‘Have you still got it?’ – Lewis Hamilton emotionally reveals he fears he’ll never win another F1 title after tough 2022
LEWIS HAMILTON has revealed he often doubts whether he still has what it takes to win another Formula 1 world title.
The Brit, 38, sits alongside Michael Schumacher as the most decorated racer in the sport’s history with seven championships to his name.
He came within a whisker of a landmark eighth title in 2021, only to be overtaken by Max Verstappen on the last lap of the final race in Abu Dhabi.
Then last year, Hamilton endured a difficult season as he finished sixth in the standings behind Mercedes team-mate George Russell and a huge 214 points adrift of champion Verstappen.
He also failed to win a race in the entire season for the first time in his 15-year F1 career.
Hamilton will be hoping for improvement in 2023, but admits he does sometimes question his own ability.
Speaking on the Jay Shetty podcast, he said: “There are days where I do feel like I’m not enough, there are days where I don’t feel like I’m good enough.
“People can be like, ‘Yeah, but you’ve won seven world titles’ but still there are days where I question ‘have you still got it, can you still be the best?’
“I’m having that conversation with myself often. But my dad’s also there. Sometimes I’ll say something that’s maybe not the most positive.
“And he’ll be the one there just reaffirming ‘you’ve got this, believe in yourself’.
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“It’s so important for people to have people like that around them. I support myself, I surround myself with other positive people as well.
“I think it’s all our job to lift everyone up. I want everyone around me to win, and to become the best versions of themselves.”
The first race of the 2023 season takes place in Bahrain on March 5.
And Hamilton will be hoping he can make the perfect start to the campaign by adding to his 103 F1 victories.
The Stevenage-born driver has won more Grands Prix than anyone else, with Schumacher the closest to him on 91.
Hamilton’s existing deal with Mercedes expires at the end of 2023.
But the Silver Arrows are confident he will pen an extension to keep him with the team for the foreseeable future.