Lewis Hamilton has had another difficult season with Mercedes and to make matters worse, the seven-time world champion is about to lose a record that has stood for 16 years.
One of Lewis Hamilton’s long-standing records is set to be broken this season – but not by Max Verstappen.
Hamilton is coming off a two-year stretch without an F1 win as Mercedes continues to struggle with its car design amid F1’s new era of regulations. It was his longest run since his first 2007 season with McLaren, with the Briton enduring another difficult race weekend in Qatar when he failed to finish after a collision with teammate George Russell. And now, the mark he’s set since the year he made his spectacular debut is about to be banned. Hamilton currently holds the record for most points scored in a rookie season after collecting 109 points in 2007, failing miserably to win the title in the final race against Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen .
In contrast, Verstappen only scored 49 points in his first year with Scuderia Toro Rosso, failing to win a single podium. Indeed, the 92 scored by Alex Albon in 2019 at Red Bull represents the next best effort.
But now there is another McLaren driver, Oscar Piastri, who is set to break Hamilton’s rookie record. With second place on Sunday, the Australian now has 83 points with five rounds remaining in the 2023 campaign.
Two of those weekends will also feature sprint races, giving the 22-year-old a golden opportunity to accumulate the 27 points needed. But it’s important to note that it’s only thanks to the revised scoring system that he has a chance of getting closer.
Indeed, Hamilton’s 2007 achievement was achieved at a time when a win meant just 10 points. And there are no sprints or bonus points for achieving the fastest lap. Therefore, the same result this time will help him earn 267 points, more than three times Piastri’s current total.
Regardless, few can deny that young McLaren is becoming a force in F1. His efforts in Qatar followed a third place in Japan, after overcoming a difficult start to 2023.
In the general classification, he ranked 9th, 53 points behind teammate Lando Norris. And the two men are currently clinging to one of the top four manufacturer spots, just 11 points behind Aston Martin.