Lewis Hamilton Hints Foul Play in Mercedes Garage as Toto Wolff Downplays “Poor Performance”

Lewis Hamilton admitted to the Canadian GP being “one of the worst races” he has driven. For a driver who has won 7 races on this track and was called the “King of Canada” on live commentary, this came as a shock. Mercedes’ upgrade package, which propelled George Russell to Pole on Saturday, couldn’t help Hamilton much. After missing the podium on Sunday, the 7-time champion seemingly exposed Toto Wolff & Co.’s dodgy tactics.

Hamilton struggled thoroughly in Canada, while Russell outclassed him at every given instance. Somehow, Mercedes had stacked the odds against him, saving no sets of medium tires for the race. This forced him to go on the hard tires when the track dried up in the closing stages, securing only a P4 finish. Post-race, Team Principal Toto Wolff claimed that the W15 was “good in pace” and a double podium was easily on the cards. In contradiction, Hamilton lamented the “really poor performance.” He even suspected fishy business in his garage during qualifying, because of which he couldn’t match Russell’s pace for Pole.

“The tires were working throughout the weekend. Then we got to qualifying and every time I went out of the garage, my tires were, for some reason, below on temperature,” the Mercedes driver said post-race, adding, “Every set was two or three degrees lower than it should have been, and you can’t catch it up. And I couldn’t switch the tires on after that. That’s something we have to really look at because something went on with the (tire) blankets, I guess.” 

Despite this setback, Hamilton fought well in changing conditions to finish P4 from P7. However, his being so hard himself was a surprising twist, and former World Champion Jacques Villeneuve couldn’t make head or tail of this.

Jacques Villeneuve comments on ‘unusual’ Lewis Hamilton behavior

As Mercedes seems to prioritize George Russell with the upgrades and strategies, Lewis Hamilton is missing out. At least, many fans believe this to be the case. The Ferrari-bound 7-time champion too seems to be done with the Mercedes drama. In Monaco, he claimed that the Silver Arrows would prioritize Russell in every race, and he didn’t expect any better. But his self-criticism in Canada caught everyone off-guard.

“He was very self-critical,” Villeneuve said of Hamilton on Sky Sports. “It’s not usual for Lewis. But he got beaten by his teammate,” he added, attempting to justify Hamilton’s comments while claiming, “He saw he had the speed. In the end, he got the quickest lap of the race. It looked like on the hard tires, he got there towards the end, and suddenly, last two laps, Russell got the speed again.”

In the end, Hamilton chose to see the positives. The W15’s increased pace and drivability impressed him as they got a step closer to the Top 3. The Spanish GP up next, however, is a traditional circuit, unlike Montreal. As for now, it remains yet to be seen if Mercedes’ upgrades are versatile enough to sustain performance there. What’s your take on Hamilton’s experience at the Canadian GP? Share your thoughts in the comments.