Motorsport

DANIEL RICCIARDO believes Lewis Hamilton has enjoyed not having the ‘strongest competition’ during his dominance of Formula One.The Brit, 36, is aiming to break the world titles record he shares with Michael Schumacher.
Lewis Hamilton has dominated Formula One in his MercedesCredit: AFP
Daniel Ricciardo believes there are other drivers who could star in the Brit’s carCredit: AFP
And McLaren ace Ricciardo, 31, aimed something of a ‘diplomatic’ dig at the reigning champion and suggested a number of other drivers could also win races if handed the keys to the all-powerful Mercedes.
He told Square Mile: “To answer it diplomatically, I think Lewis isn’t the only one that could win races in that car.
“That’s obviously my opinion and I think that George Russell, in a way, showed the possibility of that by pretty much beating Valtteri [Bottas] in his first race.
“So you could argue that just maybe Lewis doesn’t have the strongest competition.”
The debate over F1’s GOAT will continue to rumble on as Hamilton pushes for his eighth crown.
While Ricciardo does think he could give him a run for his money in the same car, he admitted the mental pressure felt that comes with being the favourite at every race is on another level.

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The Aussie noted: “I think, where we can’t be too aggressive or disrespectful to Lewis, is that, do a few of us believe we could beat him? Yes. I’m quite sure of that.
“But none of us have ever been in the hunt for a title. None of us have dealt with that pressure. None of us have had that year after year.
“Pretty much every weekend he rocks up to a race. Yes, he has the best car, but he’s also expected to win all the time. And if he doesn’t, it’s, ‘OK, what happened to Lewis?’.”

Max Verstappen is expected to provide serious competition for this year’s world championship.
Having pushed Hamilton all the way in Bahrain, they will duel again at Imola on the weekend and Ricciardo opened up on his relationship with his old Red Bull team-mate.
He said: “I think it’s easier now for me and Max to be friends for two reasons.
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Me and Max never hated each other, we just wanted to end each other’s careers! It’s as simple as that.Daniel Ricciardo

“I think one is that obviously we’re not in direct competition – we’re not trying to basically end each other’s careers.
“The second point is that I think – I mean, of course, I won races with him as a team-mate and got pole position so I think he always knew I was quick and respected me.
“But now, since I’ve left, the other drivers have come through and him having different team-mates, I think it’s probably increased his respect for me even more.
“I mean we never hated each other, we just wanted to end each other’s careers! It’s as simple as that.”
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LEWIS HAMILTON has posted a cryptic message on social media hinting at the meanings of the tattoos on his hands.The British Formula One star, 36, is enjoying the weekend off having won the 2021 season opener in Bahrain.
Lewis Hamilton has hinted as to the meanings of his hand tattoos
Lewis Hamilton took to Twitter to revealed his ‘hands tell a story’
Hamilton is enjoying a weekend off having won the season opener in Bahrain last SundayCredit: Splash
And before kicking off his Imola preparations – with the Grand Prix in Italy taking place next weekend – Hamilton shared a message to his 6.2m Twitter followers.
In it, the Mercedes racer appeared to hint at the meaning of his tattoos.
Hamilton captioned a pair of pictures: “Our Hands Tell A Story – each hand tells a different one.
“Some of age and wisdom, some of hard work, some of bravery and some of love.
“They all have a rhythm of their own.
“What do your hands say about you?”
It’s not the first time Hamilton has explained his inkings either, having opened up about his body-art in 2018.
In a video for GQ, Hamilton explained: “I got a big cross on my back, I mean, the idea originally came from Tupac who was my favourite rapper.
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“And I wanted to put angel wings around it. And then at the top it says, ‘Still I rise’.
“It took like, I think ten hours or something like that, just in one go, straightaway.
“And since then I’ve loved my back.”
On his tattoos, Hamilton explained: “Once you kinda get your first one, you kind of move on to, kind of, what next can I get?
“What else can I kind of connect with. What else resonates with me?”

Hamilton later revealed the compass marked onto his chest holds religious connotations.
He claimed: “I’ll leave church on a Sunday thinking, wow I’ve really gained my direction where to go.
“So church is really my compass, so that’s why I got the compass.”
Hamilton also has the words ‘family’ and ‘faith’ on his shoulders because as he is ‘very, very close’ to his family.
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MAX VERSTAPPEN has described Lewis Hamilton as among Formula One’s ‘best-ever’ drivers as he goes toe-to-toe with the Brit for the title.Last season saw Hamilton, 36, cruise to a record-equalling seventh world championship but 2021 may not be quite so straightforward.
Max Verstappen believes Lewis Hamilton is one of Formula One’s best-ever racersCredit: AFP
The title rivals fought out a fascinating battle in the Bahrain season openerCredit: Splash
An enthralling opening round in Bahrain saw the Dutchman push his rival all the way, suggesting Red Bull have caught up with the dominant Mercedes.
And Verstappen, 23, has given his take on calls for Hamilton to be recognised as the greatest F1 driver of all time.
He told Autosport: “Man, you know it’s super hard, but of course you have to give credit to Lewis.
“[For] the way he has dealt with all the years, to always come back and be honoured and win that amount of races and championships. You definitely cannot go around Lewis.
“But, of course, there are still a lot of other people in F1, I think who are very good, very strong, and would have been very good in that car as well.
“But still, of course, the way Lewis has won and also sometimes in tricky races – like last year in Turkey, to win that race, I think he did very well.
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“Yeah, definitely he is one of the best ever in F1.”
The pair will face off once again in just over a week’s time for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola.
With Hamilton beating Verstappen to the line by less than a second last time out, fans are hoping for another huge battle.
And the Mercedes star is hyped up for the clash and believes team-mate Valtteri Bottas will also feature in the title fight.
I’m super excited and super happy for the fans, that they are excited.Lewis Hamilton

He said: “I’m super excited and super happy for the fans, that they are excited.
“I think it’s something that all the fans have wanted for a long time.
“Of course, this is only one race, so we don’t know what the future holds in terms of the pace they have.
“They could be ahead a lot more, but we’re going to work as hard as we can to try and stay close in this battle and I hope for many more of these sorts of races with Max and Valtteri.”
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Max Verstappen says the whole weekend has been going really well while Lewis Hamilton reacts to starting Bahrain GP in second More