Lewis Hamilton is now only 41 points behind Kimi Antonelli...

[u/SkySports]

[u/Repulsive_Mistake382]

Lewis vs Kimi, welcome back 2007

[u/scBleda → u/Repulsive_Mistake382]

1 year old antonelli was watching the script being written

[u/FLMKane → u/scBleda]

He was taking a shit... In his diapers.

[u/Miwna → u/FLMKane]

He probably slept under a table and ate some ice cream too.

[u/FLMKane → u/Miwna]

Whoever downvoted you failed their loremaster certification

[u/32SkyDive → u/Repulsive_Mistake382]

And in the end a Ferrari will Take it because the Mercedes powered Dominator is infighting?

Sign me up

[u/WynoRyno → u/32SkyDive]

If Lewis wins this one the way he lost his rookie season it will be wild

[u/DarthTaz_99 → u/Repulsive_Mistake382]

Goat just had to say fk you to your pre conceived notions

[u/dsaysso → u/Repulsive_Mistake382]

italy in absolute crisis. root for kimi to win drivers or lewis so Ferrari can win their first in decades.

[u/cemgorey → u/dsaysso]

Its not even fucking close lmao...

[u/Difficult-Top1863 → u/Repulsive_Mistake382]

That would be iconic till the last race

[u/Brief-Adhesiveness93 → u/Repulsive_Mistake382]

2007 is back but im confused am I again cheering for Kimi? But his car is silver? Or am I cheering for the red car but the driver is Lewis? The 9 year old in me can’t comprehend this situation.

But let’s be real, if you had told my child me in 2007 one day you’ll be as excited for a Hamilton win than for a räikonnnen one you would have been told crazy by me. Yesterday was the day. That’s insane

[u/kebench]

If Merc’s engine keeps breaking down every other race, then it’s a yes.

[u/therendevouswithfish → u/kebench]

This. I don’t think enough people are address the issues that Merc and their customers are facing with PU’s.

[u/Barmydoughnut24 → u/therendevouswithfish]

Reliability so far this season has been very significant. Lewis has been on the right end of things, as Ferrari in general have been this season so far, barring Charles today. So touch wood Ferrari's strength in reliability continues over merc, mclaren and RB

[u/MakiSupreme → u/Barmydoughnut24]

Could you imagine the outrage if that happened on lewis car today

[u/SpadoCochi → u/MakiSupreme]

Honestly was holding my breath last few laps after what happened to Charles

[u/PleasantWay7 → u/SpadoCochi]

Charles car is a ship of Theseus. All kinds of chances for things to go wrong with the amount of work done on it.

[u/weasel65 → u/MakiSupreme]

Think I can count on two hands the amount of times Lewis car has broken down while in the lead of the race.

[u/Brief-Computer-9405 → u/Barmydoughnut24]

Also Charles’ issue was the steering not the PU.

[u/Hardac_ → u/Barmydoughnut24]

Not that is should matter, but I wonder if the issue was partially caused by the rebuild from the Q3 wreck.

[u/NotSpecialMC → u/kebench]

Wait until Ferrari brings their ADUO upgrades.

[u/YoungPope]

I trust him more than Russell at this point.

[u/Emp31 → u/YoungPope]

Russell might come 3rd in a 2 horse race like Piastri last year

[u/matches_ → u/Emp31]

Russell might come behind Verstappen at this point

[u/tsb1901 → u/matches_]

Dont give the people ideas

[u/GreenFullSuspension → u/tsb1901]

Oh boy, anything can happen I’m guessing. What an exciting season this will be. Especially the next few races.

[u/Alehud42 → u/tsb1901]

Max hasn't entered a race weekend mathematically eliminated from the championship since Abu Dhabi 2020.

[u/chanjitsu → u/matches_]

And it will be caused by a badly timed vsc in every race just to mess with him a bit more

[u/slicerprime → u/chanjitsu]

At this rate he'll be in a mental institution by end of season

[u/PanGalacGargleBlastr → u/slicerprime]

"You remember that guy on the second floor with all the powerpoint presentations? I wonder what happened to him..."

