LAS VEGAS, Nevada, CMC – Lewis Hamilton said on Wednesday that he needed a miracle in the season’s final two Formula 1 races to overtake Sergio Perez for second in the drivers’ championship.
With 52 points up for grabs between this weekend at the Las Vegas Grand Prix in the United States and next weekend at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in the United Arab Emirates, the two drivers could engage in a scrap to decide the runner-up to Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands.
Only 32 points separate second-placed Perez, Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate, and third-placed Hamilton, the 38-year-old British race car driver with Grenadian heritage, who ruled out any chance of him seriously challenging his Mexican rival.
“He’s too far away now, honestly,” Hamilton said. “30 points in two races, he would have to have two disasters, and I would have to be second. But it doesn’t make a difference if we’re second or third.
“We still had an amazing year, given the car that we’ve had. We never thought we would be fighting for second in the constructors’ championship and knocking on the door of the most dominant car, probably, of our era.”
Coincidentally, there is also a fight for the runner-up spot in the constructors’ championship, with Mercedes, Hamilton’s team, holding a 20-point advantage over Ferrari ahead of the final two races.
The last two years have been very challenging for Mercedes, and they have not won a Grand Prix for two years, but Hamilton said his sense of purpose kept him motivated during the period and the chance to win an unprecedented eighth world title.
“Growing up, I won a lot,” he said. “I always had at least one win each year. The last two years have been a great experience to be fighting with the team. We were winning for a long time, and when you win for so long, we all get complacent and take things for granted.
“This has been an excellent time for us to pull back, have our feet on the ground, start back up, and dig deep. And for me, it’s always knowing we can improve each day. I know I can be fitter. I know I can do more. I can be more efficient with my work with my time.
Hamilton added: “I have days where I’m like, I don’t want to work out, this sucks. But you have to keep pushing. You have to keep getting up. We’re not fighting for a world championship right this second. The pressure is that as you age, it gets harder to train. It’s harder to stay fit. It’s managing your time. It’s how you communicate with a team of people and keep them all focused.
“And, the pressure right now is to catch up to Red Bull, the team we’re trying to beat. Coming back in February (next year) and getting in the car, I will immediately know whether it’s a car that we can fight with. That’s always a nervous experience for everybody.”
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