Ahead of F1’s opening race of 2020 – the Austria Grand Prix – this weekend, we take a closer look at the difficult issues ahead for Hamilton to tackle on and off the grid.
HIS F1 CHALLENGERS
There are four widely-considered challengers to Hamilton’s F1 dominance this year. Hamilton’s Mercedes driving partner Valtteri Bottas will surely be one of them.
Slowly but steadily the 30-year-old’s number of race wins have increased in recent years and four wins for Mercedes last year will give the Finn plenty of confidence.
Having rising star George Russell hot on Bottas’ heels could well put further pressure on the latter to deliver consistent podium finishes in 2020.
Formula 1 in 2020 – The teams and the drivers
Red Bull are regarded as Mercedes’ greatest challenger this year in the constructors’ championship. And with Max Verstappen at the wheel, Hamilton will have something to think about each week.
The 22-year-old German’s encouraging performances in pre-season and recent upgrades to his car during the Covid-19 delay could all be important factors as the season plays out.
‘We can make it very difficult’ – Max Verstappen on Mercedes
Then last but by no means least, there is the Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and four-time champion Sebastian Vettel.
Leclerc’s newfound aggression witnessed at the latter stages of last season cannot be ignored heading into just his second full year on the grid. Also starting off in Austria, where he finished runner-up in 2019, seems a good place for the 22-year-old to get off to a strong start.
For Vettel, it may have been seven years since his last drivers’ championship but he knows what it takes to win it.
Having the pressure of the improving Leclerc in his team could drive him on and – perhaps more importantly in his case, – help him achieve greater consistency.
Add on the fact that Vettel is leaving Ferrari at the end of the year, so the German will want to bow out in style.
Hamilton’s loyalty to Mercedes, amid constant rumours of a move to Ferrari, has proven to pay off both ways as his avid support of the Black Lives Matter movement is now a Mercedes corporate symbol.
How so? Well, in the form of slick all-black car.
Mercedes have traditionally raced in silver throughout their time in Formula One but will switch to black and have ‘End Racism’ emblazoned on the halo of both cars.
The team said the Black Lives Matter movement has “shone a searching light on how much we need new measures and actions in the fight against racism and all forms of discrimination”.
Having an all-black car racing around the track for an entire season will consistently reinforce the Black Lives Matter message and is a move Hamilton has publicly applauded.
