Mark Webber and David Coulthard think Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc will have to reckon with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in 2023.

After Hamilton missed out on his eighth title in 2021 thanks to the bizarre Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, there was a radio silence until early February. Hamilton eventually started the 2022 season, but certainly the first half of the season was lost due to porpoising. Towards the end of the season, Mercedes came up with updates and the FIA's new regulations regarding porpoising helped the team get the bouncing under control. Hamilton had some chances at the end of the season to still get a win, but did not succeed. Teammate George Russell did manage to win the Brazilian Grand Prix. Hamilton eventually finished the championship sixth and was looking forward to a new season with another new car and hopefully new opportunities.

Winner's instinct

Speaking to Motorsport.com David Coulthard, a former F1 driver himself, says that Verstappen and Leclerc should reckon with Hamilton in 2023. In his view, Lewis only found the energy later in the season, as did his hunger to be successful. The last race of 2021 was followed by a short winter break and still contained a lot of frustration, according to the Scot. The Viaplay analyst says Russell has done very well, but is confident Hamilton will get his motivation back. In conclusion, he says the winner's instinct is still there and the old Hamilton will resurface when victories come next season.

Tough winter

Mark Webber, like Coulthard, a former Red Bull Racing driver, concurs with his fellow analyst. He thinks Hamilton is one of the greats in the sport and the winter from 2021 to 2022 was indeed very tough for him. It did go positively for teammate Russell, which the Australian says was a damper on the fun for Hamilton. He added in conclusion that Russell was suddenly in a much better scenario than before at Williams.