Lewis Hamilton Once Credited Max Verstappen For One of His 103 Race Wins

With the Singapore Grand Prix making a return after two long years, we can’t help but look back in time to realize so much has changed! In 2017, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton got the race win, and was followed by then-Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo, and his then-teammate Valtteri Bottas.

The 2017 Singapore Grand Prix had us all biting our nails as the big crash, which no one saw coming, changed the course of events.

On the starting grid, we had Ferrari’s, Sebastian Vettel, who was on pole, lining up against Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. In the second row, we had Daniel Ricciardo and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen. And completing the top 5 was Lewis Hamilton for Mercedes.

Raikkonen powered through to a great start, but in the bargain, his right rear wheel rammed into Verstappen’s left front wheel. As Vettel moved to his left, Max got wedged in between the two Ferraris. Having had a good start, Max was neck to neck with Vettel. Eventually, Raikkonen’s car had a half spin, and the contact had an impact on Vettel’s car as well.

This resulted in the three of them ending their race with DNFs. This gave rise to Hamilton, who took the chance to speed through his P5 position to P1 by the end of the race.

In a post-race interview, Hamilton jokingly nudged Max as if he helped Vettel by initially letting him pass before turn 1. However, as we all know, the crash eventually helped Hamilton in paving a way for himself to the finish line.

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Going forward into the familiar ground, what’s Hamilton’s take on the upcoming race?

Lewis Hamilton Coins Max Verstappen as Unbeatable

From his early years in 2007, Lewis Hamilton has shown constant growth and achieved records that beat legends in the field. Yet, the seven-time world champion is now a bit worried. He believes this maybe his season of zero wins.

He said, “We have to be realistic. That Red Bull is almost unbeatable. It’s going to take some real doing to beat that car.”

He added, “Performance-wise we have not caught them, and we don’t have upgrades coming to enable us to overtake them. So it’s going to take some fortune going our way to win.”

“It’s not impossible, because we could have beaten them in Budapest. But Max is generally chilled at the front, so you can never tell their true pace.”

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Despite car troubles like porpoising, Mercedes have managed to make the most of their situations. However, they still lack a win. With Red Bull’s incredible floor work and The Dutch Lion in the driving seat, it isn’t going to be easy for the Silver Arrows to get their first victory this season either.

Having said that, how do you think the Singapore Grand Prix will play out this year?