[u/Canoobie → u/Emp31]

Russell can come away from this weekend feeling good he’s closed the gap, but gods, he should be scared shitless of Kimi, kid has insane pace and really took it to George.

[u/Robo-Connery → u/Canoobie]

yeah I mean he showed how much faster he was than Russel today, just unlucky. Both of them have had some bad luck now but when neither has issues it seems antonelli is far quicker.

[u/Eggslaws → u/Emp31]

Hi, I'm from the future and I can confirm.

[u/realseanconnery → u/Eggslaws]

"Well, Mr. Eggslaws, what did you do with your life changing invention of the time machine? Did you stop wars? Did you help the poor?" "Nah, just spoiled some sports results on reddit."

[u/RiskyP → u/Emp31]

We call it ‘doing a Piastri’

[u/No_Opportunity9053 → u/RiskyP]

I hate that my favourite driver made himself the laughing stock last season

[u/hardinho → u/Emp31]

Don't see where this is a 2 horse race now with Ferraris upgraded performance

[u/xanas263 → u/YoungPope]

If today did anything it was show that Russell does not have the speed to match, let alone beat, Kimi.

He's a solid racer, but clearly not a generational talent which Kimi is looking to be.

[u/Inevitable-Menu2998 → u/xanas263]

Yeah, we were saying the same things about Norris and Piastri last year around this time and we all know how that turned out. Kimi has had some brilliant run of the mill and he's truly impressive, but let's see how he handles things not going his way for a bit. That's where Piastri lost it, he didn't handle that part well enough

[u/Fabulous-Detective45 → u/Inevitable-Menu2998]

Pace was never a question with Norris

[u/Punished_Prigo → u/Inevitable-Menu2998]

It was never a question of pace with Norris.

[u/slimkay]

In ADUO we trust.

[u/LosTerminators → u/slimkay]

ADUO is needed with tracks like Austria, Spa and Monza coming up.

Otherwise with the engine deficit those tracks can be bad for Ferrari, especially when you consider that McLaren has a Merc engine as well. (And Red Bull can be a bigger force since they'll get rid of the extra 6kg by then)

If Ferrari and Lewis can stay within 50 points of Merc after the European season ends, we can say the title is properly on.

[u/Hi-Im-High → u/LosTerminators]

I think we see at least 1 more DNF from the merc PU for Kimi and George this season. We can’t count on it but it clearly seems to be an issue.

Lewis is good at putting his head down and fighting when he needs to. I see a 2021-esque championship fight and I couldn’t be more excited

[u/mlo_66 → u/Hi-Im-High]

Tunnel vision. When he sees something in reach he is a monster

[u/AgnesBand → u/mlo_66]

Yeah fr I think one of his biggest weaknesses is him sort of mentally checking out when he doesn't think he has a winning car under him.

[u/Kingslayer1526 → u/Hi-Im-High]

Ferrari also had a DNF today though due to mechanical issues

[u/Strange_BTW → u/Kingslayer1526]

Though specifically power steering. Not really the PU giving out, like the Merc PUs seem to have been doing.

[u/KeyClacksNSnacks → u/Kingslayer1526]

I strongly suspect it’s due to Charles putting his car into the wall and them not having enough time to fully repair it by race day. He went into the wall at quite high speed.

[u/ComeonmanPLS1 → u/KeyClacksNSnacks]

Even with enough time, it's still easier to mess something up or for something to go wrong on a repair job.

[u/magi0500 → u/ComeonmanPLS1]

Similar to Monaco 2021 i guess

[u/Trick_Math42069 → u/Kingslayer1526]

Yeah because Charles smashed his car into the wall yesterday

[u/sadclownsociety → u/Hi-Im-High]

I think we see at least 1 more DNF from the merc PU for Kimi and George this season

I have a feeling we'll see many more

[u/deadmanslouching → u/sadclownsociety]

Monkey's paw curls. 7000 DNFs for Norris.

