Formula One: What Has Become of Lewis Hamilton?
Seven-Time World Champion Bidding to End Slump in Baku?
Hamilton F1 History
Lewis Hamilton is an F1 legend and already holds at least a share of 20 records in Formula One, including most wins, most podiums, most points, most laps led and most pole positions. He also holds the record for most consecutive top-10 finishes with 48, 21 more than Kimi Raikkonen in second place.
Hamilton has had a tough season so far in 2022 and only has 50 points, 75 points out of first place. He currently sits in sixth in the standings. Why is the seven-time world champion struggling so much this year?
Let’s check the latest news, stats and Formula 1 odds for Azerbaijan Grand Prix. We’ve plenty of predictions for you to consider.
How the Mighty Have Fallen
Mercedes has won eight consecutive Constructors Championships with the help of Lewis Hamilton’s spectacular driving. Until this year, Hamilton had been dominant in the standings, and so was Mercedes, but car regulation changes in 2022 have thrown a wrench into things.
Mercedes may have been so focused on the previous era and their dominance that they have left something to be desired in their new car.
Lewis’ new teammate, George Russell, has been good in the Mercedes but not great. He has finished in the top six in every race and is currently fourth in the standings with 34 more points than Hamilton. So has Lewis Hamilton fallen off? I don’t think so.
The car hasn’t been suited to his liking this year, and he’s still produced some fantastic results from bad starting positions and remains one of the best drivers in the world.
Hamilton 2022 Results, Analysis
Hamilton has had a rough season in 2022, but by most drivers’ standards, it would be a great season. Apart from races in Italy and Saudi Arabia, he has finished in the top eight in every race.
He’s done very well with a not-great car and has four top-six finishes in seven races. Once Mercedes develops their car a bit more and fixes issues with straight-line speed and proposing, Hamilton should be back in the top three in the standings.
He may not win a race this year, but that’s okay. In the past eight seasons, he’s been more dominant than any driver in any eight-year span and won seven drivers; championships, tied for the most ever.
Hamilton and Mercedes will be just fine next year. As for this season, they’ll be suiting up for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix this weekend in Baku.
Formula One 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
The Azerbaijan GP takes place each year at the legendary Baku street circuit. Currently, the F1 odds for betting online have Max Verstappen as the betting favorite at +110, with Charles Leclerc a slight underdog at +175.
Hamilton is +2800 to win the race according to Bet US, which is a great line. I don’t expect Hamilton to win, but one crash could take out the leaders and give him a chance at the race win. For all the best F1 betting lines, be sure to use BetUS Sportsbook.
Formula One Azerbaijan GP Information
- Game: Formula One 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
- Location: Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan
- Day/Time: Sunday, 7 a.m. EST
- Azerbaijan Grand Prix Live Stream: Formula1.com
Formula One Azerbaijan GP Betting Odds
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- Max Verstappen: +110
- Charles Leclerc: +175
- Sergio Perez: +550
- Carlos Sainz: +900
- George Russell: +2200
- Lewis Hamilton: +2800
- Lando Norris: +10000
- Valteri Bottas: +15000
- Fernando Alonso: +25000
- Pierre Gasly: +30000
- Daniel Ricciardo: +35000
- Kevin Magnussen: +50000
- Esteban Ocon: +50000
- Yuki Tsunoda: +50000
- Sebastian Vettel: +50000
Baku Predictions
Hamilton is still one of the best drivers in the world despite the quality of the car beneath him this season. Red Bull and Ferrari have built much better cars, but Hamilton still is producing solid results from bad starting positions. Recently the car has looked slightly improved, and his results have been more consistent.
That being said, I don’t believe this is Hamilton’s weekend to win. He’s still the best driver in F1 history, but this season just isn’t going his way.
Expect Hamilton and his team at Mercedes to regroup after this season and commit to returning to dominance in 2023. This weekend in Azerbaijan, expect another masterclass from Max Verstappen.
