

Eight of his wins came after not starting from pole position, a record.
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This was particularly important given the Mercedes, particularly following the introduction of a major upgrade at July’s German Grand Prix, was a patchy qualifier. READ MORE: Our writers' predictions and hot takes on the new season Last year, Hamilton had to focus on improving his command of the wider picture of the race and further improving tyre management. There’s no specific area of his game that can be considered anything other than strong, but every year different facets are tested. Hamilton’s point about the best ‘average’ of his abilities is key to understanding where he can improve.

the figure was only fractionally higher at 20.2. Even in 2014, when Mercedes were at their most dominant. On top of that, his potency as a title-winning force remains strong with an average haul of 19.4 and 19.7 points-per-race over 2018 and '19 respectively. Should Hamilton even match his worst haul of the hybrid era in 2020, the record will be his. The sustained win rate since 2014 has carried Hamilton to within seven victories of Michael Schumacher’s record of 91. The smallest mistake or weakness we have is magnified because we are so close, just like in golf or tennis.” You’re going to have weak points but you just have to work on them. It’s all about trying to find the best average of your capabilities. “One year it can be one thing and the thing that was off the other year could be a strength. “Everybody has weaknesses and every year I work on those,” said Hamilton last year.

He’s a relentless self-improver, as a result. Outstanding as Rosberg was, had Hamilton performed better in Azerbaijan, or avoided the occasional bad start, he could have been champion. He realised that it’s not enough being certain you are the best, you have to battle for every single point to eliminate the capacity for bad luck to cost you the ultimate prize. Then, Hamilton was the stronger performer over the season but lost the title due to a combination of having half of the significant Mercedes power unit problems suffered that season and his own occasional underperformance. To understand why, you have to look back to 2016 and his title defeat to team-mate Nico Rosberg. In fact, that desire not only to leave no stone unturned, but to flip each one a few more times just to be sure, is a relatively late addition to his armoury. Hamilton starts 2020 as favourite for a record-equalling seventh world championship and there’s no sign his appetite for self-improvement is waning. On current evidence, his fall is not imminent. READ MORE: 'I've always had a target on my back’ says Hamilton as he prepares to defend title The question is, how long can Hamilton stay on top? No matter how good you are, every empire crumbles, even those of an undisputed all-time great such as Hamilton. The only ‘victory’ for Hamilton is extending the fight because, eventually, you will be deposed. This is the ‘generational’ battle so many great athletes face, the struggle to stay on top against the twin foes of age and the ever-improving rising stars pressuring him to loosen his grip on Formula 1 supremacy. Lewis Hamilton is in the midst of a fight he cannot win.