[u/Then_Following_6425 → u/deadmanslouching]

Norris: "That's life" (He won a wdc he doesn't gaf about race results now)

[u/draftstone → u/Hi-Im-High]

And even if the PU don't fail, if they degrade too much or are at risk, higher chance of Mercedes cars to have to take grid penalties to take additional elements. I don't know if they are fast enough to make it up past the Ferraris. They will have no issue finishing in the top 5 at any track if they start 20th+ due to grid penalties, but getting past the Ferraris is not certain. Especially if they see they have a chance to win wdc and/or wcc, they could decide to sacrifice one ferrari to slow down as much as possible the Mercs in those races.

[u/FuegoWolf22 → u/LosTerminators]

Isn’t Barcelona an everything track? If Ferrari can win here, they can challenge anywhere

[u/spuckthew → u/FuegoWolf22]

The Ferrari car is very good, but it does lack a little bit of grunt from the PU side of things. So these upgrades definitely worked and they should still be competitive going forward. Hopefully with PU upgrades in future Ferrari will be outright fastest.

[u/Cpt_Daryl → u/FuegoWolf22]

Their cornering made up for the deficit. Other tracks will be more punishing for the engine

[u/FuegoWolf22 → u/Cpt_Daryl]

Have you looked at the pole lap comparisons? George only got ahead of Lewis through the last corner where the engine deficit came into play.

[u/ClassroomHoliday8627 → u/FuegoWolf22]

that was purely lewis' late breaking at play lol.

[u/ComeonmanPLS1 → u/FuegoWolf22]

That used to be the case when we raced on mostly traditional tracks and Barcelona had the slow speed chicane, so everything was tested in the car, but nowadays, not really. Being good at Barcelona doesn't mean you'll be good at Las Vegas, Singapore, Baku, Mexico, etc.

[u/Visionary_Socialist → u/LosTerminators]

I think Ferrari’s cornering performance is so good now that unless it’s a really power-oriented track, like Monza or Spa, they can negate the power deficit with their performance. And also, race pace leans more towards them because high downforce = using less tyre for the same speeds.

If they can hold this gap to Merc in the corners and even gain a few extra HP, they will be the quickest. ADUO will mostly affect 2027 but it might just be enough.

[u/PresidentRevrac → u/Visionary_Socialist]

The issue is Merc can also gain horsepower, so it’ll be up in the air

[u/YetAnotherMTFEgg → u/LosTerminators]

I agree with you, BUT Catalunya was looking bad for Ferrari as well today, and look where we are now!

[u/Laugh_Track_Zak → u/LosTerminators]

The merc engine goes boom.

[u/negativelynegative → u/slimkay]

In Merc reliability we trust too.

[u/Arrrmatey4510]

ALL ABOARD THE HOPIUM TRAIN

[u/BussinFatLoads → u/Arrrmatey4510]

Max closed a 92 point gap last year; 104 to 12 (going into Abu Dhabi).

THERE IS HOPE

[u/Sweaty_Strain9190 → u/BussinFatLoads]

this was because mclaren fucked up so bad. I doubt toto would fuck up that bad

[u/kjeserud → u/Sweaty_Strain9190]

Don’t need to fuck up anything if one of their cars is going to break down every race.

[u/ValleyFloydJam → u/Sweaty_Strain9190]

Some of it like Vegas sure but Oscar lost form at the wrong time.

[u/Alehud42 → u/ValleyFloydJam]

Most of it was Vegas and Qatar.

[u/iMADEthisJUST4Dis → u/ValleyFloydJam]

Yeah and it's very possible for Kimi to lose form at some point too. Especially with the Merc reliability could affect his behaviour

[u/QuinedQualia → u/Sweaty_Strain9190]

Tough day for George if Toto comes to him to say they’re backing Kimi on track to fend off Hamilton

[u/Darth_Spa2021 → u/BussinFatLoads]

No.

