Lewis Hamilton has been backed to win a race before the end of the 2022 season as both he and George Russell are set to benefit from Mercedes’ upgrades.
Hamilton’s hopes of responding to his 2021 championship heartbreak with another title challenge was derailed by the Silver Arrows’ early struggles. Mercedes struggled with the porpoising phenomenon, which saw several teams’ cars suffer from uncontrollable rattling following the new era of regulations implemented ahead of the 2022 season.
It left the octuple world champions unable to battle for wins, but seven-time world champion Hamilton has found form recently with five successive podiums. Both Hamilton and teammate Russell have reached the podium at the last two races, while the 37-year-old achieved his second successive P2 finish last time out at the Hungaroring.
Since Hamilton made his debut in 2007, the Brit has won a race in each and every season - and he is determined to continue the remarkable record this campaign. Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya believes Hamilton’s efforts will be aided by Mercedes’ ‘big, big upgrade’ implemented during the summer break.
Hamilton - who took the time to travel across Namibia, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania during his time off - is sixth in the Drivers’ Championship with nine races remaining. The seven-time world champion is without a race win since December 2021, but Montoya believes the Brit’s 104th victory is right around the corner.
“The rumour is that Mercedes has a big, big upgrade coming for their cars,” Montoya told Vegas Insider. “And, if that is the case, Mercedes really comes up with a car, which is really cool to see from Mercedes.
“It is very exciting. Mercedes is still gonna get better, against everybody else, but everybody else in the field is gonna stay very constant. Because they all keep developing and making the cars better to drive, easier to drive.
"Everybody is getting a little more comfortable with the new package, and understanding the new package. So I think the way everybody is developing the cars is going to be very similar, but I still think that Mercedes out-develops everybody else. That is my two cents.”
Montoya wondered when Mercedes will see their performance on track vastly improve. He added: “The question is, is Mercedes’ step so big that they start winning every race, and they are going to win the last nine races, and they are going to do one, two, seven or eight times, and you know, they have a shot at the Constructor Championship, while everybody else fumbles?
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“Or their step is, ok, we are starting to fight against Red Bull and Mercedes, and we are just there? That is the more realistic version of what I see coming.
“I see Mercedes might have a shot at winning a couple of races this year if their developing goes well.”
Hamilton has not won since the penultimate race of the 2021 championship, when he triumphed at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Brit has enjoyed his time off and is ready to break the longest winning draught of his illustrious career.
At the top of the standings, Red Bull star and reigning world champion Verstappen holds a 80-point lead over Leclerc in the Drivers’ Championship while Ferrari trail the Milton Keynes-based team by 97 points in the Constructors’ Championship. The 22-race F1 2022 campaign continues with the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps on August 28 after the four-week summer break.
