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Former world champion Damon Hill believes a driver needs to step up to the plate and unsettle Lewis Hamilton if he is to be knocked of the F1 mantle.
Hamilton, a six-time world champion, has dominated the turbo-hybrid era, taking five of the six world championships on offer since 2014.
But there is an exception, that being in 2016 when his then Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg took the title, before retiring shortly after.
The German credited his ability to unsettle Hamilton as the main reason why he was able to beat him to the crown that year, and Hill believes it’s the only way that any of Hamilton’s current rivals can repeat Rosberg’s achievement.
Currently Max Verstappen is regarded as the most likely challenger to Hamilton, while the Briton’s current Mercedes partner Valtteri Bottas, as well as Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel over at Ferrari also have their eyes on the ultimate prize.
“Weaknesses? It’s hard to think of any,” said Hill, in the March 2020 edition of the official Formula 1 magazine.
“As a driver he now has an almost unassailable mix of extraordinary talent, experience and confidence.
“It’s a blend that is more than the sum of the parts. He is really remarkable.
“The only way to beat him is to do what Nico did and make him feel uncomfortable.
“Lewis doesn’t do cunning, wiliness; that doesn’t seem to be his bag. If he is up against someone prepared to unsettle him he might be a little bit vulnerable.”
- TEAMtalk media
