Hamilton 'Doesn't Care' About Third Place In Championship After 'Strong Vintage' Season

Wednesday, 03 January 2024 at 16:00

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Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok evaluated Lewis Hamilton's 2023 season and suggested the seven-time World Champion doesn't care about third place.

Even though he hasn't won a single race during the most recent season and achieved "only" six Grand Prix podiums, Lewis Hamilton finished third in the Drivers' Championship.

The Mercedes driver could be named "best of the rest" because nobody could match the speed of the two Red Bull drivers, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, who took the first and second places, respectively.

The Former Formula One driver Karun Chandhok suggested last year was a very solid year for the 38-year-old driver. He said on the Sky Sports F1 podcast:

"I think it was a solid year. A year where he had great drives, Mexico was a very strong performance, Spain he had a strong run to the podium."

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Hamilton showed a very strong pace during races like the Singapore Grand Prix, the United States Grand Prix, and the Mexico City Grand Prix. However, his performances started sliding away towards the end of the season.

"There was some very, very strong vintage Lewis Hamilton drives where he just delivered the maximum potential. In Brazil the team collectively had a shocker, but in Vegas, Abu Dhabi he just sort of went away a bit.:

McLaren driver Lando Norris said, "If you're not first, you're last." After winning seven Championships, one would assume the third place does not move with Hamilton too much.

"On a whole a solid season for Lewis, but he doesn't care about finishing third in the championship. I think if you asked him how many times he finished third in the championship, he probably wouldn't know. He exists to win."

Hamilton seems to have found new motivation in 2023 after an unsuccessful 2022 season, and his team principal believes he can get his eighth World Championship with a competitive car. Could we see it this year?