signal regarding Hamilton’s performance. The Austrian rubbed his fingers together after a bad performance, indicating to Hamilton that he wants his money back. It was just light banter between the two. 

Coming back to how Lewis Hamilton dedicated the 2019 GP to Niki Lauda? The Briton ran a special tribute helmet for the Austrian, which had a name and similar design to what Lauda raced with. After winning the Monaco GP, Lewis Hamilton took off the helmet and pointed toward Niki Lauda written on the helmet. One of the reasons why he was really drained after the 2019 Monaco GP was Niki Lauda’s passing away.

The tracks Hamilton has not won at 

During his span in F1 till now, the 38-year-old has visited a total of 37 circuits, out of which he has won a race at 31 of them. This means that there are only 6 circuits where Lewis Hamilton has not won a race yet. Those circuits are Buddh International Circuit, Korea International Circuit, Magny Cours, Miami International Autodrome, Valencia Street Circuit, and Zandvoort. 

Looking a little into the details of these 6 circuits, they removed Buddh International Circuit from the calendar in 2013 before Mercedes could start dominating the field. And also Sebastian Vettel was the predominant force there winning all three races held at the circuit in India. Miami and Zandvoort are also somewhat similar with regards that Mercedes’ dominance having ended and Max Verstappen is and was the dominant force. 

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However, it really doesn’t matter much whether Lewis Hamilton won on these tracks or not. The Briton has won races at all the prestigious venues currently on the calendar and is looking forward to challenging at the Monaco GP coming this weekend. With Mercedes coming with a major upgrade and Monaco being a track where the driver can make a lot of difference, Hamilton certainly has a shot.