IS HAMILTON UNDER MORE PRESSURE IN THE 2020 GP?
After one amazing year for Lewis Hamilton during last year’s Grand Prix season, and defending champion and winner of the five of the last six titles, 2020 is looking even more tough for the all-time Mercedes favorite.
It is definitely no secret that Mercedes has a winning vehicle on their side due to their amazing upgrades and the standard of their racing cars, as we have already witnessed in the first two races this year. Hamilton will be feeling very confident to reach his goal this year and win his seventh Formula One World Championship. But, is the Mercedes driver experiencing some pressure from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen who has shown numerous times that he is not holding back?
Since arriving on the grid in 2015 the Dutchman has been a force of nature, displaying the bold and brave characteristics of a champion.
The question on everyone’s lips is could Verstappen overshadow Hamilton in 2020 GP?
The next three races after the Hungarian GP, two at Silverstone and one in Barcelona, should send the pendulum rushing back to Mercedes after a good showing by the Red Bull team. The key difference on the approach to those three races is that for one of the few times in the hybrid turbo era, the Silver Arrows could be caught, and that puts the pressure on Hamilton to deliver another great winning race.
If given the opportunity, Verstappen is indeed capable of transforming both his confidence and momentum into marginal gains on the track. Verstappen stated that he is not focusing on a ‘hat-trick of wins’ at the Red Bull Ring, but rather to generate a title fight and becoming the youngest World Champion in history.
There is indeed another key factor that lies in favor of Hamilton, the quality of this year’s car, and as seen throughout last year as well as the excellence during this year’s races, there is no doubt that Hamilton has that one in his pocket.
If Red Bull’s new upgrades work as expected, especially with a new spec Honda engine, they could overthrow Ferrari as the main opposition and, hopefully worthy rivals to the Mercedes team. Seeing that Honda have been making gains on a constant basis with every update they have brought to the car, this seems highly probable.
But we cannot forget the new face that has been showing off some skills and talent on the track, Mclaren’s Lando Norris. Looking back at the Styrian GP last weekend, this Mclaren driver delivered an amazing drive, especially in the last lap of the race where he flew past Daniel Ricciardo and Lance Stroll in the last few seconds, without any effort. Seeing that Norris has brought a new fight to the track and continuing to stay in the top 5, will he be another rival to consider in the championship?
As seen in Hamilton’s character, there is no lack of determination, willpower and bravery. As Hamilton remains the favorite for title number seven, to be equal with the great Micheal Schumacher, it is possible that he will be facing the biggest fight to achieve his goal in years.