Formula 1

“It is so exciting because I remember as a kid watching Michael” : Lewis Hamilton reveals the impact Michael Schumacher made in his childhood which led to his quest for joining Ferrari Not long ago in F1, Michael Schumacher and Ferrari were the symbol of complete dominance. The German is widely regarded as one of the best drivers in F1 history along with Lewis Hamilton, winning five consecutive F1 titles from 2000-2004, a record that stood unmatched until the Briton equaled it four years ago. Schumacher is one of the few names in F1 that has transcended their sport, becoming a household name outside the world of motorsport and into the territories of pop culture, music, and mainstream media. The German has inspired millions to start their careers in racing, including one that may well have exceeded his greatness as well. At the age of 40 years old, Lewis Hamilton will finally fulfil his childhood dream of racing in the Scuderia uniform. A dream which might not have become a reality if not for the impact created by the German icon. The Briton recently spoke about this to the media, as his days of being with the Silver Arrows are quickly flying away. Lewis Hamilton proudly admits having Michael Schumacher as his idol Speaking in a frank interview with the Times, the Briton reflected his excitement on joining the Italian giants, and how Schumacher was the role model for him to accelerate his dream further. “It is so exciting because I remember as a kid watching Michael. Every driver watches that car and you’re like: ‘What would it be like to sit in the red cockpit?’” said the 39-year-old. Apart from being tied at seven world championships, the careers of Hamilton and Schumacher have somewhat been crossed at different points of time. Coming out of retirement in 2010 to race for the new Mercedes F1 team, the German was asked to be the veteran alongside newcomer Nico Rosberg. The Briton had already won his first championship by that time. Schumacher did not have the greatest time with the Silver Arrows, and when he finally decided to hang his helmet for the second time in 2012, it was none other than Lewis Hamilton as his replacement at Mercedes. The rest as they say, is history. Lewis Hamilton’s almost perfect career in F1 could very well have a fairytale ending after all, if he ends up winning his record eighth world championship, cementing himself as the undisputed greatest driver in F1 history, that too in his favourite childhood team’s cockpit. The 39-year-old is not the driver he used to be, but one can only dream. Also Read: “It’s going to be one hell of a second half of the season” : Lewis Hamilton has high hopes for the remainder of the year

“I’ve struggled with depression through my life” : Lewis Hamilton opens up on dealing with bullying and mental health issues in childhood Lewis Hamilton is undoubtedly one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time. The Briton has claimed seven world championship titles, and continues to go strong even in the last stages of his racing career. Lewis Hamilton has been a great supporter of various social issues, and has voiced his opinion over racism in the racing industry as well. The Briton recently revealed his struggles with depression and mental health issues during his childhood days, and how he used to bullied at school. Lewis Hamilton reveals that he did not have anyone to speak to during his younger days, as he often struggled to maintain a balance between school and his racing career. The Briton also stated that he did consider taking therapy, but that did not help him much back then. “I think it was the pressure of the racing and struggling at school. The bullying. I had no one to talk to,” Hamilton told The Times. I’ve struggled with mental health through my life, depression from a very early age when I was, like, 13 … when I was in my twenties I had some really difficult phases.” When asked if he he has ever consulted a therapist, Hamilton replied: “I spoke to one woman, years ago, but that wasn’t really helpful. I would like to find someone today.” Lewis Hamilton reveals how he reshaped his life during the covid pandemic Lewis Hamilton revealed that the covid-19 pandemic helped him connect with himself. F1 drivers have a pretty hectic schedule, as they all over the globe for about nine months of the year. Hence, he used this time to develop some good habits, which helped understand himself better. He started waking up early at 5 am to meditate, before going on runs. Having made his debut back in 2007, as a 21-year-old, Lewis Hamilton revealed that he is a much more mature person as he was back then. “You’re learning about things that have been passed down to you from your parents, noticing those patterns, how you react to things, how you can change those. So what might have angered me in the past doesn’t anger me today. I am so much more refined,” said Lewis. After racing for Mercedes for almost over a decade, Lewis Hamilton will now move to Ferrari next season. His hunger to keep going, and race for the best teams on the grid is quite commendable. Also Read: “It’s going to be one hell of a second half of the season” : Lewis Hamilton has high hopes for the remainder of the year

