Lewis Hamilton has finally taken the record eighth Driver’s World Championship in a stunning fashion. However, in an alternate universe where Red Bull did not exist and all the points were redistributed, Hamilton remained a consistent force, with 11 podiums, securing his record-breaking World Championship.
Heading into the final race, Hamilton led the Championship by 20 points, needing to finish sixth or higher to secure the title. Although he finished seventh, Fernando Alonso did not secure the win with the fastest lap needed to secure the title on countback, thus handing Hamilton the magical eighth crown.
The final standings in the Driver’s Championship looked like this: 1st – Lewis Hamilton – 330pts, 2nd – Fernando Alonso – 314pts, 3rd – Charles Leclerc – 289pts. In this alternate universe scenario, Hamilton surprisingly did not even finish in the top three most winningest drivers for 2023.
He won the title with only one pole position to his name, while Charles Leclerc secured ten poles. Despite this, Hamilton’s consistency with 11 podiums and just two races outside the points was the key to his success.
In the Constructor’s Championship, Mercedes narrowly pipped Ferrari in the closest of margins to claim their ninth Constructor’s Championship. It is interesting to note that in this scenario, seven of the nine teams secured a fastest lap across 2023, with only Haas and Alpine failing to do so.
This alternate universe concept showcases how close the battle in 2023 was when it came to all the teams that weren’t from Austria.