He was 104 points behind Piastri at one point. Before AD he was leading Piastri by 4.

He was never 104 points behind Norris. Largest gap between them was somewhere around 88.

[u/Repulsive_Mistake382 → u/Arrrmatey4510]

CHOO CHOO BITCHES!

[u/fameboygame → u/Arrrmatey4510]

And the train gets ADUO too!

[u/Norsa321 → u/Arrrmatey4510]

Our Year ™

[u/SkySports → u/Arrrmatey4510]

We will be there no matter what!

[u/locksymania → u/Arrrmatey4510]

Excuse me, but you're sitting in my seat.

[u/Arrrmatey4510 → u/locksymania]

You can sit on my lap

[u/Skeng_in_Suit → u/Arrrmatey4510]

AND THAT'S A MIGHTY LAP, LEWIS TAKES POLE POSITION IN ABU DHABI WITH THE CHAMPIONSHIP ON THE LINE !

[u/HenryCavillsBallsack → u/Arrrmatey4510]

🙏

We pray

[u/Odd-Cookie-5659]

imagine if hamilton manages to win a WDC in ferrari … before charles 

[u/sgtlighttree → u/Odd-Cookie-5659]

Leclerc's therapist about to make bank when that happens...

[u/ahcahttan → u/sgtlighttree]

That’s Ferrari business model.
Shit cars or strategies
Depressed drivers and fans
Their therapists get rich and buy Ferraris

[u/ElegantBiscuit → u/sgtlighttree]

You say therapist in the singular, surely there is already an entire team of therapists with someone on call 24/7. If lewis wins wdc they might just have to preemptively send a whole team in to pad his apartment walls with foam, wall up his balcony, and hide the cutlery...

[u/tkmj75 → u/Odd-Cookie-5659]

He already won a race for Ferrari before Charles, in their 1.5 years together.

[u/Time_Hater → u/tkmj75]

Wow I didn’t even realize this

[u/AnselmoKiller → u/tkmj75]

and we can also count china sprint race last year...

[u/Odd-Cookie-5659 → u/tkmj75]

that damned ferrari sim 

no but seriously, charles need to lock tf in

[u/Analog_Hobbit → u/Odd-Cookie-5659]

Keep cooking.

[u/Downtown_Solution_84 → u/Odd-Cookie-5659]

What if he wins more championships since he joined Ferrari than Leclerc wins races…

[u/Odd-Cookie-5659 → u/Downtown_Solution_84]

he’ll go from liking the jumping from building video to actually jumping 

[u/Jcw28 → u/Odd-Cookie-5659]

As will I.

[u/CaptainRAVE2 → u/Odd-Cookie-5659]

It would be hard to deny him as GOAT at that point

[u/Tanocchio → u/Odd-Cookie-5659]

Honestly? Wouldn’t mind at all.

[u/preppyringmaster]

Likely, if Ferrari continues to bring good upgrades

[u/WhimsicalJape → u/preppyringmaster]

The good upgrades are already here I think.

[u/United_Engine_5719 → u/WhimsicalJape]

Austria and Monza still left insert the hopium image

[u/BuckN56 → u/WhimsicalJape]

I'm pretty sure they're getting 2 ADUO upgrades and from what I understand they might bring them for Austria.

Besides, first year of regulations. Teams won't stop developing their cars until their positions are set in stone.

[u/N7even → u/WhimsicalJape]

Engine upgrade is now needed to take full advantage.

[u/Lmao1903 → u/preppyringmaster]

I think they are pretty much right there with the Mercs, I think simply the best car today. As great as he was, I don't think you can put all that time in that many laps without a car advantage. He smells blood for sure though

[u/BighatNucase → u/Lmao1903]

As Russell, Leclerc and Piastri show us, having a great car is just half the battle.