“I’m a big Messi fan in the end” : Lewis Hamilton on Ronaldo vs Messi debate Lewis Hamilton is undoubtedly one of the greatest F1 drivers of all-time. The Briton has claimed a record of seven world championships, and is still going strong even as he nears the 40s. The Mercedes driver was recently asked as to who he considers the GOAT of football between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have dominated world football for the past two decades, and still continue to do so with the same hunger and commitment. After having played in Spain together for almost a decade, the Portuguese footballer is now competing in the Saudi League. On the other hand, Lionel Messi remains involved with MLS side Inter Miami along with his former Barcelona teammates. Lewis Hamilton acknowledged that both footballers are among the greatest ever to play the sport, but he admitted that he was Lionel Messi fan. “Messi or Ronaldo? Messi! They are both amazing to be honest, but I’m a big Messi fan in the end,” Hamilton said, as quoted by Pulse Sports. Lewis Hamilton issues statement after Singapore GP outburst Lewis Hamilton took to social media following his disagreement with Mercedes over his strategy at the Singapore GP. The Briton started the race from P3, and could finish only P6, losing a couple of places. The Briton started the race on soft tyres, while the rest of the grid started on mediums. Lewis Hamilton wanted to start the race on mediums, however, his team disagreed with this view. He was boxed early for hard tyres, as he was overcut by his teammate George Russell who boxed later in the race. “Heading into the next weekend focused on training for the next race. I know there has been a lot of chat around the last one and our strategy in Singapore which just didn’t work. When that happens, it’s natural to be frustrated and easy for me to speak out in that frustration.“ “We knew starting on soft tyres was a bold and risky move, but one that could give us an advantage at the start and I ultimately agreed with that recommendation. We also miscalculated what others might do. Make no mistake though, things are cool with the team. As with all successful partnerships, you have some lows to have the highs.“ “We’re not afraid of those tricky conversations and challenging moments, which is why we have achieved so much together. “We all support each other until the very end. It’s all love. See you in Austin,” Hamilton wrote on Instagram. Also Read: “It’s going to be one hell of a second half of the season” : Lewis Hamilton has high hopes for the remainder of the year

“It didn’t make sense to me” : Lewis Hamilton was ‘perplexed’ by Mercedes choosing soft instead of medium tyres Qualifying has been a major issue for Lewis Hamilton this year, but at the Marina Street Circuit, he was able to overperform and finish third, just after the two main protagonists for this season’s world championship title. Alas, things did not go the perfect way at the end as the Briton ultimately finished third, and the blame was once again put on the car and the Mercedes’ staff. The issue arrived when the soft tyres were chosen ahead of the medium tyres, as typically, the latter are the primary choice of tyres used at the start of races. Moreover, Hamilton’s teammate George Russell also started with medium tyres including others. The Briton was vividly disappointed by this decision and revealed that he was pushing a lot to be switched to medium tyres, but the whole team suggested him that it would be better to start on the soft. “I was so angry… so already from that moment I’m frustrated” : Lewis Hamilton After finishing sixth, the Briton post-race had a lot on his mind. He reflected on his frustration after a meeting he had with the team the night before the race, revealing the decision was already made to split the cars. Seeing this, Hamilton said that he was quite puzzled, as both him and Russell started off from the same grid. “We sat in our meeting in the morning of the race, actually the night before they already mentioned that they would like to split the cars, and for me, I was a bit perplexed by it. Because in the past, when we’ve ever been in that position… Normally if George has qualified well like he normally does and I’m out of the top 10 or something, then we’ll split the strategies, but we were so close. It didn’t make sense to me,” said the Briton alongside George Russell in a live event of Mercedes’ partner Petronas (via Planet F1.com). Russell tried to keep things high spirited and gleeful by jokingly admitting that he knew Hamilton would not be happy by this decision. Regardless, the 39-year-old went on to talk about how ‘angry’ and ‘frustrated’ he felt because of this. After going to the pit on Lap 17, he knew it was impossible to come back and even finish podium, due to the new hard tyres being a scuffle in the midst of the heat. “I was so angry, so already from that moment I’m frustrated. And then I tried my best to keep up with the guys ahead. They were too fast. And then I trust tried to make that tyre last as long as could and I had to stop on Lap 