After victory at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton has edged ever closer to a seventh F1 drivers’ championship and with this global sporting circus moving on to Turkey next, that is the destination where the king in waiting could be crowned.
Of course, this would be a coronation that is nothing more than trying to add another crown to the already busy head of Hamilton and only when this motorsport monarch calls time on his career, can F1 look to ascend a new star to the throne.
With Hamilton surpassing Michael Schumacher’s long-standing record for Grand Prix wins (now currently standing at 93), it means once that the Mercedes driver goes on to win title number seven, he will statistically be the greatest racer ever.
Admittedly it is difficult to compare one era to another and the likes of Juan Manuel Fangio and Ayrton Senna should never be left out of such a conversation either, as their litany of championship wins cannot be forgotten either.
However, the numbers do not lie, as those numbers signify just what a precocious talent Hamilton has been during his time in the F1 paddock and now the question is just how long the Stevenage born driver will spend as a Mercedes employee.
That’s not to say the former McLaren pilot will be snared by anyone else, because if we are honest there is only one way for him to go and with a downward career trajectory as the only continual option, the other is to just walk away from the sport altogether.
Because at the time of writing, Hamilton is yet to put pen to paper on a new deal for 2021 and beyond. A scenario which means that for as long as the ink is not dried, the rumour and counter rumours will only continue.
A situation that is perhaps not helped by the future of his boss Toto Wolff and with the German being primed for a new role within Mercedes, his fearsome presence may no longer be felt within the pit lane.
Which may suggest that if Wolff is moved upstairs for use of a better term, will his star driver have such a symbiotic relationship with his eventual replacement, and this may lead Hamilton just to call it quits.
Here there is obviously a sense of better the devil you know and perhaps the fear of the unknown and more importantly, the seventh championship under his belt, is subsequently enough for the 35-year-old to drive off into the sunset.
While it may be a case of better the devil you know when it comes to placing a bet on the upcoming Turkish Grand Prix and if that proves to be the case, then your money cannot go much further than the current championship leader.
Should you be willing to put your hard-earned money where your mouth is, Bookmaker full review has lines for the fastest qualifier and outright win for the upcoming race and it could even make sense for a Hamilton double.
If that is not to be the case, then the logical step would be looking at the second part of the Mercedes duo and at least back teammate Valtteri Bottas to capture the pole position at the upcoming Turkish Grand Prix.
While if you fancy a slightly more outside bet, then the energy drink backed a team of Red Bull is usually the best hope of upsetting the apple cart and this means placing a wager on the talents of Max Verstappen.
The Dutch driver had to deal with an unfortunate retirement at the recent Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and because of this, his attempt at finishing second in the championship has now been made all the tougher.
However, that is not to say it is impossible and if the son of the legendary Jos Verstappen can win in Turkey, he would close the current 35-point advantage that Valtteri Bottas finds himself in possession of.
With Mercedes already clinching the constructors’ championship, now it is time to put the champagne on ice for the main event and as long as Lewis Hamilton does not cede seven points to his teammate in Turkey, title number seven will be rubber-stamped.
