Lewis Hamilton had a roller-coaster of a weekend at Zandvoort. In what looked to be his first win of the calendar year, a late Virtual Safety Car and Mercedes’ strategy took it away from him.
The boy from Stevenage was poised to finish on the podium alongside George Russell. However, he dropped down and finished the race in 4th position. This frustrated the 7-time champion. As a result, the former McLaren driver lost his temper and swore on his team radio, blaming Mercedes for missing out on winning the Dutch GP.
Although, recent development shows that Mercedes did not mess up with Lewis’ race.
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It was the legend himself who shot himself in the foot as Max Verstappen was able to overtake him afterward the Briton’s mistake.
Hamilton was leading the GP as the safety car came to an end. Now, according to reports, it looks like Hamilton’s race took a huge turn because he made an incorrect switch change on his steering wheel. This meant that he had the wrong PU mode on the restart and he was struggling for power.
As a result, Max Verstappen was able to pass him so easily, much to the delight of the orange army of Max fans.
Hamilton apologized for his comments on the team radio after the race and praised how close Mercedes were to challenging Max. He will be hoping for more of the same this weekend at Monza.
Lewis Hamilton is still confident about the first Mercedes win this year
Despite struggling throughout the year, Lewis Hamilton is confident of getting Mercedes’ first 2022 win. The British constructors have endured many problems in this underwhelming season. However, a victory will give them the confidence to come back stronger next year and challenge their rivals.
The former McLaren driver said, “I’m dying to get back in that race and have the opportunity to fight Max, but the day hasn’t come [yet]. There’s so many great things to take [from the Dutch GP].”
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“If this can be the same in the future races, we’re going to be continuing to breathe down their necks and get that win.”
He continued, “I’m taking all these positives forwards, so grateful for the team and all their hard work because it has been a tough slog for all of them. Let’s just not give up.”
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Lewis Hamilton will be hoping his Mercedes would be as competitive at the Italian GP as it was at the Dutch GP. However, Mercedes have struggled with their straight-line speed all season and Monza will not be an easy track for them. Red Bull and Ferrari will be the firm favorites on this track. But can Mercedes surprise everyone on the weekend?