Mercedes-Benz

IT’S been a difficult start to the Formula One season for Lewis Hamilton.The seven-time world champion has just one podium finish in five races, but did have a rare cause for celebration over the weekend.
Lewis Hamilton has had little to cheer about so far this yearCredit: Splash
That’s because Hamilton’s Extreme E racing team, X44, won round three of the Hydro X Prix in Scotland.
Fraser McConnell and Christina Gutierrez won Saturday’s grand final.
And Hamilton revelled in the victory on social media.
Taking to his Instagram story, Hamilton posted a snap of the two winning drivers and wrote: “Another W.”
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Hamilton’s X44 team crossed the line in second place, but a penalty to rivals Andretti saw them promoted to first.
However, X44 could not follow up Saturday’s success in round four on Sunday.
Following the weekend’s action, X44 are fourth in the Extreme E championship standings, one place Rosberg X Racing, founded by Hamilton’s former Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg.
Fourth is also where Hamilton currently lies in the 2023 F1 driver standings.
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He trails leader Max Verstappen by 63 points, and finished P6 in Miami last time out.
Hamilton returns to action this weekend at the Emilia Romagna GP in Italy.
The Brit F1 legend recently spoke out on his love for other racing series, not just F1.
He said: “I did a car swap with Tony Stewart years ago, which was fun.
“I’d love to try it [NASCAR] at some stage. It’s not a dream for me to go race another series, but I am an admirer.
“I’m a fan of racing and other sports. So I would like to try it. I’d love to swap with Valentino Rossi and try Moto GP.
“I sometimes watch IndyCar and would love to try one of those at some stage.” More

LEWIS HAMILTON has admitted his admiration for other racing series, amid Mercedes’ struggles this season.The seven-time world champion has achieved just one podium finish this season, with the Silver Arrows still struggling to adjust to new regulations.
Lewis Hamilton spoke at last week’s Miami GPCredit: Splash
Hamilton’s Mercedes contract is set to expire at the end of the campaign.
And although he still feels in his “prime” – last weekend in Miami the 38-year-old admitted to sometimes getting the itch to try something new.
He said: “I did a car swap with Tony Stewart years ago, which was fun.
“I’d love to try it [NASCAR] at some stage. It’s not a dream for me to go race another series, but I am an admirer.
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“I’m a fan of racing and other sports. So I would like to try it. I’d love to swap with Valentino Rossi and try Moto GP.
“I sometimes watch IndyCar and would love to try one of those at some stage.”
Hamilton has been enjoying his time in the States since coming sixth in last weekend’s Miami GP.
He was spotted enjoying a sunny boat ride with popstar Shakira earlier this week.
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Shakira was spotted with Hamilton earlier this weekCredit: TWITTER
While he also sat courtside at the Los Angeles Lakers’ 122-101 play-off victory over the Golden State Warriors.
Hamilton sat next to Leonardo DiCaprio as he watched LeBron James and Co book their place in the Western Conference Finals.
Speaking to ESPN last month, the Formula 1 icon cited LeBron as a point of inspiration as he looks to get back to winning ways.
He said: “I don’t plan on stopping any time soon.
“I’m not at the end of my career, I’m not in the downhill slope of my career. I’m in my prime. It all depends on how hard I want to work and keep myself in my prime, in terms of physical and mental capability.
“If you look at LeBron, if you look at Tom Brady, they have shown that it can be sustained for as long as you are dedicated enough to put the energy and time in.
“Right now, I don’t plan on changing, I only plan on adding to the drive and the motivation and to being better. I’m massively driven.”
Hamilton is set to return to action next weekend, when the Formula 1 season heads to Imola.
Hamilton attended last night’s Lakers game alongside Leonardo DiCaprioCredit: Getty More

