From silver to gold, Lewis Hamilton is aiming for a ‘mega’ after the Spanish Grand Prix. Mercedes had yet another disappointing start to the 2023 season, after paying a deaf ear to the 7x champion and sticking with their ‘zero-sidepod’ design. However, realizing their error Team Principal Toto Wolff publicly apologized to Hamilton, and announced a new upgrade package, completely abandoning the ‘zero-sidepod’ design. And after much uncertainty, the upgrades came alive in Spain, reviving the Silver Arrows from its long slumber.
On the race day, Hamilton emerged as Max Verstappen‘s nearest challenger from P5, while George Russell put on a scintillating performance as he weaved his way to a third-place finish from a lowly 12th on the grid. No doubt, this was their best finish of the season by a country mile and their first double podium of 2023.
However, in a race with 107 overtakes, Verstappen was untouched, with Mercedes 24 seconds behind. Therefore, although the new upgrade package came as the light at the end of the tunnel, they’re no ‘silver bullet’. Mercedes is still so far behind and ultimately Max will continue to win this year. So, the 38-year-old driver spoke about setting realistic goals.
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Mercedes’ double podium finish in the Spanish GP offered Hamilton great hope for revival, and it was reflected in his words during the Spanish GP post-race press conference.
‘He’ll never be better’: Twitteratti Ridicules Lewis Hamilton’s goals for the 2024 F1 season
Mercedes seemed to have taken a step forward in Barcelona. At the German racing stable, however, there is not yet the hope that the team will just compete for victories. Therefore, even after ‘silver in Spain’, the seven-time world champion remains realistic, as he knows that the Red Bulls may already be focused on next year’s car due to the dominance of Red Bull Racing.
However, Hamilton left no doubt of his hunger and commitment to both Mercedes and F1. So during the post-race press conference, the Briton said: “With the current car we have, I don’t think we can match their performance. I know we have something in the pipeline for the future, so I’m hoping that maybe by the end of the year, we can have a challenge. I’m more focused on making sure we have a car from day one next year that we can challenge them with.”
While Hamilton’s loyal still believe in their F1 hero, his rivals however ridiculed him for his mega ambitions. One wrote: “He’ll never be better than the second-best driver now with max at his peak”
He'll never be better than the second best driver now with max at his peak.
— david hunter (@Reapers_inc) June 5, 2023
Blud thinks Alonso and AM will just be sitting back and watching the show, as if AM won't be in the title fight next yr. They already have a good base car😂😂😂😂
— Nandan Tantry (@nandy_here) June 5, 2023
On the other hand, many blamed Mercedes for not listening to Hamilton’s advice on ditching the zero-side pod design beforehand. “Imagine if they started off the season with side pods,” one Twitter user wrote.
Imagine if they started off the season with side pods
— Sir_Swami (@SirSwami1) June 5, 2023
If they would’ve listen to him over break they would’ve had sidepods at the beginning of the season
— 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 (@stanreport) June 5, 2023
He's clearly still elite he deserves a great car
— Swanny (@SwannyHypno) June 5, 2023
Clearly, many F1 enthusiasts loved the intense wheel-to-wheel battles between Hamilton and Verstappen in 2021, and they can’t wait to witness season 2 of Hamilton v Verstappen.
One user wrote: “Lewis vs verstappen saison 2 en 2024?”
“I WILLLL BEEEEE THEREEEE”
Lewis vs verstappen saison 2 en 2024?
I WILLLL BEEEEE THEREEEE https://t.co/WMdAxxto2k
— Yousssss🇸🇳 (@galsendu59) June 5, 2023
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russell and ham will take points off each other so even if he has the best car verstappen will still be there. like 2008
— H0NDAJET✈🏳️🌈 (@H0NDAJET_) June 5, 2023
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