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Lewis Hamilton has been installed as the odds-on favorite to secure a record-equalling seventh Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship title in 2020. The Brit secured a third consecutive triumph this year and he is now just one behind Michael Schumacher in the all-time stakes. His team, Mercedes, has won the Constructors’ Championship for six years in a row now as the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull have struggled to close the gap. Hamilton is very much the main man at Mercedes and his path to glory in 2020 looks pretty clear, but can anyone stop him?
Assuming legendary status
Schumacher’s record must have seemed insurmountable when Hamilton moved to Mercedes at the age of 28. He had just one world title to his name and that had come six years previously. He had just watched on powerless as Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel romped to a fourth straight world title and his career – for all the promise it initially showed – was in danger of fizzling out. Mercedes had enjoyed no discernable success for many years, and pundits described the move as a huge gamble.
Yet it has paid off better than he can ever possibly have expected. His arrival coincided with the team’s surge to outright dominance and he has won five titles in the past six years. The only exception came in 2016 when he finished five points behind his teammate, Nico Rosberg, following a string of reliability issues. Rosberg promptly retired, and since then Hamilton had dominated his new teammate, Valtteri Bottas.
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New challengers emerge
Hamilton heads into 2020 in terrific form. He won 11 of 21 Grands Prix in 2019 and finished well clear of the competition. The Brit also saw off stern competition from the Ferrari of Vettel in 2017 and 2018, suggesting that he has the measure of both Vettel and Bottas as he prepares for the new season. Bottas will remain at Mercedes for 2020 and Vettel will still be at Ferrari, despite rumors suggesting otherwise, and Hamilton should be full of confidence as he prepares to take on that duo.
The sternest test of Hamilton’s title credentials could well come from an emerging new generation of budding superstars. Max Verstappen of Red Bull and Charles Leclerc at Ferrari are both just 22 and they finished third and fourth respectively last season, behind only Hamilton and Bottas. “There are a lot of young drivers now,” said Hamilton after finishing second in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. “I am the second oldest driver now in F1 and the target is to continue to find new levels, new heights and raise the bar.”
The runaway favorite
The bookmakers certainly feel that Hamilton is capable of pulling it off. The best odds available on him winning a seventh F1 Drivers’ Championship in 2020 are just 4/6, while many sportsbooks will only go to 4/7. You can generally find odds of around 9/2 on second favorite Leclerc, while Verstappen is 13/2. Bottas is all the way out at 15/2 and Vettel is 8/1, showing just how highly Hamilton is rated.
Professional pundits and handicappers are also full of praise for his abilities. Kevin Stott, a sports writer and betting expert, described Hamilton as an “icon” and said he seems to have a lock on the championship. He has dazzled fans, experts and former drivers alike with his skills over the past few years, as he has driven with speed and confidence in an extremely powerful car. He also boasts a level of maturity that sets him apart from the occasionally impetuous drivers like Leclerc and Verstappen.
Regulation changes due to arrive in 2021 could level the playing field and make it harder for Hamilton to remain his dominance over the sport. But in 2020 it looks like business as usual for the Brit, which would see him match Schumacher on seven titles. He cannot afford to grow complacent, as he is up against talented rivals and Mercedes is always capable of high-profile errors, while there was a spell this year in which it was regularly outgunned by Ferrari. But if he continues to display similar levels of determination, focus, speed, and swagger then it will be very difficult for his rivals to stop him next year.
