Hamilton responds to “short-minded” Stewart after "no longer has hunger" claim

Hamilton has vowed to win a record-breaking eighth title after controversially losing out to Max Verstappen in 2021.

Since then, Verstappen has dominated the sport, with the Dutchman on course to win his third title in a row this year.

Hamilton remains committed to F1, signing a new two year contract extension with Mercedes until the end of 2025.

Stewart has been critical of Hamilton in recent weeks.

He told German publication BILD: “First of all, Lewis is one of the best to ever drive in F1.

“But the truth is that in the last decade he competed with Mercedes for a team that was virtually out of competition. During this time, Lewis only had one real competitor: his respective teammate. Except for 2016, he always emerged victorious from the duel. 

“And then he lost to Nico Rosberg. With respect: a good driver, but not the most talented in the world. But Rosberg was hungry and had the absolute will to become world champion. Lewis no longer has that hunger. 

“Because of that – and because the car is no longer quite as powerful – he has serious problems.”

In an interview with BBC Breakfast, Hamilton hit back, stating when he retires from the sport he wants to ‘inspire’ the next generation rather than “shutting them down”.

“There are people who are very short minded that make the comments that they do, not knowing the work that has been done in the background,” Hamilton said.

“One thing I hope, and I never want to do is, in the future, when I one day stop and looking back on the youth or the next driver generation, I want to be encouraging them and let them know it’s okay to make mistakes.

“It’s about being inspiring rather than shutting them down. That’s the kind of figure that I want to be.”