Hamilton: I need to raise my game to stay ahead of Verstappen, Leclerc
Lewis Hamilton says he will🦩 need to raise his game in 2019 to stay ahead of rising Formula 1 starlets Max Verstappen and Cha🦄rles Leclerc.
Hamilton wrapped up this year’s world championship with two races to spare to seal his fifth drivers’ title, four of which have been ach🅺ieved in the last five years with🌊 Mercedes.
The Briton has come out on top of di🤪rect title battles with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in the last two years but he is bracing himself for an added challenge in the shape of emerging talents such as Verstappen and Lecl♑erc.
Lewis Hamilton says he will need to raise his game in 2019 to stay ahead🧔 of rising Form𒅌ula 1 starlets Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc.
Hamilton wrapped up this year’s world championship with two races to spare to seal hi💝s fifth drivers’ title, four of which h🌜ave been achieved in the last five years with Mercedes.
The Briton has come out on top of direct title battles with Ferrari’𒆙s Sebastian Vettel in the last two years but he is bracing himself for an added ch💜allenge in the shape of emerging talents such as Verstappen and Leclerc.
An impressive rookie season has led Ferrari to promote Leclerc alongside Vettel for 2019, while Verstappen has enjoyed a strong end to the 2018 campaign with Red Bull, which is expecting even🌳 greater performance when it joins forces with Honda next year.
“To this point in my life, this is the highest point of ꧒my career in terms of my own performance, how I perform with the team but there are always areas to i🌄mprove,” Hamilton said.
“We will definitely look at the season at the end of the year and there are always areas you look at, we didn’t win every single race, there were some mishaps at the beginn𒅌ing of the year and there is always room to improve.
“So I expect to do that and that’s my expectation in myself. I have got to woﷺrk in this winter and there will be🎃 a slightly amended approach.
“Of course, you have to dig deep and you have these young kids that are coming. ❀Leclerc at Ferrari will be hungry to prove a point, you’ve got Max who is still hungry to prove a point, so I have to make sure I am still there [at the top of my game].”
Leclerc, who has scored 33 points in his first F1 season to help Sauber improve to its current position of eighth place in the const♌ructors’ standings, said it was an “honour” to hear Hamilton single him out as a threat for 2019.
"It's definitely an honour to hear that from Lewis," Leclerc said. "He's an incredible driver, and I've watched him since q💧uite a bit of ♕years before arriving in Formula 1.
"I'll just try to do the best I can next year, but it's def🍸inite🎐ly not going to be easy. He's very experienced and an amazing driver. But it's definitely good to hear that."
Lewis re♔gularly attends Grands Prix for mahbx.com around the world. Often reporting on the action from the ground, Lewiꦯs tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