17 and I knew from that moment, then the race was done for me, because the hard tyre was going to be a struggle in that heat,” the seven-time world champion continued. “And we’d been struggling with the balance of the car all weekend, so we were changing so many different things. We got a good qualifying, but unfortunately, the race was too much of a struggle for us.” Hamilton concluded. Although Hamilton had to ‘settle’ for P6, he is 19 points ahead of his teammate George Russell in the F1 Drivers’ standings at sixth place. Car issues and team disagreements have been the common theme for the Briton’s struggles this season, but that might change in the upcoming USA GP held in Austin, Texas. The Silver Arrows CEO Toto Wolff believes that the new floor of the Circuit of the Americas might be the key start for the Mercedes duo to improve their performances. Also Read: “It’s going to be one hell of a second half of the season” : Lewis Hamilton has high hopes for the remainder of the year

“I don’t like how he’s expressed it” : Lewis Hamilton criticizes FIA President Ben Sulayem’s ‘racial’ comments Ahead of this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, FIA President Ben Sulayem pointed out that he needs to make some changes which will lead to the use of less explicit language broadcast by FOM (Formula One Management), as they have the power to control F1 sessions. This change would have been met with no controversies, if not for the way the Emirati described his wish, which has led to many serious criticisms being passed on. “We have to differentiate between our sport – motorsport – and rap music. We’re not rappers, you know. They say the F-word how many times per minute? We are not on that. That’s them and we are [us],” said the 62-year-old (via Autosport). Although Sulayem’s main concern was already understood, it has been overshadowed by his way of describing this event. Many around the world of F1 have stated their opinions on this matter, including the main stars of the show like Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. “I think those were the wrong choice of words” : Lewis Hamilton stages his concern over the FIA President’s remarks When asked about his point of view in this matter, the Briton first expressed that he understood the concern of Sulayem, but then quickly frowned about the way it was expressed. Hamilton also reflected that the example provided by the FIA President was stereotypical and on the ‘racial’ side. “With what he said, I don’t like how he expressed it,” Hamilton said. “Saying rappers is very stereotypical as most rappers are black. It really kind of points towards ‘we are not like them’, so I think those were the wrong choice of words and there’s a racial element there,” said the Briton. “I agree things need clearing up a bit but it is also good to have some emotion as we are not robots.” the 39-year-old added. Apart from the seven-time world champion, the current frontrunners to win this year’s championship, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris have also voted against the Emirati boss’s words, reflecting upon the fact that swearing eventually occurs during races, and that the broadcasters should do a better job in handling them. “I think you will swear anyway. If it’s not in this room maybe somewhere else. Everyone swears, some people a bit more than others.” the three-time world champion said. “They can just not play the radios. We are the guys in the heat of the moment, under stress, under pressure, having big crashe,.” revealed Norris. The team radio is one of the most important aspects during a race, and when the going gets tough, drivers tend to pull out their more explicit side due to the pressure they are dealing with in the circuit. Also Read: “It’s going to be one hell of a second half of the season” : Lewis Hamilton has high hopes for the remainder of the year

“Max Verstappen is probably the best we’ve ever seen in Formula 1” : Gerhard Berger chooses Dutchman over Lewis Hamilton as the greatest F1 driver The debate around the greatest F1 driver of all time usually revolves around two drivers – Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher. Both are tied with seven world championships each, with the German winning two with Benetton and a record five-in-a-row with Scuderia Ferrari from 2000-2004. Although, the Briton is usually considered higher than the German when it comes to rankings, as he also has the most wins, podium finishes, pole positions and overall Grand Prix victories. Lewis Hamilton last won the championship in 2020 with Mercedes, and came agonizingly close to break the record the next year, only to be beaten by the current best driver in the world, Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen. The 26-year-old has now won three world championships in a row, and is the current favourite for this year’s as well. Verstappen is 59 points ahead of his immediate competition in McLaren’s Lando Norris, and with just six Grand Prix left for the season, it seems like the Dutchman will tie Sebastien Vettel and Alian Prost at four world championships soon. “Neither Ayrton Senna, Schumacher nor