Hamilton out to 'destroy' Verstappen this season - Davidson

Sky F1 commentator Anthony Davidson believes Lewis Hamilton will kick off his 2022 campaign next week in Bahrain seeking nothing less than to "destroy" arch-rival Max Verstappen this year.

Last December in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton was just a few laps away from clinching a record eighth world title when the race was turned on its head by a safety car and a controversial decision by FIA race director Michael Masi to restart the race with one lap to go, a call that handed the title to Verstappen on a silver platter.

An understandably disillusioned Hamilton spent the winter in isolation with his family, shut out from social media and F1.

But last month, the Briton reappeared fully energized at Mercedes' team launch and with a staunch warning for his rivals: "If you think what you saw at the end of the last year was my best, wait until you see this year."

Davidson, who dovetails his Sky F1 commitments with a simulator role with Mercedes, believes Hamilton adversaries, and Verstappen in particular, would do well to heed the seven-time world champion's warning.

"When Lewis Hamilton comes out with a sentence like that, you have to take notice," Davidson told Sky Sports.

"He sure is fired up to win this thing once and for all and I think he'll be hard to beat. He's certainly coming into this season with a very bullish mentality."

• Read also: Hamilton heads into new season feeling the 'freshest' he's ever felt

But Davidson believes that winning an eighth crown in 2022 won't be enough for Hamilton; he'll also want to do it by crushing his main opponent.

"There will be nothing more [that] Lewis wants from this season than to destroy Max," added the former F1 driver.

"Let's not beat around a bush, he feels absolutely robbed as to what happened last year in Abu Dhabi.

"He wants to come out with a dominant car and he doesn't even want to see Max on track, I'm sure.

"He just wants to show him a clean pair of heels, disappear off into the distance and win his eighth World Championship."

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter