Nearly two years have gone by since Max Verstappen dethroned Lewis Hamilton and his indestructible Mercedes outfit with a nail-biting victory at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and yet, the entire motorsport community is still awaiting the potential resurgence of the Silver Arrows. There is no denying that Mercedes have been fighting hard to bring about a refreshing change to their dying fortunes, but the efforts have mostly gone in vain.
Hamilton is yet to win a race in Formula 1 since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix while his teammate George Russell’s latest victory arrived at the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix. Hence, amidst the reasonably lengthy winless drought, Mercedes are desperately yearning for a change of fortune, heading into the 2024 season. But, the biggest question is, can the Brackley outfit accomplish its desired target?
According to Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff, witnessing Hamilton and Russell competing alongside the likes of Red Bull and possibly Ferrari isn’t entirely out of the question. The Austrian publicly acknowledged a very powerful 2024 Mercedes F1 challenger, W15, in the making amidst promising results in the wind tunnel. Hence, the next season could well be the first time in over a decade where there are three teams fighting for the trophy.
Lewis Hamilton might return to winning ways in 2024
The dynamic duo of Hamilton and Russell have been quite fierce in recent weeks and are showing the much-needed urge to score big points for the team. Hence, one can sense that, after months of depleting morale, Mercedes are finally returning to the groove, and it could only be a matter of time before they return to their original form.
#F1: Toto Wolff: “We will throw this [car] in the bin when it’s really fast and then embark on a new journey.”
“I think we have encouraging signs from the tunnel of a balanced car that’s going to be more together, and we have answers to our questions. So, we are really looking…
— deni (@fiagirly) September 20, 2023
Amidst such a positive change within the team, Wolff has made another morale-boosting revelation about W15. “We will throw this [car] in the bin when it’s really fast and then embark on a new journey. I think we have encouraging signs from the tunnel of a balanced car that’s going to be more together, and we have answers to our questions. So, we are really looking at the results with an encouraging perspective,” he said.
Overall, the retro Hamilton has occasionally been peeking out in recent weeks since his contract extension with Mercedes. And it is clearly evident that the seven-time world champion is craving the opportunity to challenge for victories again. Hence, with Wolff upping the hopes of fulfilling the big wish, will Hamilton take on Verstappen in yet another battle for the world championship title next season?