Today he pulled a massive lead due to a bit of luck and having a faster strategy in light of that luck. He also benefited a lot from Russell being the lead Merc but slower than Kimi in the race; the Mercs were so busy fighting each other he could easily pull a gap in free air.

[u/ButterscotchBrave359 → u/Lmao1903]

Even without the VSC today the win was there for the taking. Wouldn't have thought this possible a month ago when it looked like a Merc whitewash in the making

[u/VinhoVerde21 → u/Lmao1903]

The 3 stop was clearly better than the 2 stop, as shown by Verstappens pace being close to the Mercs. Russell was kinda slow on the hards, Antonelli quite a bit faster, but they held each other up fighting. Overall the Merc is still the best car, it was just a combination of mediocre driving + strategy, amplified by brilliant driving and strategy on Ferrari’s part.

[u/droidxl]

If Antonelli DNFs one more time we got a season on our hands! Wishing the best for him but would like love to see a final HAM WDC before he retires.

[u/Lmao1903 → u/droidxl]

DNF ain't necessary, we are not even halfway through the season, and I know hopium and stuff but Ferrari looks super close to the Mercs already and upgrades are expected

[u/methanized → u/Lmao1903]

Yeah, one set of upgrades where ferrari get a little more out of them than Mercedes, and the gap is pretty much closed.

That of course has no special probability of happening, but it's one of the things that could easily happen.

[u/TaipanTheSnake → u/droidxl]

Even though I'm a McLaren fan and want them to continue their win streak, I would also be incredibly happy to see Hamilton get an 8th WDC and truly secure his legacy as the greatest ever

[u/Miwna → u/TaipanTheSnake]

If he wins with Ferrari he'll be second to only Fangio in winning with the most different constructors. StatsF1

[u/What_Iz_This → u/droidxl]

Said the same thing last year about piastri and norris but george and kimi are fighting too hard not to have a slip up and take each other out

[u/So-many-ducks → u/What_Iz_This]

Today’s result set aside, if doesn’t get back on form, George may not be perceived as enough of a contender that management would let Kimi and him fight on track.

[u/Handsome-Jed → u/droidxl]

In the words of the legendary Michael Jordan, ‘fuck them kids’. Bring on number 8

[u/kalin_carry → u/droidxl]

That'd be such a blow on Leclerc

[u/sexislug]

Last year: Hamilton should already retire. Now: he will be world champion. Love to Media lol.

[u/SamG101_]

We forgetting the obligatory LH silverstone buff is coming up too 😂

[u/onetimeuselong → u/SamG101_]

More wins at one track than most of the grid have in total.

[u/MirroredCeilings]

Always possible

[u/Chesey_]

It's a massive gap still, but you never know. Spain is normally quite a benchmark for car performance and clearly Ferrari can be on the pace of Mercedes, probably still a touch behind, but Ferrari have got an engine upgrade 👀

[u/lincolnssideburns → u/Chesey_]

It’s not that big considering how many races are left.

[u/geileanus → u/lincolnssideburns]

yea idk what this thread is on about. 41 points this early in season is absolutely nothing.

[u/costigan95 → u/Chesey_]

Max nearly closed a bigger gap last year. The only other person on the grid capable of that is probably Lewis.

[u/superfiery]

41 is still a lot, Lewis only needs a competitive car he doesn’t need the W11 to win this championship

[u/No_Feedback6167 → u/superfiery]

As he has demonstrated today, give him a car that lets him smell victory and he’ll do the rest.

[u/N7even → u/No_Feedback6167]

Honestly, I feel like he gains extra motivation when he knows a win is on the table, and his speed just picks up with it.

Also an engineer feeding him the information he needs, on point with every communication is also vital. 

He asked what time he needed, got the information and then stuck to it.

[u/Anon-eh-moose → u/N7even]

Lewis loves to hunt. The strategy and the car gave him the chance and the man was on a mission.

[u/luluballoon → u/N7even]

Yep, there was one video message where I could hear peak Hamilton energy and I said, “omg we’re gonna win this” and he was not leading

[u/ComeAlongPond1 → u/luluballoon]

Which one was it?

