Lewis Hamilton: Formula One’s reference point

By Abhishek Takle

Lewis Hamilton couldn’t have asked for a more perfect ending to the 2019 Formula One season, the Briton taking a crushing victory under the floodlights to cap what has been yet another dominant campaign for him and his Mercedes team.

Neither the Briton nor the German outfit thought the season would pan out the way it has, expecting rather to go into the year as underdogs to Ferrari given their form in pre-season testing.


Instead, Hamilton has cruised to his sixth title, becoming only the second driver in the history of Formula One to achieve the feat, while Mercedes have completed an unprecedented sixth successive title double.

“What an incredible year it has been,” Hamilton reflected after his win at the floodlit Yas Marina track on Sunday.

“I think this is the perfect way to end the season, on the right foot.

“I’m really just grateful to my team who have continued to push all year long and just have never lost sight of the objective.

“We’ve all had a common goal and inspired each other to continue to push and strive for perfection.”

Perfection — it’s tempting to reach for the word to describe Hamilton and Mercedes’ season. Despite having won for five years in a row leading up to this season, they have shown no sign of fatigue. As well-drilled as ever, they have fended off the occasional threat from rivals Red Bull and Ferrari without conceding their edge.

Hamilton, meanwhile, has clearly established himself as Formula One’s reference point. He has elevated himself above his peers, seeing off Fernando Alonso, whose illfated move to McLaren proved to be his undoing, and Sebastian Vettel, who is under pressure at Ferrari from young teammate Charles Leclerc.

And he is now the benchmark the sport’s future stars like Leclerc and Max Verstappen are aiming at, just like the late great Ayrton Senna was for Michael Schumacher and Schumacher was for Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen.