Lewis Hamilton And Mercedes Look Unstoppable This Year

As good as Ferrari has been this season, it would seem there’s absolutely no stopping Mercedes-AMG Petronas, as they’ve just secured their eighth straight victory of the 2019 Formula 1 calendar year. That’s 8 out of 8, mind you.

This latest win at Circuit Paul Ricard in France also marks Lewis Hamilton’s fourth straight victory, and sixth in total for the year, as he now leads all drivers in the standings with 187 points. Mercedes meanwhile have 338 points, to Ferrari’s 198.

“It’s definitely been a really good weekend,” said Hamilton after the race. “I’ve been racing a long, long time but it just never gets old. It’s always such a challenge out there and I just love that, trying to find the edge and just bridging the gap and really being on top of this machine.”

“But I couldn’t do it without this incredible team, this group of guys here and all the guys back at the factory. We’re creating history together and I’m so proud of everyone, I’m so proud to be a part of this team, this group of people and Valtteri did a good job this weekend as well, so yeah I’m high.”

Also read: McLaren Think They’re Beginning To Show Mercedes-Like Qualities This Season

With the race pretty much over, Hamilton decided to go grab that extra point you get if you also set the fastest lap – something his team did not advise over the radio. Yet, the British driver refused to take his foot off the gas, both literally and figuratively.

“They said ‘don’t bother with the fastest lap’. [I replied] ‘What do you mean? We have nothing to lose, I’m going for it!’ And I went for it! And I nearly got it!”

“It’s just switching the mentality to always be fighting, always be hungry, and always be hungry, and always be pushing. There’s never a moment when you shouldn’t be pushing. The moment you sit back is the moment you lose. I don’t plan on doing that.”

Mercedes’ current run in Formula 1 reminds us of how dominant Ferrari were in that five year stretch between 1999 and 2004 during the Michael Schumacher era. Could the German outfit actually finish the 2019 season unbeaten? Rather unlikely, but not impossible – and that’s a very scary thought.