The start of the season of Formula 1 has left a lot to be desired for Mercedes. The stable, which has been the sport’s great power in recent years, is only third in the constructors ‘championship, far behind Ferrari and Red Bull, and the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is nowhere near the top in the drivers’ championship.
– I’m calculated, of course. There is no doubt about it, Hamilton said after Sunday’s 13th place in Imola, Italy.
After the finish, he received an apology from the stable manager Toto Wolff in the radio communication:
– I’m sorry for what you had to do today. I know the car was impossible to drive. It was a terrible race.
– Lewis Hamilton was nowhere near a prominent place in Emilia-Romagna’s GP this weekend.
Photo: Andrej Isakovic / AFP
He developed the reasoning after the race.
– We are not good enough for a world champion, we have to fix the car.
The reason for the bad start is that you have not managed to get your car as good as other top stables with the new rules.
– You see that it (the car) jumps on the straight lines, sometimes I wonder how they (Hamilton and teammate George Russell) manage to keep it on the track, says Toto Wolff after the race.
He goes on to say that the responsibility does not lie with the drivers.
– Both drivers do their utmost and overperform the car, he says.
George Russell took a surprising fourth place in Imola, much thanks to a perfect start where both Carlos Sainz had to cancel and Daniel Ricciardo had problems after a collision.
– When it comes to results, we get the maximum out of what the car can handle, it gives hope that we can get more points if the car is improved, Russell says.
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