Hamilton: Wait for 100th F1 win "taking longer than ever"
Lewis Hamilton feels that the wait for his 100th Formula 1 victory is "taking longer than ever" as he bids to reach the milestone in Sunday's Russian Grand Prix.
Seven-time F1 world champion Hamilton is one win away from becoming the first driver to reach triple-figures for race wins, having already reached a century of pole positions earlier this year in Spain.
Hamilton picked up his 99th win at the British Grand Prix in July, but has since been waiting to finally reach 100. His bid was compromised by a strategy error in Hungary and then a poor start in the Italy sprint race before the clash with title rival Max Verstappen in the grand prix.
Hamilton entered the Russian Grand Prix weekend in a strong position to win thanks to Verstappen's back-of-grid start, but could only qualify fourth on Saturday after a messy Q3, trailing Lando Norris, Carlos Sainz and George Russell.
Hamilton dismissed any kind of superstition over reaching 100 wins after qualifying, but did admit it felt like the wait was longer than ever.
"It will come when it comes, but of course, I'll be giving it absolutely everything tomorrow, chasing that number 100," Hamilton said.
"It's a big number. It seems like it's taking longer than ever before to get it. It's a pretty cool number to wait for."
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12
Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images
Hamilton starts Sunday's race five points behind Verstappen at the top of the drivers' championship, and will be looking to make up early positions to maximise the chance to win the race and reclaim the points lead.
The accident with Verstappen at Monza left Hamilton struggling with a bit of neck pain after the Red Bull's wheel made light contact with his helmet.
Over the Sochi weekend, Hamilton has posted some videos to social media showing his trainer, Angela Cullen, working on his neck.
Asked if he was still struggling with his neck at all, Hamilton revealed he felt a bit of tightness after driving the car for the first time since the accident on Friday.
"We did a lot last week, I was feeling really good, got back into training, and arrived here generally feeling fine," Hamilton said.
"And then after the day of being in the car, I was feeling a bit tight in the back of my neck, and woke up in the morning with some pains. I had some pains yesterday, and we worked on it.
"I woke up again this morning with a little bit of pain in my muscles. Angela was just working on it this morning with a trigger point releasing. And then I was just using the gun thing that you use to soften the muscle.
"But generally it's fine. It's just a bit of nervousness kind of feeling."
Related video
Verstappen hopes set-up changes will aid fightback in F1 Russian GP
McLaren says Mercedes in "different league" in dry F1 race pace
How Tyrrell became a racing Rubik’s cube as it faded out of F1
Formula 1’s transformation into a global sport meant the gradual extinction for a small team determined to stay true to its low-budget roots. But Tyrrell would eventually be reborn as a world-beating outfit again, explains MAURICE HAMILTON, albeit in different colours…
Ford: F1 return wasn’t possible without changes to engine rules
Ford would not have returned to Formula 1 without the major changes to the engine regulations for 2026, according to its motorsport boss.
Mercedes takes BoP hit after rapid Bathurst qualifying
Mercedes teams have been dealt a hefty Balance of Performance blow ahead of tomorrow's Bathurst 12 Hour following Maro Engel's lap record-breaking effort in the Top 10 Shootout.
Lapierre to skip 2023 WEC season as Alpine steps down to LMP2
Nicolas Lapierre is set to be absent from the World Endurance Championship grid for the first time since 2015 this year, following Alpine’s step down to LMP2.
How Tyrrell became a racing Rubik’s cube as it faded out of F1
Formula 1’s transformation into a global sport meant the gradual extinction for a small team determined to stay true to its low-budget roots. But Tyrrell would eventually be reborn as a world-beating outfit again, explains MAURICE HAMILTON, albeit in different colours…
Assessing Hamilton's remarkable decade as a Mercedes F1 driver
Many doubted Lewis Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season. But the journey he’s been on since has taken the Briton to new heights - and to a further six world championship titles
Why new look Haas is a litmus test for Formula 1’s new era
OPINION: With teams outside the top three having struggled in Formula 1 in recent seasons, the rules changes introduced in 2022 should have more of an impact this season. How well Haas does, as the poster child for the kind of team that F1 wanted to be able to challenge at the front, is crucial
The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff
OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
How do the best races of F1 2022 stack up to 2021?
OPINION: A system to score all the grands prix from the past two seasons produces some interesting results and sets a standard that 2023 should surely exceed
Who were the fastest drivers in F1 2022?
Who was the fastest driver in 2022? Everyone has an opinion, but what does the stopwatch say? Obviously, differing car performance has an effect on ultimate laptime – but it’s the relative speed of each car/driver package that’s fascinating and enlightening says ALEX KALINAUCKAS
Why F1's nearly man is refreshed and ready for his return
He has more starts without a podium than anyone else in Formula 1 world championship history, but Nico Hulkenberg is back for one more shot with Haas. After spending three years on the sidelines, the revitalised German is aiming to prove to his new team what the F1 grid has been missing
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.