Lewis Hamilton thinks his chances of winning a race this season are gone

Lewis Hamilton has conceded his chances of winning a race this season are gone. The seven-time champion’s unique Formula 1 record of winning at least one win every season since his debut in 2007 is set to come to an end this year with just three races remaining and Hamilton admitting his Mercedes team cannot match leaders Red Bull. .

At United States Grand Prix Sunday Hamilton led the race in the final third of his best chance to win this season. Starting from third on the grid, he moved into the lead after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen suffered a disastrous pit stop with a wheel gun problem that left him immobile for 11 seconds. Verstappen then had to overtake Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari to chase the British driver, who had a six-second lead.

Hamilton made a determined push to stay ahead but was caught and passed by Verstappen, in a faster car and on faster tyres, seven laps from the flag. Verstappen, already crowned world champion this season, continued to win after once again demonstrating Red Bull’s fearsome pace.

Asked if he thinks he can maintain his winning record every season, a feat unmatched by any other F1 driver, Hamilton said he thinks his best shot is gone.

“You really have to be realistic. The Red Bull car has been by far the fastest car all year and it is still the fastest car,” he said.

“It was great to start third and be in a position to fight, but at real pace they were ahead of us all weekend. They were on Sunday and they will be the next three races. So at unless something drastic happens to some of the other of them, it’s highly unlikely that we’ll have the real pace to be able to compete with them.

The next GP will take place in Mexico City this weekend on Sunday, followed by meetings in Brazil and Abu Dhabi. Red Bull finished the constructors’ championship in Austin and everything indicates that their car will be just as formidable in the last three rounds.

Hamilton clearly noted how little he could do against Verstappen at the US GP. “He had an 11-second stoppage, and he was behind Charles, it shows how much pace they had,” he said. “To have passed Charles and made up six seconds and pulled at least three seconds ahead of me shows some serious speed.”

But Hamilton was at least optimistic that after a difficult season for Mercedes, his side were able to be competitive again next season.

“Throughout the year we made all the mistakes we needed to make to build a stronger foundation for next year,” he said. “So if we can put that car on par with those guys, I think we could have a really exciting year next year.”