Hamilton had this tool” : Gerhard Berger believes Max Verstappen is the real deal Ever since the Dutchman’s uprising as the best in the business, he has been compared to Lewis Hamilton. For many, the Briton is the benchmark when it comes to F1 greats, but recently, another F1 icon Gerhard Berger, made a surprising statement on who he believes is the absolute best. “He thinks through where you can overtake and where you can’t. Neither (Ayrton) Senna, Schumacher nor Hamilton had this tool. It’s just noticeable that Max is always in the right place. At the start, in the first corner, in a duel. I can’t think of anything that could be done better than him. That’s why Max Verstappen is probably the best we’ve ever seen in Formula 1,” said the Austrian, speaking with Auto Motor und Sport. As true as the 65-year-old’s comments may be, it would be far fetched to say that the Dutchman is already the greatest F1 driver of all time. Obviously, he possesses the tools to become the best, but has a long way ahead to catch up with the likes of Hamilton and Schumacher; and if we look stats wise, he is currently nowhere near the best of the duo. But age can play a major factor for Verstappen to be considered the ‘GOAT’, as he is only 26 years old and already on his way of capturing his fourth world title. If he can keep up with the same consistency for the rest of his career, we may very well see the first F1 driver with double digit championships to his name. Also Read: “It’s going to be one hell of a second half of the season” : Lewis Hamilton has high hopes for the remainder of the year

“I knew it was going to be a disastrous race as soon as this decision was made last night” : Lewis Hamilton disheartened after finishing ninth at Azerbaijan GP Ever since the F1 season resumed after the summer break, Lewis Hamilton has finished in eighth, fifth, and now in ninth position in the recently concluded Azerbaijan GP. The German team’s resurgence this season has been put on a halt as they have been unable to meet their competition. For Hamilton and co., the race seemed to already be a bust after he finished seventh in qualifying at the Baku City Circuit last Saturday. To make matters worse, the Briton had to start Sunday’s 51-lap race from pit lane after Mercedes decided to fit in a new engine, as he struggled to cover up the vast ground. If not for the crash between Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez who were fighting for the third spot, the Briton would have finished outside the top 10. Throughout the race, the Briton felt let down by his car yet again, and the communication in the team radio was tensed more often than not. Hamilton also complained about certain balance issues in the car which gave him a very hard time in the circuit.  “It was the worst balance I’ve probably ever had. Basically, I had so much front end but no rears I had to turn… it’s not the way you drive. I had to yank the steering to break the traction from the front and slide the front through every corner,” said the 39-year-old (via Crash.net). “It’s the weirdest way I had to drive. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to overtake. It’s difficult to follow in the middle, but at least be close at the end. I don’t know why our pace was so bad on our side. It happens,” a disappointed Hamilton added. Addressing the media after the race, the Briton revealed that they had a great car on Friday, but after making a few tweaks coming into Saturday led them the wrong way. He also already knew it was going to be a ‘tough day’ before the race, and that the engine penalty made matters even worse. “I knew it was going to be a disastrous race as soon as this decision was made last night,” said the seven-time world champion (via Sky Sports). “That was a horror race” : Mercedes boss sympathizes with Lewis Hamilton Similarly, the Silver Arrows boss Toto Wolff was not the happiest man after the race, but seeing the difficulties Hamilton had to overcome throughout the race, tried to be more comforting about the whole thing. “Lewis, good to make it to the end, that was a horror race. I can so relate to it, we can all relate to it. At least we have taken the penalty now. Let’s move forward, look forward.” said Wolff (via PlanetF1.com). In a race where the 39-year-old’s teammate George Russell finished at podium, these words were hardly comforting and were given the silent treatment. It was also revealed that Hamilton and Wolff were at odds for the power unit change, but it ultimately came down to the “team’s decision”, which the Mercedes boss tried to explain. “We knew that it was going to be a race of misery because it’s so difficult to overtake in Baku. And that’s what it was. The moment you come closer, you overheat the tyres and then you go backwards and I think this is what happened to him. But lots to learn.” said the Austrian. “There’s two different philosophies, and we discussed it at length. One, you just swallow the pill here, because starting from P7, we don’t know where that would have gone, and then doing it in Austin. But we feel that Austin is an opportunity, and so that was the decision. Right or wrong? I don’t know, it was a close call,” the 52-year-old added. The AMG Petronas won three out of four races before the summer but have failed to find the same form till now. But Toto Wolff believes the new floor in the US Grand Prix, which comes right after Singapore, will improve their performances. Also Read: “It’s going to be one hell of a second half of the season” : Lewis Hamilton has high hopes for the remainder of the year

