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Dutch pundit Rob Kamphues doubts Lewis Hamilton can win an eighth title, even if he joins Red Bull Racing’s Aston Martin in 2025.
After dominating the Formula One circus for seven years, Mercedes lost the drivers’ title to Red Bull in 2021 when Hamilton was beaten by Max Verstappen on the final lap of the championship.
But while experts around the world say it’s inevitable, the winning streak doesn’t last forever and Hamilton didn’t win a single grand prix because it wasn’t something anyone could have foreseen.
With a winning streak of as many as 26 races, Kamphues questioned whether “the era of Lewis Hamilton in Formula 1 is over” and whether Abu Dhabi 2021 is “a great turning point”.
written in his formula one magazine column, he said: “Is there something about the great champion that suddenly disappeared? Lewis hasn’t won a race since that day, he hasn’t had pole position, he’s never even started from the front row.
“In 2022, he’s also behind his young team-mate in the championship, and that young team-mate also won the only race Mercedes won. Let alone this season.
“The era of Mercedes also appeared to be over. The move of team boss-designate James Vowles to Williams and the departure of Lewis’ beloved physiotherapist Angela Cullen also confirmed the idea that the empire was crumbling.
“So in a row it’s pretty clear, right?”
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“Lewis himself might think otherwise”
But while Kamphues has offered what he sees as signs of an end, he thinks Hamilton will see it differently.
“Lewis himself would probably think otherwise,” he continued. “He’ll say that even though he scored fewer points than George Russell last season, he still beat him in terms of speed.
“He will remind us of Alain Prost; he left Formula 1 with his tail between his legs in the year Ayrton Senna became world champion for the third time. He didn’t race in 1992 race, rejoined the Williams team in 1993 and soon became champion for the fourth time.
“Lewis would point at Alonso and say ‘how many times have you written him off?’ After Ferrari failed, his venture at McLaren fizzled and he made another move from Renault to Aston Martin last winter. Look. How he now drives like a star in the sky again.”
But can Hamilton do Prost in Alonso’s Aston Martin?
Acknowledging that “in theory he is right”, Kamphues questioned whether Hamilton could do Prost, take a year off and return in 2025, and do so at Red Bull Racing’s Aston Martin.
Still, he doubts the 38-year-old will add an eighth world title to his tally.
“Assuming Lewis takes a year off, Aston Martin buys so many staff from Red Bull that Max gets a worthless car in two years, and Lewis takes over from Alonso after a year of hanging out,” he said. explain.
“It’s certainly possible, although it’s unlikely he’ll win an eighth title in 2025.
“In other words: It’s too early to say the Lewis era is over. But it is. Call me in five years and tell me I was right.”
There has been a lot of talk recently about the future of Hamilton, who has also been linked with a move to Ferrari.
However, he has repeatedly insisted that he wants to end his career at Mercedes and that he is not ready to hang up his helmet just yet.
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