22 January 2024 , 19:16
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Rapper Will.i.am has backed pal Lewis Hamilton to secure a "historical" eighth Formula 1 title before he retires from racing.
The Briton almost managed it in 2021 but was controversially beaten to the crown by Max Verstappen. Since then, the Dutchman has dominated and is now a three-time champion with 54 career race wins to his name.
Mercedes have been unable to challenge their Red Bull rivals for the past two seasons. But Hamilton has signed up for another couple of years with the team and still dreams of securing the outright all-time record of eight championship successes.
His friend Will.i.am backs the 39-year-old to do exactly that. The Black Eyed Peas star referred to that painful defeat in 2021 as he explained why he believes Hamilton still has what it takes.
"Right, so, anybody will struggle with something being snatched," he told the F1 Briefings YouTube channel. "It's just a matter of time for him to wait, he just has to figure it out once and history is made.
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"They say just let the master do what he's really good at. He's figured it out a bunch of times, and this one time is going to be history. Historical. And it's historical for him. First, all the folks that have been inspired by him, the flock, the school, the herd, that's going to come after him.
"It's going to be historical for the sport. It's going to be historical for Mercedes. And all it is is him figuring how to figure it out once, and I think he's going to do that. Then, [for] the person that comes after him, it's gonna be some years for that record to be broken. And he will hold that forever.
"There's this one quote, somebody does math, there's eight mathematical questions, they get one through nine, right? They get one wrong. Everybody laughs and makes fun of that one they got wrong and never rewards or applaud or salute them on the nine they got right. Eventually they're going to get 10, right?
"Meanwhile, everyone's afraid to even take a freaking test." While Hamilton has support from Will.i.am, former racer David Coulthard is not so sure another title is in the Mercedes man's future.
The Scot said: "This is not Lewis at his prime, this is Lewis in a very frustrating two-year state of underperforming. When he gets a winning car again, it'll be really interesting to see if he can rediscover the old Lewis magic."