Hamilton wary of 'hungry' young drivers

  • Published on 19 Nov 2018 11:25
  • comments 5
  • By: Fergal Walsh

Lewis Hamilton says that he needs to remain on top of his game in 2019 in order to keep "hungry" young drivers behind in the championship fight. Charles Leclerc will join Ferrari alongside Sebastian Vettel in next year, despite 2018 being only his rookie year.

The Monegasque driver has impressed over the last nine months with Sauber, scoring points on a number of occasions. Red Bull will be entering a new project with Honda as its power unit supplier, ending its long-standing partnership with Renault.

Honda has made gains in 2018, running with Red Bull's junior squad Toro Rosso. The energy drink squad will be aiming to bring itself into championship contention next year alongside Mercedes and Ferrari, who have battled it out for the last two years.

And with Red Bull and Ferrari having two highly regarded youths, Hamilton says that he must continue to gain to stay on top: "To this point in my life, this is the highest point of my career in terms of my own performance, how I perform with the team but there are always areas to improve,” Hamilton said.

“We will definitely look at the season at the end of the year and there are always areas you look at, we didn’t win every single race, there were some mishaps at the beginning of the year and there is always room to improve. So I expect to do that and that’s my expectation in myself. I have got to work in this winter and there will be a slightly amended approach.

“Of course, you have to dig deep and you have these young kids that are coming. Leclerc at Ferrari will be hungry to prove a point, you’ve got Max who is still hungry to prove a point, so I have to make sure I am still there [at the top of my game].”

Speaking about the comments from Hamilton, Leclerc stated: "It's definitely an honour to hear that from Lewis. He's an incredible driver, and I've watched him since quite a bit of years before arriving in Formula 1.

"I'll just try to do the best I can next year, but it's definitely not going to be easy. He's very experienced and an amazing driver. But it's definitely good to hear that," the 2017 Formula 2 champion said.

He's lucky that he doesn't have to be 'wary' of his teammate in the same car, but luckily Toto holds Bottas on a leash.. good boy! let Lewis past once, twice a race. good boy!

  • 1
  • Nov 19 2018 - 16:00

Replies (5)

Login to reply
  • He's lucky that he doesn't have to be 'wary' of his teammate in the same car, but luckily Toto holds Bottas on a leash.. good boy! let Lewis past once, twice a race. good boy!

    • + 1
    • Nov 19 2018 - 16:00
    • Of course, 50 Shades of Wolff know how to train his little boys. Just look what a good boy Ocon was in Monaco.

      • + 1
      • Nov 19 2018 - 16:34
  • sadosalo

    Posts: 198

    Rosberg, Button, Alonso, Vettel, and the best of all Max would have taken a couple if in the same car or challinging longer. His boring non challenging teammate Bottas makes Hamilton look better than he is, after all the GB press massages he gets a bit narcissistic character, getting smart now with clear glasses and now even talking about E cars, green, India, Vegan stuff and than flying around the world in his private jet c'mon get real my little man.

    • + 0
    • Nov 20 2018 - 01:51
  • blade

    Posts: 341

    Sadosalo - let's see how 2019 goes - every year HAM is there, or thereabouts - every year he beats his opponents, we've seen that happen in a non-dominant car and a dog of a car - what else do you expect from him? All the drivers you list are great drivers, but better than Hamilton, seriously? I don't think so. Being the best driver is about speed, instinct, decision making and positioning. The fact he does all that whilst living the life he lives is a miracle - he has loads of capacity. I cannot think of anyone better tbh.

    • + 0
    • Nov 20 2018 - 14:00
    • RogerF1

      Posts: 501

      When was Hamilton ever in a non-dominant car!!!!!!!! Maybe the year Rosberg won instead!!!

      • + 0
      • Nov 21 2018 - 19:11

BE Grand Prix of Belgium

Local time 

BEGrand Prix of Belgium

Local time 

World Championship standings 2024

Show full world champion standings

Test calendar

See full test schedule

Related news

Give your opinion!

Will Bottas challenge Hamilton for the world championship in 2020?

Formula 1 Calendar - 2024

Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Bahrain
29 - Mar 2
Bahrain
7 - Mar 9
Saudi Arabia
22 - Mar 24
Australia
5 - Apr 7
Japan
19 - Apr 21
China
3 - May 5
United States of America
17 - May 19
Italy
24 - May 26
Monaco
7 - Jun 9
Canada
21 - Jun 23
Spain
28 - Jun 30
Austria
5 - Jul 7
United Kingdom
19 - Jul 21
Hungary
26 - Jul 28
Belgium
23 - Aug 25
Netherlands
30 - Sep 1
Italy
13 - Sep 15
Azerbaijan
20 - Sep 22
Singapore
18 - Oct 20
United States of America
25 - Oct 27
Mexico
1 - Nov 3
Brazil
22 - Nov 24
United States of America
29 - Dec 1
Qatar
6 - Dec 8
United Arab Emirates
-
United Arab Emirates
See full schedule

Formula 1 Calendar - 2024

Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
29 - Mar 2
7 - Mar 9
Saudi Arabia Jeddah Street Circuit
22 - Mar 24
Australia Albert Park
5 - Apr 7
19 - Apr 21
3 - May 5
United States of America Miami International Autodrome
17 - May 19
24 - May 26
Monaco Monte Carlo
7 - Jun 9
21 - Jun 23
28 - Jun 30
Austria Red Bull Ring
5 - Jul 7
United Kingdom Silverstone
19 - Jul 21
Hungary Hungaroring
26 - Jul 28
23 - Aug 25
Netherlands Circuit Zandvoort
30 - Sep 1
Italy Monza
13 - Sep 15
Azerbaijan Baku City Circuit
20 - Sep 22
18 - Oct 20
United States of America Circuit of the Americas
25 - Oct 27
1 - Nov 3
Brazil Interlagos
22 - Nov 24
United States of America Las Vegas Street Circuit
29 - Dec 1
6 - Dec 8
United Arab Emirates Yas Marina Circuit
-
United Arab Emirates Yas Marina Circuit
See full schedule

Driver profile

  • Team Mercedes
  • Points 3,377
  • Podiums 132
  • Grand Prix 208
  • Country GB
  • Date of b. Jan 7 1985 (39)
  • Place of b. Tewin, GB
  • Weight 68 kg
  • Length 1.74 m
Show full profile

Team profile

Show full profile
show sidebar