“Same Saturday as always”: Lewis Hamilton frustrated after poor qualifying session in Baku Lewis Hamilton’s biggest rival this season is not Max Verstappen or George Russell, it is his own failures in qualifying sessions ahead of big races. It was a familiar sight once again as the Briton struggled to make ends meet due to tyre temperature in qualifying. At the Baku City Circuit, he was able to come only seventh on the grid, and this has been a recurring theme in the season at this point.  Hamilton yet again was unable to get ahead of teammate George Russell, who finished at fifth himself. After 2014, this is now just the second time in his F1 career that the 39-year-old has lost to a teammate head-to-head in qualifying. “Honestly, I think it could have been at least second row today” : Lewis Hamilton was disappointed yet again After a tough session for the Silver Arrows duo due to their continuing struggle with tyre temperature and traffic, they will now start the race on Sunday from the third and fourth rows. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc will be starting at pole position and surprisingly, Max Verstappen will not be far from Hamilton, as he finished at sixth. Lewis Hamilton after yet another disappointing qualifying session seemed in no mood for interviews, as he admitted that the team was looking to start at least at the second row. The Briton had a brief analysis on what happened on the circuit. “Same Saturday as always. Same thing that happens every Saturday. Yesterday the car was amazing, felt great. Honestly, I think it could have been at least second row today. Came today, the tyres didn’t work all day,” said the 39-year-old in an interview with Sky Sports. Although the chances of getting pole position on Sunday’s race have been hindered yet again for the Briton, he tried to remain optimistic and believes that the team has a different strategy for tyres than others, which may help him to have a better day. “Qualifying was disappointing as we had a good day yesterday and I thought we could be in the fight for the front two rows. Unfortunately, I was struggling to get the tyres working and that is what it is all about. We will analyse why that was as a team and hopefully make improvements moving forward.” said the Briton (via mercedesamgf1.com) “The aim is to move forward tomorrow, and I am staying positive that we can do so. It is not always easy to progress here, but we have a slightly different tyre strategy to others which may help us. We will also have to look after the tyres as it is easy to suffer with the rears. If we can do so, then hopefully we can have a better day than we had today,” the seven-time world champion added. It would almost be a miracle for Hamilton and co. to pull off pole positions on Sunday and they have just the overnight to prepare on their tactics. But the German team will soon have to figure out their core problems as the season is about to reach its business end. Also Read: “It’s going to be one hell of a second half of the season” : Lewis Hamilton has high hopes for the remainder of the year

“Max was probably a bit out of order in Brazil in truth” : Adrian Newey believes Max Verstappen was lucky to avoid penalty during Lewis Hamilton battle in 2021 In one of the most memorable encounters in the past decade of F1, it was down to Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen to claim the crown of world champion in 2021. Controversies aside, this matchup was historic for many ways, as it began the dominance of the Dutchman and RBR. The Dutchman convincingly began his reign of terror in 2022, and is now a three-time world champion, with signs of clinching his fourth straight championship looking very likely. Although, recently it has been come to knowledge by Red Bull’s CTO, that Verstappen’s first championship could have been a hit or miss, as the 26-year-old showed signs of breaking down that year, much more than he did in his future seasons, courtesy of Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes. “Mercedes managed to find quite a lot more pace out of their car towards the end of the season” : Adrian Newey Adrian Newey is a highly influential figure in the world of F1 who is renowned for his aerodynamic efficiency, and has worked with several top teams like McLaren, Williams and currently Red Bull Racing; while he will be switching to Aston Martin next season. The Briton has worked very closely with the Dutchman for the past few seasons, and was asked on the ‘High Performance Podcast’ about whether or not Verstappen was ever unable to hold up his nerves during the races. “I think a little bit perhaps in his championship win in ’21. Where the intensity, particularly after Silverstone, on track, between