“He should have retired,” Eddie Irvine following Lewis Hamilton’s abysmal start to the season

“He should have retired,” Eddie Irvine following Lewis Hamilton’s abysmal start to the season

Eddie Irvine, Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes got off to an unexpected start in the 2022 season. During the pre-season testing, Mercedes was expected to be downplaying their performance by sandbagging, but little did everyone know that they lacked pace and a balanced car.

Former F1 driver Eddie Irvine, who has been around the sport for a long time, believes there isn’t much that Lewis Hamilton can do now. In an interview with Gazzetta.it, he said, “I don’t think he’ll be able to do much this year. He’s tough, but even for him, used to the best car, qualifying so far behind is frustrating.” 

But what came as a shocking comment from the Irish was his take on Lewis’ season last year. Weighing in on Hamilton’s 2021 season and his battle with Max Verstappen, Irvine believes that Lewis Hamilton should’ve retired. He said, “I think Hamilton last year acted in a way that avoided accidents for quite a while. He must have thought, “Enough now. Do you want collisions? You will have them.” And that almost cost Verstappen the championship because Lewis destroyed it in Abu Dhabi. And it’s a shame he didn’t win it because he deserved it, but… he should have retired.” 

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Eddie Irvine’s comments on his fondness for Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton

Eddie, the runner-up of the 1999 WDC, shared his thoughts on Mercedes’ struggles in 2022. He believes that the team has infrastructure and means to improve, but the cost cap is a hurdle for them, which didn’t exist back in his days.

He said, “They have to deal with the cost ceiling, in my day, there wasn’t. At Jaguar, we built a second car for the last 4-5 races of the year, but there was no budget limit.”

Speaking of his fondness for Mercedes, the brand doesn’t drive Irvine “crazy”, and he still thinks that Mercedes is the company that builds old cars and couldn’t convince him in an attempt of changing their image by entering F1. Adding to this, he said, ” Hamilton is a great character and I love Toto Wolff for what he thinks and says. They are two stars.” Eddie is a fan of Lewis and Toto. And he wants Hamilton to be winning. 

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