“Trying to Stay Relevant?”: Hypocritical Critic Faces Backlash From Lewis Hamilton’s Fans Over “Nonsense Statements”

F1 is a sport that is not accessible to many growing up and understanding the nuances of the sport requires a deep knowledge of engineering and aerodynamics. Hence, the role of experts and their opinions is very critical for fans. However, experts can sometimes go overboard in their analyses and their opinions about certain aspects of the game.

After a long dominant period, Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton struggled throughout 2022. This made them vulnerable to scathing attacks. A former 2-time F1 world champion has slammed those critics for putting undue pressure on the Briton. However, fans dug up a bit and found out he himself was part of that critics’ brigade.

Mercedes‘ fate became apparent as soon as the 2022 season hit the ground running. The car was much slower than their rivals’ and had issues with reliability and porpoising. That was the time when Mika Hakkinen indicated that Hamilton would probably start looking for opportunities elsewhere if the Silver Arrows weren’t able to recover. Hamilton, without naming who his comments referred to, issued a clarification regarding his loyalty to the team later.

Mika Hakkinen’s attempt at taking a shot at Lewis Hamilton’s critics backfires

Hakkinen feels the 2023 season is very crucial for the 7x world champion. He believes if Mercedes fail to provide him with a competitive car and he is unable to beat his teammate George Russell, he might not stay as polite as he has despite suffering a great deal throughout 2022.

In a Twitter video, he said, “Lewis will once again… I think he’ll be very motivated. He will give his everything. It’ll be interesting to see how long he has the patience for F1. There’s so much criticism and so many critics. I’m sure there are a million things he would like to say. But he knows how much debate it would cause. It’s not an easy place to be after all these years. If the car is good and victorious, all is well.”

“If not, his comments might not be very flattering. The motivation and mental strength need to be there. He needs to give 100%—because his teammate is fast and strong. If Lewis can’t beat his teammate, he’s made a mistake somewhere.” [Translated through Twitter captions]

Fans reacted to the post by reminding Mika of the times when he was one of the critics who had made statements against the same driver whom he is defending now.

Read More: “Great Fiery Feisty”: Lewis Hamilton’s First 2023 Avatar Leaves the F1 World Stunned as Bahrain Showdown Begins

One fan took a sly dig at the former Finnish driver.

Another fan expressed their surprise at Hakkinen being the one highlighting the amount of undue criticism Hamilton gets.

Some fans did not use the most polite vocabulary to take Hakkinen to the task.

Watch This Story: Who is Angela Cullen? Fun facts about Lewis Hamilton’s blonde assistant!

Do you think Lewis is on the verge of losing it if Mercedes remains uncompetitive for another season? Or is he mentally strong enough to trust the process and give his best every time he hits the tarmac?