“I didn’t say I was going to die,” emphasized Hamilton at the Black Sea, where the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi is the 15th of 22 planned world championship races on Sunday. After the crash with World Cup leader Max Verstappen, he had himself checked through again the next day, and he also did exercises with his physiotherapist Angela Cullen himself on the flight to the USA.
Hamilton insisted that he never expected a driver to give in, but also said: “We have to be clever.” Postscript: “This balance comes from experience.” It is a special situation when you are fighting for your first world title, recalled the Briton. It is now much easier for him to deal with this tough world championship fight than when he won his first title in 2008 in McLaren or his entry year, when he lost the world championship with one point less to Kimi Räikkönen (then Ferrari).
Verstappen responded with an ironic comment when asked about Hamilton’s previous taunts. “I’m so nervous that I can hardly sleep,” said the Dutchman. “These comments show that he doesn’t know me.” That was not a problem either, but he was “very relaxed” and didn’t feel any extra pressure, the World Cup leader once again made clear.
With only five points between the two, the tide could turn in Sochi. Anyone who has bet on Mercedes in Russia so far has always won since 2014. Hamilton has already won the race four times (2014, 2015, 2018, 2019), and his team rival Valtteri Bottas is on his most successful track according to statistics.
In 2017 and 2020 the Finn triumphed on the Black Sea, in 2018 he could also have won, but after a Mercedes stable order only came second behind Hamilton. Bottas, who had no chance in the World Cup fight, was asked on Thursday whether he would submit to an order this year. “Yes, I would,” Bottas made clear.
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