Lewis Hamilton has lost his smile and starts firing the first “cannon shots” after playing the role of team man. He could have expected a Mercedes in trouble, but not 14th on the starting grid. The illusion of Saturday morning free practice with George Rusell in front of everyone must have sparked some expectations in the Brackley team with the W13 which seemed able to express a decent race pace by being able to warm the tires with a couple of laps of heating.
Hopes sagged in the early laps of the Sprint Race: while Carlos Sainz was able to move up from tenth to fourth in a competitive Ferrari F1-75, the seven-time world champion got stuck in the group and eventually lost one position from the 13th square of departure.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG
Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images
In short, a disaster that does not bode well. On the contrary. “It will last all year: I don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel”. Lewis is lapidary and marks the no season of the silver arrow, almost accepting a role that expels him from the fight at the top, and relegates him to a supporting role.
If we add to all this that George Russell regularly finishes in front of him, his teammate finished 11th, as he started, the picture becomes even more bleak. But Mercedes fell over half a minute behind with Russell in a Sprint Race that also saw a safety car in action in just 21 laps.
The changes brought to Imola were worth like drinking a glass of water and Brackley’s team seems to have ended up in a black hole, where Hamilton has fallen unaware of ending up there.
“This morning we had some good sensations compared to yesterday’s free practice – says Lewis – but this is a very difficult track to pass and I was stuck in the train”.
Tomorrow’s race promises to be very difficult …
“Well, today it was and tomorrow it will be the same. I believe that the whole year will be difficult, but what will not destroy us will make us stronger ”.
Can’t you see a light at the end of the tunnel that you are facing together with the team?
“There is no light at the end of the tunnel, but we are working to find it …”.
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