Lewis Hamilton expresses fear that he may not be able to win the F1 World Drivers Championship again

31 January, 2023

Last year was extremely difficult for Lewis Hamilton as the seven-time World Champion found himself in a car that failed to keep up with the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull and struggled for pace and consistency. Heading into the Formula One season in 2023, Hamilton has expressed fear and doubts that he may no be able to win the World Drivers Championship again.

Hamilton is arguably the greatest driver in the history of the sport. Having lifted seven world titles, he is tied with Michael Schumacher at the top as the drivers with the most World Championship reigns. Despite being 38 years old, Hamilton is still active and there’s no doubt in his mind that he desperately wishes to go clear of Schumacher and win an elusive eighth title to become the most coveted driver to grace the sport.

However, he has faced several setbacks in those attempts. The controversial end to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021 where Hamilton nearly had the title in his grasp but it ended up slipping to Max Verstappen instead followed by a season where Mercedes were never title contenders to begin with and were behind Red Bull and Ferrari in the pecking order. The Englishman ended up finishing a lowly sixth last season as Verstappen managed to defend his world championship quite comfortably.

Following these, Hamilton now has reservations that he many not be able to win an eighth F1 crown. While the upcoming 2023 season of the Formula One gives the 38-year-old another chance to clinch the eighth world title and prove his case as officially the greatest driver in F1 history, he does have concerns that he no longer has what it takes to be a world champion.

Speaking on the Jay Shetty podcast, he said: “There are days where I do feel like I’m not enough, there are days where I don’t feel like I’m good enough.

“People can be like, ‘Yeah, but you’ve won seven world titles’ but still there are days where I question ‘have you still got it, can you still be the best?’ I’m having that conversation with myself often.”

Despite this, Hamilton admits that he finds plenty 

of motivation and positivity from his father Anthony who has stood by his corner all his life. 

“I think it’s all our job to lift everyone up. I want everyone around me to win, and to become the best versions of themselves,” the seven-time world champion added.