Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes, Part 2 – The Reign of King Lewis

The second episode of our series dedicated to the twelve seasons of the partnership between Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes looks back on a four-year period that saw two titles won and a fierce rivalry with Nico Rosberg. We now turn our attention to the 2017-2020 seasons.

When Lewis Hamilton began the 2017 season without the shadow of Nico Rosberg, the scenario seemed simple: a champion finally free to take control of his own destiny. But the real story unfolded in the chemistry of the Mercedes garage and in the fierce new rivalry with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, a duel that would redefine the modern era of Formula 1.

The partnership with Valtteri Bottas, fresh from a promising stint at Williams, was designed to be a support rather than a challenge. Bottas claimed his first Grand Prix victory in Russia, but the spotlight remained on the battle between Hamilton and Vettel, who was eager to take advantage of the new aerodynamic rules. Their clash reached its peak at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where controversial contact between Vettel and Hamilton's wheels, later attributed to sudden braking, earned him a penalty and forced Hamilton to rush to put his headrest back in place. This incident set the tone for a season in which the two drivers shared the victories equally. The summer of 2017 saw Hamilton take the lead, winning five races and finishing second in six, while Vettel's two retirements in Singapore and Japan dashed his title hopes. Hamilton's fourth world championship, tying him with Alain Prost, also saw him break Michael Schumacher's record for pole positions, highlighting a combination of speed and consistency that would become his trademark.

The following year, the rivalry intensified. After the ninth race in Austria, Hamilton and Vettel were separated by just one point, a tiny margin that underscored how reliability can overturn even the most dominant machines: both Mercedes retired at the Red Bull Ring. The decisive moment came at Hockenheim, where a rainy and slippery German Grand Prix was marked by a mistake by Vettel in the gravel, giving Hamilton a crucial victory. From that point on, Hamilton won eight of the remaining eleven races, sealing his fifth title and equaling Juan Manuel Fangio's record of five championships.

The year 2019 marked the peak of the Hamilton-Mercedes symbiosis. Under the leadership of Toto Wolff, the internal cohesion of the team echoed the legendary duos formed by Colin Chapman and Jim Clark, then Jean Todt and Michael Schumacher. Bottas, while unable to threaten Hamilton's supremacy, contributed to Mercedes' sixth consecutive Constructors' Championship title. Hamilton's season was a statistical avalanche: eleven wins, including seven in the first ten races, and a poignant triumph in Monaco, just days after the death of Niki Lauda, the man who had negotiated Hamilton's transfer to Mercedes. Even the most dominant campaigns experience turbulence. The 2019 German Grand Prix, held on Mercedes' 125th anniversary, turned into a nightmare. Starting from pole position, Hamilton and Bottas were both victims of a cascade of incidents and questionable strategy; Bottas retired and Hamilton finished ninth. But this setback proved inconsequential, as Hamilton clinched his sixth championship with two races to spare, leaving only Michael Schumacher's seven titles behind him.

The 2020 season, although not detailed here, will continue to test the limits of Hamilton's ambition and the resilience of the Mercedes machine. In four years, the narrative has shifted from a liberated champion seeking redemption to an era marked by relentless dominance, strategic mastery, and a rivalry that has pushed both driver and team to the brink of perfection.

The 2020 Formula 1 season opened with a hot technical topic that made headlines long before the start of the first race. In the cold corridors of winter testing in Barcelona, Mercedes unveiled DAS (Dual-Axis Steering), a mechanism that allows drivers to change the toe angle of the front wheels by pulling or pushing the steering column. The concept immediately sparked debate, with rival teams questioning its legality. The FIA ultimately ruled the system permissible for the year, before banning it for the following season, highlighting Mercedes' relentless quest to stay ahead of the pack with its technical advances. This technical gamble paid off spectacularly. Of the seventeen Grand Prix races held after the delay caused by the pandemic, the German team won thirteen, including eleven with Lewis Hamilton at the wheel. Hamilton missed the Sakhir race after contracting COVID-19, but his dominance remained unshakeable. Crucial victories at the Nürburgring and the new Portimão circuit allowed the Briton to equal and then surpass Michael Schumacher's total number of wins. Even on home turf, the season was full of twists and turns. At Silverstone, Hamilton started the final lap with a comfortable lead, but suffered a front-left puncture at Copse corner. Keeping his cool under pressure, he kept his car on the limit and crossed the finish line five seconds ahead of Max Verstappen. This victory became another chapter in the legend of “King Lewis,” who would go on to win his seventh world championship three months later after a tense showdown in Turkey.

Here is a concise summary of Hamilton's performances from 2017 to 2020: Seasons | Grand Prix | Wins | Pole positions | Fastest laps | Podiums | Standings — | — | — | — | — | — | —
2017 | 20 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 13 | 1st 2018 | 21 | 11 | 11 | 5 | 17 | 1st
2019 | 21 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 17 | 1st 2020 | 17 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 1st