Lewis and Max became so intense, I think Max had very strong feelings on that Silverstone accident,” said Newey. “And of course, he’d been clear championship leader going into Silverstone, then him out of the race, and then more or less out of the race in Hungary, when he got hit by Valtteri [Bottas], not intentional at all, but still got hit and pretty much hardly scored any points, so gone from easy championship leaders to now feeling a bit more pressure. And Mercedes managed to find quite a lot more pace out of their car towards the end of the season,” the 65-year-old added. The Briton also admitted how Max Verstappen was feeling to get threatened and pressurized by the Silver Arrows’ resurgence late in the season, which led him to make some mistakes, although, was lucky not to receive any major penalties, especially in Brazil where Lewis Hamilton overtook him to win the race. “So, it’s always easier for the hunter than the hunted. And Max was starting, I think, to just feel a little bit of pressure from the hunted. And hence that, he was, in reality, probably lucky not to get a penalty for his driving in Brazil. Saudi, where they had a bit of a dingdong, that was a little bit more… I think that was not clear, but Max was probably a bit out of order in Brazil in truth, so I think he was feeling it a bit,” explained Red Bull’s CTO. While the gap has certainly thinned down a bit in the current F1 season with teams like McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes catching up to Red Bull Racing quicker than before, there seems to be no doubt that Verstappen and RBR will not be giving up their throne that easily. The Dutchman currently holds a 62-point lead over McLaren’s Lando Norris in the Drivers’ standings, and is on his way to claim title no.4 soon. Also Read: “It’s going to be one hell of a second half of the season” : Lewis Hamilton has high hopes for the remainder of the year

“Ferrari is going to be incredibly strong, Lewis is right back on his game” : Former F1 boss predicts possible championship year for Lewis Hamilton Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is all set to replace Carlos Sainz at Scuderia Ferrari, after spending more than a decade with the Silver Arrows. The next season looks to be promising for the Italian team, and Lewis Hamilton has also regained his form back just at the right time. Former F1 boss Eddie Jordan also believes that the timing for Hamilton’s new stint in red is perfect, and that Ferrari are going to be one of the teams to look out for next year.  “Lewis, at the beginning of the year he was without any doubt pretty much focused on joining Ferrari, getting the right people, and making sure that he had Fred Vasseur on board. They will be overjoyed to see the re-emergence of Lewis because no amount of saying to Ferrari, ‘Say look what we’re doing at Mercedes, don’t worry about that, we can beat George, we can beat everyone, we’re going to be powerful,” said the Irishman. “And that Mercedes team is going to be strong going forward, but Ferrari is going to be incredibly strong. Lewis is right back on his game. And he’s now eyeing up a championship fight for next year. And who’s to say that he’s wrong?” the 76-year-old added. Lewis Hamilton is currently tied with another icon of the F1, Michael Schumacher, at seven world titles, and breaking the record in his first season at Maranello would be the ideal dream come true. Meanwhile, Mercedes CEO Toto Wolff wanted Max Verstappen to replace the Briton, but with that not happening in the near future, he went with the low cost and time saving option of talented prospect Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Although, Jordan seems to be having major doubts regarding the German team’s move. “I still believe that there’s a place for Kimi, but it’s not in Mercedes” : Eddie Jordan wants Mercedes to take their time with Kimi Antonelli Pressure would be an understatement for 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli to replace the greatest F1 driver of all time, and it definitely showed when the Italian binned it inside ten minutes of his first official F1 session, that too at home. Many important individuals have claimed that Toto Wolff should have waited for at least another year to bring on the youngster into the main scene, and Jordan cited out the same opinion. “I thought the pressure of Mercedes would be too much for Kimi and his debut, and that’s the way it was; he spun out and caused a lot of damage to the car. I still believe that there’s a place for Kimi, but it’s not in Mercedes; that’s the point I’m trying to make. I don’t care how quick he is; he should be placed somewhere that will give Toto and his team the chance to learn for a year and come up that way,” explained the Irish businessman. Behind the scenes, this controversy might look different; but outside, all of this seems like one big experiment that the Mercedes CEO is hoping for to succeed. After all, time will tell whether or not the young Italian can live up to the hype. Also Read: “It’s going to be one hell of a second half of the season” : Lewis Hamilton has high hopes for the remainder of the year