It was a race to oblivion. The world watched as Lewis Hamilton struggled to get out of the back of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. And the impact came on lap 40, when Max Verstappen took a lap out of it. The British driver cannot find answers and the Mercedes vehicle offers no guarantees; That is why, after the end of the race, Toto Wolff, director of the team, was heard on the radio telling the Briton: “Lewis, sorry about this car. It’s unmanageable and you don’t deserve a car like that.”.
What about Hamilton?
Hamilton’s pain for a race far from his hierarchy was evident, since before Wolff’s apology, the British driver simply replied: “Yes… But we have to keep working”. That phrase from the seven-time Formula 1 champion is not one more, since over the weekend there was talk of strong crosses with Wolff, including, Hamilton was encouraged to say that they were not to fight for the title this year.
In that sense, when Wolff was asked if Mercedes had given up fighting for the title, after a new frustration in Imola, his answer was: “No”. And he added: “We have four races in the championship. We really lack performance, and it is true that we are not fighting for a victory. But that doesn’t mean that six races from now or 10, we’re not fighting for the championship.”.
The image of Verstappen beating Hamilton, after Formula 1 asked the Briton to let the Dutchman pass, since he was lagging behind, was one of the most shocking moments in Emilia Romagnato such an extent that the cameras of the official broadcast immediately focused on Toto Wolff, who was biting his lips when he saw a tremendous image, and Christian Horner, head of Red Bull, who did not even flinch.
The apology came within the framework of a weekend full of speculation, in which some even claimed that Hamilton had quarreled with Wolff: “There is no fight, and there is no blame to be shared, or anything like that. There is pressure, but I would say that it is necessary to do things well. Nobody in the team is close to enjoying what is happening to Mercedes at the moment.Wolff said before the test.
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Last Friday, after being left out of Q3, there was a tense exchange of words between Hamilton and Wolff, although the protagonists did not want to give details of that moment. Nevertheless, An important point is also the difference in the performance of the team’s vehicles, as George Russell once again fought for the podium while Lewis battled with the back pack.
“The race was difficult and we all definitely felt it as a team. at least george [Russell] got some points today. So I apologize to everyone for not being able to do better.”Hamilton said after the race.
And he concluded: “I think the team is… as I said, everyone feels it and everyone is downcast, giving the best of themselves. So no one is giving up and everyone is trying to move as fast as they can”.
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