Lewis Hamilton aims brutal dig at F1 rivals ahead of Barcelona Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton hit back at his F1 critics when he said there is a reason they have never won a world championship and a reason why he has won seven.

The 41-year-old is enjoying his best start to a grand prix season since 2021 and sits second in the standings, only behind runaway leader Kimi Antonelli. Hamilton has 90 points from the first six races, including three podium finishes.

It is the first time Hamilton has been this high in the standings since the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021, with the Ferrari driver feeling revitalised in a car he has helped to develop. The British racing driver was key to a redesign of the steering wheel and also pushed for change with the braking system.

Hamilton will hope to keep the good form going at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix this weekend and continue to silence those who doubted whether he would ever be able to compete at such a high level again.

Speaking about his strong start to the season, Hamilton explained what felt different this year and pointed towards his seven world titles as evidence that he knows best. "I'm fitter, I'm healthier, and in a better place personally," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1. "I've arrived with a much better attitude, I would say even a better attitude than I started last year. I've got no injuries.

"I'm driving a car that I've helped develop, as opposed to last year, when I inherited a car that I had nothing to do with, and it is a new era which I just prefer.

"So it is a combination things, and I'm just happy in my life as well, experience naturally really does help, and you might hear from some of your colleagues that haven't won a world championship, and there's a reason why they haven't won a world championship, and there's a reason why I have seven, and I know what it takes to win.

"I know what it takes for a team to win, and I know many people that I work with know what it takes to have won championships in the past, and my sole goal is to help them and me to get to where we ultimately, I truly believe we can get to, and deserve to be."

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Sky are currently running an offer that allows existing Sky TV customers to add the Sky Sports F1 channel for just £15 a month, on a 31-day rolling contract. The races are coming thick and fast as F1 heads to Europe with the Barcelona and Austrian GPs later in the month. We then head to Silverstone and the much-anticipated British GP on July 5, before trips to Belgium and Hungary. And it’s not just about the races themselves, of course. Sky Sports F1 is the only place you can watch every F1 practice and qualifier live. You’ll also benefit from behind-the-scenes access, exclusive interviews and world-class analysis, both on a race weekend and in standalone shows like The Notebook with Ted Kravitz and The F1 Show. On top of all that, Sky Sports customers can also stream any of the F1 action live from their phone or tablet via the Sky Sports app.