Podium finishes for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell could be the first step in team’s return to the title pictureThere was deserved elation at Mercedes after taking a double podium at the Spanish Grand Prix, the tension etched into the faces of some team members draining away. But as the team heads back to Brackley they are more than aware that they have only reached basecamp. The mountain lies ahead.With Lewis Hamilton taking second place and his teammate George Russell third in Barcelona, it was their best result of the season and indeed the outstanding performance of their car in terms of drivability, pace and balance. Hamilton called it the best performing car Mercedes had built since he last challenged...
Despite finishing second at Albert Park, Toto Wolff’s team have a mountain to climb and must pursue a new design directionThere can be no illusions for Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes as to where they stand in Formula One’s pecking order despite returning their best finish of the season at Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix. Melbourne was their first celebratory moment thus far but that they revelled in a second place is indicative of the mountain they have to climb. For a team that has dominated F1 for so long this is perhaps their greatest challenge yet.Hamilton is no stranger to battling with an uncompetitive car, but for the team this season will truly test their mettle. On a roll of eight...
Dutchman overcame a slow start while Ferrari were stuck in reverse but Lewis Hamilton still showed he can raceAfter controversy over his first Formula One world championship in 2021, Max Verstappen left no question as to his deserved ascendancy this time. The Dutchman has been metronomic in his delivery, barely putting a foot wrong in claiming 15 wins from 22 races. Mechanical failures notwithstanding it could have been more. Moreover he did it with some panache. There were straightforward victories but also some supreme, authoritative demonstrations of man and machine in perfect harmony. Ferrari knew the game was up when Verstappen won three times from lowly grid slots, coming back from 10th in Hungary, 14th in Belgium and 7th in...
Little has been heard from Hamilton since he lost his crown to Max Verstappen in controversial circumstancesAfter a tumultuous climax to the 2021 Formula One season that ended in both sound and fury, it is Lewis Hamilton’s continued silence that has defined the winter. With the new season rapidly approaching, the British driver’s future in F1 remains unknown and ostensibly undecided. As the FIA wrestles with an inquiry into the events in Abu Dhabi, it is Hamilton’s absence that looms over the sport, his silence speaking volumes.Seven times an F1 world champion but beaten to the title in controversial circumstances at the season finale at Yas Marina by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, Hamilton left Abu Dhabi angry and disillusioned. He...
Challenger took the fight to the champion while the McLaren youngster has impressed, but sprints and Spa were letdownsAfter an intense finale that divided fans and remains subject to an appeal, battle lines have been drawn. Both sides are convinced they are right, a microcosm of every cut and thrust between Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes and Red Bull this season. There is so little to choose between them, each having pushed the other to ever greater heights. For all that Hamilton was brilliant this year, especially in the final four races, Verstappen takes the honours. His first title was achieved with some controversial performances but also brilliance. In taking the fight to the best driver of this generation and...