08 September 2023 , 16:36
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Lewis Hamilton hit back at Formula 1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart after the Scot claimed he "no longer has the hunger" to beat Max Verstappen.
Hamilton signed a new two-year contract extension prior to the Italian Grand Prix. It means he will remain with Mercedes and in F1 until the end of the 2025 season, shortly before he turns 41.
Despite that commitment, Sir Jackie is not convinced that Hamilton has the hunger to achieve what he wants during that time – an eighth title. "The truth is that in the last decade he competed with Mercedes for a team that was virtually out of competition," the Scot told German newspaper BILD.
During this time, Lewis only had one real competitor – his respective team-mate. Except for 2016, he always emerged victorious from the duel. And then he lost to Nico Rosberg. With respect, [Rosberg is] a good driver, but not the most talented in the world.
"But Rosberg was hungry and had the absolute will to become world champion. Lewis no longer has that hunger. Because of that – and because the car is no longer quite as powerful – he has serious problems."
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Hamilton returned this week to his home town of Stevenage to meet youngsters as part of his important work outside of racing to create STEM pathways towards different careers. And while there, he was asked about what Sir Jackie had said.
In response, he was critical of the motorsport legend. " There are people who are very short minded that make the comments that they do, not knowing the work that has been done in the background," he replied.
And he went on to add that he does not plan to be so vocal about drivers and the choices he makes when he too is no longer in the sport. Hamilton said: "One thing I hope, and I never want to do is, in the future, when I one day stop and looking back on the youth or the next driver generation... I want to be encouraging them and let them know it's okay to make mistakes. It's about being inspiring rather than shutting them down. That's the kind of figure that I want to be.
"I think this past two years have been, whilst we've not had any success, it's been a really amazing period of time. We've all had to pull together, lift each other up, so that when we eventually get the car where we need it to be, I'll be even better equipped, I think, than I have ever been before."