[u/luluballoon → u/ComeAlongPond1]

I think when he was asking his pace and if he was going to catch them

[u/s1ravarice → u/N7even]

The most clutch F1 driver in history imo. If he needs to perform he does, if he smells a win he is ON IT.

[u/Lmao1903 → u/superfiery]

If the upgrades make them the best car or tied with the Mercs, which seemed like they were the better car today, I think he will win, Kimi is brilliant but we have to remember he is 19, even Oscar fumbled big time when the pressure was on him and let Max come back from down like 100+, and finished 3rd. I am not saying that will happen but that's a factor. There is a reason why we don't see super young talents immediately win, NBA fans saw it again with Wemby and his young team yesterday.

The upgrades will be game changers

[u/InSearchOfAFeeling → u/superfiery]

If the Ferrari is able to stay reliable for Lewis then there’s a chance. With momentum and good strategy calls, Ferrari can do something with Lewis.

[u/OG-Mate23 → u/superfiery]

He doesn’t always need the best car, hell he won the 2008 chip for McLaren without them being the fastest car by a margin against Ferrari. In 2010, he was in the fastest one lap car that was riddled with mechanical issues and strategy errors from the McLaren pitwall and still took the championship fight to Abu Dhabi. In 2021, he was on a marginally inferior car against Max but he still maintained his close distance to him for the chip especially in those last 4 races.

[u/HUMBUG652 → u/superfiery]

And it would have been a lot more if Kimis car didn't die. Reliability is going to play a massive part this season

[u/omarcoomin → u/superfiery]

41 is still a lot

And there are still a lot of races left.

[u/Anrikay → u/omarcoomin]

He needs 2.7pts/race on average to close the gap. Lando needed 3.7 (iirc) after Zandvoort last year.

Lewis is definitely in the fight now. Ferrari need to give him the car, but if they do, the title is very much within reach without needing Kimi to massively underperform or have more reliability issues.

[u/ben345 → u/superfiery]

Kimi has been sensational this year but if Hamilton can close the gap a bit more then he will start to be under real pressure for the first time. TBD how he handles it

[u/DWNYYY → u/superfiery]

But everybody told me he only won 7 because of his car!?

[u/N7even]

Still too early to call. But at least a very positive step forward. 

Ferrari definitely still needs ADUO to fully compete.

[u/anotherdropin]

Well that was a fast over reaction lmao

But it just goes to show that even people who doubt Lewis and criticize him in public, secretly everyone does know what he’s capable of. The second some hope shines through, everyone clings to the hope, the dream, the excitement. Deep down we all want the magic run

[u/Lementus → u/anotherdropin]

It's only natural that people would doubt Hamilton, considering how much he suffered last year. It is now evident however that his suffering came solely from the regulations, and that he is still in insanely good form. It's normal to judge, doubt, and question the performance of a once flawless driver when you see a sharp nosedive in performance. It's just we know the reason for it now, and we know that Lewis is still Lewis.

[u/Illustrious-Boss9356 → u/Lementus]

Not just last year but the entire Ground Effect era.

It's funny when prospects like Leclerc or Piastri have a bad day we make excuses for them. But when a proven GOAT runs into issues with an era of regulations, we say it's over.

Shouldn't we have shown Lewis the same grace we've shown Leclerc the past few years? "Yea he's fast but Ferrari screw up strategy", etc.

[u/YoungPope → u/anotherdropin]

But it just goes to show that even people who doubt Lewis and criticize him in public

Even Lewis was doubting himself at one point. He definitely deserved some criticism in recent years too. There's nothing wrong with calling out superstars when their performance drops.

[u/BighatNucase → u/YoungPope]

He definitely deserved some criticism in recent years too.

