“We Could Have Taken on Max”: Lewis Hamilton Dismisses Raw Data to Give Shocking Verstappen Analysis

The 2023 Dutch GP was anything but normal. If one just looks at the result, they’d think it was a pretty normal race with Pierre Gasly standing out. Other than that, a regular result. However, the raw data never tells the entire story. And that’s what even Lewis Hamilton is suggesting as he gives a shocking Max Verstappen analysis. What did the 7x champion say about his arch-rival?

Mercedes had a fairly miserable weekend at Zandvoort. Except for Russell’s P3 qualifying, there was nothing to write home about. Strategic blunders and the inability to predict the conditions cost Mercedes dearly. A team that was looking at a podium finished nowhere near. Yet, Hamilton dismisses all the raw data and his finishing position and makes a surprisingly bold statement.

Lewis Hamilton advised that if it had not been for the wrong decisions, Hamilton would’ve made it up to the podium. On the other hand, he advised how he was as quick as Verstappen in terms of what pace. According to motorsport-total.com, Lewis Hamilton said, “My pace would have been enough [for a podium]. To be completely honest: I think we could have taken on Max. Especially when it went into the dry. I think we weren’t that far off with the pace.” [Translated via Google]

Read More: 5 Mercedes Slip Ups Exposed as Lewis Hamilton Faces the Brunt of Disastrous Decision Making

However, it isn’t known how much Max Verstappen was actually pushing that car. However, the gap between the competition wasn’t as great as it had been at some other races. Maybe the tricky conditions played a part as well. The disappointment of not getting a podium even echoed in Toto Wolff’s words.

Toto Wolff advises what cost Mercedes a podium at the Dutch GP.

It’s still hard to contemplate what happened at the Dutch GP. The weather kept changing throughout the race. The formation lap was dry, but as soon as the lights went out, it started raining. It dried up within some laps and then again came the rain toward the end. Toto Wolff advised how his team got the strategy wrong in the first 15-odd laps when it went from dry to wet and then back to dry, which eventually cost them a podium. 

According to @fiagirly’s tweet, Toto Wolff said “That was a difficult day for us. In the opening 15 laps, we got pretty much everything wrong that we could have done–and that cost us any chance of fighting for the podium.”

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What did you make of Lewis Hamilton’s claim of being as fast as Max Verstappen?