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PORTIMAO, PORTUGAL – OCTOBER 25: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP looks on, on the grid before the F1 Grand Prix of Portugal at Autodromo Internacional do Algarve on October 25, 2020 in Portimao, Portugal. (Photo by Dan Istitene – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
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PORTIMAO, PORTUGAL – OCTOBER 25: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP looks on, on the grid before the F1 Grand Prix of Portugal at Autodromo Internacional do Algarve on October 25, 2020 in Portimao, Portugal. (Photo by Dan Istitene – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
Former three-time world champion Nelson Piquet reportedly used a racist term to criticize Lewis Hamilton last year. The 2021 season was a heated competition with Red Bull vs Mercedes and Max Verstappen vs Hamilton. The two parties never shied away from taking sly digs or making open criticisms about each other.
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The drivers were fighting for the lead during the Silverstone race when Hamilton clipped Verstappen’s right rear, as a result of which he went flying into the walls. Back then, Hamilton was deemed liable for the crash and was given a ten-second penalty. Later on, vile arguments tore apart the F1 community one the debates started.
Piquet, father of Verstappen’s girlfriend Kelly, also voiced his opinions. He said, “The little (expletive) [Lewis Hamilton] put the car in and left because there was no way to pass two cars on that corner. He made a joke. Lucky for him, only the other one [Verstappen] got f**ked up.” (quotes translated using Google)
“His tireless efforts to increase diversity and inclusion are a lesson to many and something we are committed to at F1.”
(I did ask for a translation from a native speaker who says it doesn’t translate as the same n-word it appears to be in English but still an unacceptable one)
— Chris Medland (@ChrisMedlandF1) June 28, 2022
Though Hamilton was victorious on his home turf, he did receive severe backlash. The crash arguably also deepened the Dutchman’s titular war with the seven-time world champion in 2021.
However, this season, the Dutch Lion has mostly remained unbothered by Mercedes or Hamilton. The Silver Arrows are struggling heavily with their W13, making them impossible contenders for the main title.
What are Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton about to do in Silverstone?
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The Brackley team has been far off the pace of Red Bull. They’ve barely presented competition to the top two teams and have won no races yet this season. Though the past two GPs have looked promising for the team (despite the bouncing), they still might not be able to catch up to the Bulls.
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Formula One F1 – Canadian Grand Prix – Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada – June 18, 2022 Mercedes’ George Russell during qualifying REUTERS/Chris Helgren
Silverstone, however, might be another story for the team. In a recent interview, Red Bull boss Christian Horner admitted to being wary, “Definitely, I think they’ll be strong at Silverstone. I don’t see any reason why they wouldn’t be. Paul Ricard, the same. I think…”
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So, with even Horner predicting a comeback from the British team, can Mercedes actually defeat them? Have they improved so much in the gap leading up to Silverstone that they might match Red Bull and Ferrari’s pace?