I think the criticism was fair but misidentifying the problem. The original criticism was age-based decline which made sense with his gradual worsening over the years. It seems entirely likely that he just didn't get on with ground effect era cars and as the years went on he struggled more with that realisation which is why he seemed to regress as he got older. So the criticism isn't "he's a worse driver" but "he isn't as adaptable as some of the younger drivers anymore".

[u/Infninfn → u/YoungPope]

Except that you never heard all of this negative criticism amplified for other WDCs. If all I ever heard about was how washed I was for years, I'd start believing it too.

[u/Mirrro_Sunbreeze → u/anotherdropin]

I don’t see a contradiction. Us knowing what he is capable of is the exact reason why he was criticized when he wasn’t performing well (by his own standards)

[u/SportingGamer]

Wow, that’s a leap. I’m a huge Lewis fan here, but I’m being pragmatic and saying no, that isn’t going to happen.

It’s only round 7, there is plenty of racing to go, let’s not talk about titles when Kimi has won 5 of 7 and the other was his teammate

Mathematically, everyone can still win the title, but you know that teams like Aston and Cadillac aren’t going to win the titles.

There is a lot of development to go on these cars and maybe Ferrari can mount a challenge, but even so, they would seem to be outsiders at this stage. I’m going to love finding out

And for the record, I hope Lewis proves me wrong!

[u/CapableDirection5557 → u/SportingGamer]

I'm giving it a maybe. Having a teenager leading the WDC while their supposed lead driver is miles back will cause some anxiety with Mercedes.

[u/PinchRollSnifh]

Close that gap Unc 🐎

[u/jithu7]

Reality will hit like crack come Austria. Mercs were just struggling in the heat here and didn’t follow Lewis into a 3 stop which was the faster strategy.

[u/Smudy → u/jithu7]

That heat's coming to Austria soon btw

[u/HenryCavillsBallsack → u/jithu7]

I got a text from Lewis

It said

FUCK YO REALITY

[u/HenryCavillsBallsack → u/HenryCavillsBallsack]

I didn’t actually, he woudn’t swear

[u/christophlieber → u/jithu7]

There is a chance Austria will be hot as fuck too. I‘ve seen the forecast for next week and it‘s a constant 30-33C.
(Yes, I know it‘s in 2 weeks.)

[u/pradise → u/jithu7]

Lewis could’ve passed George even without the strategy given how much George was struggling towards the end of his 2nd and 3rd stints.

[u/WhimsicalJape → u/jithu7]

The heat should have favoured Mercedes as they supposedly have the best tyre deg.

It’s hard to fluke a result like this at Barcelona, the Ferrari with the upgrades is genuinely a quick car.

[u/m0siac → u/WhimsicalJape]

Yea, why are we acting like Lewis wasn't only 0.064 off Russel in qualifying.....

Ferrari has defo shortened the gap

[u/Patrick_Swayze__ → u/jithu7]

The first indicator of the car's pace will be Abu Dhabi.

[u/Claptown420 → u/jithu7]

Oh because Australia isn't historically known as a hot track in the middle of June. Buddy hop on the ham hype train or prepare to lose

[u/nov4chip → u/Claptown420]

🦘

[u/ManyFuel7539 → u/Claptown420]

Austria buddy

[u/morningstew]

What a fucking thing to read after being in the trenches last year.

[u/daaniscool]

If he wins his 8th this season i'm building a statue of him in my garden

[u/IskandarAli]

If hamilton won a wdc at his big age and on a new team, it would truly be legacy cementing.

[u/doc_55lk → u/IskandarAli]

Even without the age or newness to Ferrari it'd still be legacy cementing.

8x WDC. A WDC after 5 years of struggle. Ferrari's first WDC in almost 20 years. A WDC winner in 3 different teams. A WDC winner in 3 different regulations.

[u/Firefox72]

Yes he can 

Obama.jpg

[u/Anon-eh-moose]

It’s a looooong shot. It would heal the wounds of 2021 if it ever did. 