LEWIS HAMILTON is still the fastest driver in Formula One according to one rival on the grid.The seven-time World Champion is currently in the longest winless streak of his career, but some still think he is the fastest man in Formula One.
Lewis Hamilton (R) has had a rocky start to the 2023 season compared to Max Verstappen (L), who currently leads the Drivers ChampionshipCredit: Rex
The F1 legend ended up behind his team-mate George Russell (R) in last season’s Drivers ChampionshipCredit: Alamy
Hamilton tried to experiment with set-ups to improve the troublesome W13 during the first half of last season, and was consistently outperformed by his team-mate George Russell.
He also missed out on the team’s only win of the year, coming second to Russell at Interlagos.
But former team-mate Valtteri Bottas has said he thinks Hamilton is still faster than every other driver on the grid.
The now-Alfa Romeo driver thinks that Hamilton is faster than Max Verstappen, who is currently leading the Drivers championship.
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Speaking on the Beyond the Grid podcast, Bottas said “I think he’s still the quickest driver on the grid.”
Even when asked whether Hamilton is faster than the likes of Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, Bottas stuck to his guns, replying “Yeah. To me, he’s the fastest.”
The Finnish driver will know better than anyone how Hamilton operates, having shared a garage at Mercedes with him for five seasons.
That makes Bottas the Britain’s longest-associated team-mate in his 17-year-long career.
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When asked what separates Hamilton from the rest of the grid in terms of how he goes about his work, Bottas revealed one of his secrets.
He said: “Well, first of all, he’s annoyingly talented. But on top of that, he works way harder than people actually think outside the race weekends.
“And in the race weekends, he’s quite often the last person to leave the paddock.
“It’s just that combination and he’s got a big drive inside him to always do well.
“His average baseline performance is so good and then he’s really consistent as well, so it makes him hard to beat.
Hamilton (L) and Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas (R) were team-mates for five seasonsCredit: Getty
Bottas said Hamilton works harder than people think he doesCredit: Getty
“When I could beat him, that was obviously on a good day, but on average, I never quite managed to.”
Hamilton was happy with his result in last weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, battling his way up from 13th to finish sixth.
He stuck around in Miami after the race, and was spotted for a second time with pop star Shakira.
Footage of the pair in a restaurant had emerged on social media just a few days earlier, sparking rumours about their love lives.
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And now the two have been spotted enjoying a sunny boat trip together with friends.
Shakira was picked up from her £16million Miami Beach mansion, with Hamilton helping the singer into the open top cruiser. More

LEWIS HAMILTON won’t leave Mercedes as there are no other viable options, claims Jensen Button.The seven-time world champion is set to be out of contract with the Silver Arrows at the end of the season.
Lewis Hamilton came sixth in Sunday’s Miami GPCredit: Splash
While they are reportedly working on a new deal, Hamilton has been linked with a sensational Mercedes exit – with Ferrari having been mentioned.
But Button, Hamilton’s former McLaren team-mate, doesn’t think a switch to the Scuderia, or anywhere for that matter, makes sense.
While appearing on Sky Sports over the weekend, Button said of Hamilton: “Well, he’s loyal, but I also don’t think he’s got the options that he would want.
“I don’t really think he would have the option at Red Bull – I don’t think he would be the right fit alongside Max [Verstappen].
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“I don’t think he’d be at Ferrari. Aston Martin? Definitely won’t be going to Aston Martin, they’ve got two seats that are going to be filled there for a little while.”
Button, a world champion in 2009, also thinks that going through difficult times together could strengthen the bond between Mercedes and Hamilton.
The 43-year-old added: “I think his future will be at Mercedes but he is also a loyal character and it’s good to see him going through some tough times with that team.
“I think they will come out the other side together. You know, it’s a rollercoaster in Formula 1, especially when you’ve been on top for that long, there’s going to be a dip.
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“But if you can stay with that team, they will rise to the top again, and he’s not going to retire.”
Hamilton squashed retirement talk while chatting to ESPN, claiming that he is still in his prime.
But he did admit that he’d imagined himself driving for another team, albeit while calling Mercedes “home”.
He said: “I’d be lying if I said I’d never thought about ending my career anywhere else.
“I started at McLaren, I’d like to think I’ll always be a part of the McLaren family, I started there when I was 13-years-old [as a junior driver], so I thought about what it would look like if I was at McLaren one day.
“I thought about and watched the Ferrari drivers on the screens at the track and of course, you wonder what it would be like to be in red… But then I go to my team, to Mercedes, and this is my home.
“I’m happy where I am. I haven’t signed a contract yet, but we are working on one.”
Hamilton came sixth in Sunday’s Miami GP, having started 13th on the grid.
He is fourth in the driver standings, already 63 points behind Verstappen in the vastly superior Red Bull car.
Jenson Button reckons Hamilton will stay with MercedesCredit: Splash News More