via Getty
BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN – NOVEMBER 29: Race winner Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP celebrates in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain at Bahrain International Circuit on November 29, 2020 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
via Getty
BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN – NOVEMBER 29: Race winner Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP celebrates in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain at Bahrain International Circuit on November 29, 2020 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
The 2021 F1 season got off to a flying start, as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen battled for the race win until the checkered flag in Bahrain. And it looks like more such battles are awaiting the F1 fans amidst what has been a Mercedes-dominant era so far.
Hence, the 7-time world champion reckoned that he’ll turn grey by the time curtain falls over the 2021 F1 season. And it looks like he might, considering the amount of gap Red Bull managed to bring down against their rivals.
What did Lewis Hamilton say?
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Speaking to F1, Lewis felt that 2021 could turn out to be one of the most hectic seasons for himself and his team amid title threat from Max. Hence, Lewis hinted that he could age quite rapidly under the immense pressure his rival might place him in.
Furthermore, considering 2021 could be the farewell season for the 7-time world champion, it would be interesting to see how Max gifts the defending champion a send-off.
“There’s a long way to go, 22 [races] holy crap! I’ll be grey by the end of this,” Lewis jokingly said. Nevertheless, the Briton couldn’t hide his excitement for the looming battle with the raging bulls.
“Yeah, I’m super excited and super happy for the fans, that they are excited. I think it’s something that all the fans have wanted for a long time.”
via Reuters
Formula One F1 – Bahrain Grand Prix – Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain – March 28, 2021 Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton celebrates winning the race on the podium with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
Mercedes laid their dominion in F1 back in 2013, when F1 woke up to an entirely new era. And since then, even big guns like Ferrari and Red Bull failed to beat the Silver Arrows, as the German team witnessed an unstoppable surge in performance.
And finally, the recently concluded Bahrain GP reminded the fans of how F1 used to be before Mercedes’ reign. But will this trend of wheel-to-wheel racing continue?
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Hope for more of these sorts of races: Lewis
Although Red Bull’s threat could prove to be a headache for Mercedes, Lewis reckoned that he is hoping for more such races in the future with his teammate and Red Bull‘s star driver.
via Reuters
Formula One F1 – Bahrain Grand Prix – Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain -Race winner Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton during the press conference with second-placed Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and third-placed Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas FIA/Handout via REUTERS
“Of course, this is only one race, so we don’t know what the future holds in terms of… the pace they have; they could be ahead a lot more, but we’re going to work as hard as we can to try and stay close in this battle and I hope for many more of these sorts of races with Max and Valtteri [Bottas],” he said.
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Overall, is this just early blues for Mercedes? Will Silver Arrows improve their pace and avoid facing the tough battle with Red Bull? Nevertheless, let’s hope that Red Bull can tag along with Mercedes through this season.
