Lewis Hamilton continues to “reinvigorate” himself knowing he can become the best ever in Formula 1, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff claims.
The Briton heads into 2019 looking to move within one of Michael Schumacher’s record of seven world titles and also sits just 20 wins behind the German legend’s incredible tally of 91.
Having largely dominated the sport since 2014 though, maintaining the commitment to go again each year would be considered a challenge but Wolff sees none of that with Hamilton.
“There are athletes who, after many successes, are no longer able to motivate themselves because they have made good money and are recognised,” the Austrian told the Stuttgarter Nachrichten newspaper.
“But it’s different for Lewis, he manages to reinvent and reinvigorate himself over and over again, it’s a remarkable ability that he has.
“He can become the greatest racing driver of all time and he knows it.”
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Also with all dominant forces in sport, eventually there comes a time when the rest catch up and there are signs that Ferrari and Red Bull will pose the biggest threats yet to Hamilton and Mercedes in 2019.
“By the end of testing, we had a better understanding of our car and we looked reasonable in terms of our speed compared to Ferrari,” Wolff said.
“However, based on our calculations regarding the amount of fuel in the cars, we see Ferrari in the front.”
And the area where Mercedes feel the Italians have moved ahead, their interpretation of the new front wing designs for this season.
“If another concept turns out to be the better one, it may be that at the fifth Grand Prix in Barcelona, or shortly thereafter, everyone will be changing their aerodynamic designs,” Wolff hinted.