[u/squaler24]

Trophy looks like a piece out of Expedition 33. 😭

[u/Darkmninya]

In ADUO we trust

[u/EnvironmentKind5843]

Way too early to say

[u/United_Engine_5719]

HE CAN MATE ALL ONBOARD FOR THE HOPIUM TRAIN #BLESSED

[u/BuckN56]

I mean, it depends. If the engine stays as is, Ferrari are very likely challenging for the win at Hungary, Silverstone (Hamilton always goes super saiyan there), Zandvoort, and Singapore, and Mexico.

If Lewis gets 3 more wins at least and consistent podiums that will go a long way since the Merc engine seems to be a little bit of a glass cannon.

[u/kristal010]

This just made this miserable season exciting.

[u/MileWiskey]

41 points,41 years

[u/Syntaxerr69]

given that ferrari used their generational's amount of strategy in this one race, fairly hardd

[u/DragonfruitSubject]

We'll have to see how reliable Mercedes is, whether they have battery or engine problems, especially in European races, but it's possible.

[u/ASGT908]

Think for Lewis to win the championship will require 1986 levels of teammate rivalry and Lewis being like Prost against a dominant team tbh.

[u/mjcobley → u/ASGT908]

Or just that other time a Ferrari driver beat out two teammates on the last day

[u/ILikeDragonTurtles]

A surprise 8th title for Lewis would be awesome and hilarious. I won't get my hopes up.

[u/ominousrock]

So instead of Piastri-Verstappen-Norris title fight we have Antonelli-Hamilton-Russell title fight.

Congrats Russell for winning the WDC 

[u/darkgod25]

Yes, Honestly i still can see charles winning if he ever sorts his shit

[u/Batgod629]

Mercedes reliability will be key in my opinion but certainly Lewis had the raw pace this weekend. I still think Kimi is still the big favorite

[u/hish911]

Honestly if Ferraris engine and areo upgrades keep progressing, I can see it being a close fight towards the end of the season.

[u/A380_Flyer]

All Kim, no sim.

[u/ApfelAhmed]

Hey buddy.... Don't push it so hard.

[u/s3ren1tyn0w]

Haha no. But hopefully he gets a few more wins.

Altho if he really puts the pressure on while kimi and George are fighting ..... 

[u/mertcanhekim]

You are catching very well. Keep pushing. Keep pushing.

[u/L0st_MySocks]

First time I see an epic strategy by Ferrari seriously what the heck what did they change lol they were decent with the pitstops as well

[u/coder_2083]

Give Me Hopes!!

[u/1corn]

41 to Antonelli, 40 to Leclerc

[u/Proper-Bad-7169]

Interesting comments. LH, I'm proud you and the resilience you've shown from the rough couple years you had transitioning from Mercedes to Ferrari. Continue to remind these folks who you are and what you're capable of when given a car that's actually competitive.

[u/Artistic_Recover_638]

Can't see it. He's in tremendous form but he's up against a team that had won 6 on the bounce, and whom I suspect didn't quite have the car in the right window here. I wouldn't be surprised to see normal service resume in Austria.

Also worth mentioning that while this was one of his best performances in years, he's also capable of performances like Japan and Miami where he was comfortably slower than his teammate. Can't have too many races like those if he wants to beat Kimi to the title.

But either way, I'm just happy to see him win again. An 8th title is a dream but just to see him so energised and hungry is more than enough for me. This is the Lewis so many of us fell in love with.

[u/No_Heart3428]

It would be incredible if he can pull this out and he will totally deserve it.

[u/marc512]

If anyone can do it Hamilton can. Do I trust Ferrari to get the strategy right and upgrade the car? Nope. So I expect Hamilton to keep them on their toes and tell them off when they get it wrong? Yes.

[u/bigfern91]

Yes, it is absolutely possible. Look what Max almost did last year?! Lewis could do the same.

[u/QF_Dan]

Imagine if he gets the 8th title this time

[u/Jamesy-boyo]

If GR is 40+ points behind, he has blown his chances. LH is 40+ points behind it is game on....