Sky Sports presenter Ted Kravitz has called on Lewis Hamilton to show some fight on track if he is to stand a chance at winning a record eighth world title.
Hamilton rolled back the clock in Australia, as he tussled with his old rival Max Verstappen in the pair’s first real battle of the 2023 season.
With a strong start to the race, Hamilton dove into the corner, passing Verstappen despite the clear performance gap between Red Bull and the Mercedes.
The moment raised hopes from Mercedes and its fanbase that the Silver Arrows might be back after a tough 2022 season and lack of pace in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
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However, Verstappen eventually managed to strike back, taking the lead on lap 12 and remaining out in front for the rest of the Grand Prix, appearing untouchable.
“What’s fascinating to me is, we now have a complete flip of the Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton seasons from 2014 to 2021, when Hamilton has been going for the championship, knowing he has the fastest car and needs to play it safe,” Kravitz said on the Sky Sports F1 podcast.
“You had the upstart Verstappen challenging him and wanting to get in there. And now you’ve got Hamilton challenging Verstappen, saying, ‘It’s no cares given, I’m out there to take all the risks’, putting it back on the defending champion.
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“Hamilton knows he’s not going to win the championship this year, not unless something really weird happens, so he can go in there and be aggressive with Verstappen, knowing that he is probably going to have to give way.”
Kravitz’s advice to Hamilton comes as Red Bull cements its dominance at the top of Formula 1 after ending the eight year grip Mercedes had on the Constructors’ title.
Red Bull appears unbeatable as a team this season, with a pace difference to the rest of the grid that makes it hard to catch, while the Drivers’ Championship looks to be a two horse race between Verstappen and Sergio Perez.