BREAKING NEWS: Lewis Hamilton’s response to Toto Wolff’s radio message sums up Mercedes…read more
Lewis Hamilton’s response to Toto Wolff’s radio message sums up Mercedes…read more
Lewis Hamilton stayed notably silent after a tough race in Azerbaijan, where Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff described the Grand Prix as a “horror race.” Despite managing a points finish in ninth place, Hamilton’s performance was overshadowed by frustration due to several factors that marred his race weekend.
The seven-time Formula 1 champion had little chance of fighting for victory, starting the race from the pit lane after Mercedes took a strategic decision to change Hamilton’s power unit. Exceeding the power unit allowance for the season, Mercedes opted to take the penalty in Baku, a circuit known for its challenging overtaking opportunities.
Although Hamilton showed resilience in gaining ground, he was largely stuck outside the points until a dramatic penultimate lap saw both Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz crash out, allowing him to scrape into ninth place. Wolff, acknowledging the difficulties the team faced throughout the race, offered words of consolation to Hamilton over the radio. “Lewis, good to make it to the end. That was a horror race. I can so relate to it, we can all relate to it. At least we’ve taken the penalty now. Let’s move forward, look forward,” Wolff said.
However, Hamilton remained silent in response to his boss’s message, continuing to drive without comment before his race engineer, Peter Bonnington, resumed communication to guide him back to the pits. This muted response reflected his ongoing frustration as Mercedes struggled to find competitive form in the 2024 season.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix marked another tough outing for the Silver Arrows since returning from the summer break. Despite teammate George Russell securing third place due to the aforementioned crash, Mercedes had little to celebrate in Baku. Hamilton, who is set to leave Mercedes at the end of the season and join Ferrari, is determined to end his final year with the team on a high note. After 11 successful years together, both Hamilton and Mercedes find themselves in a challenging situation as they fight for competitiveness in a highly competitive grid.
Reflecting on his penalty, Hamilton admitted that the decision to take a power unit change had set them up for a difficult race. “I knew it was going to be a disastrous race as soon as this decision was made,” he remarked, highlighting his awareness of the challenges ahead. With seven Grands Prix left in the season, Hamilton is eager to put these difficulties behind him and finish his final season with Mercedes in strong form.
Wolff, acknowledging the limitations of the circuit and the team’s struggles, explained: “We knew it would be a race of misery because it’s so difficult to overtake in Baku. You get close, then overheat the tyres and you go backwards, so that’s what happened.” Overtaking is notoriously difficult on the Baku City Circuit due to its tight, high-speed nature, further complicating Mercedes’ day.
George Russell, who benefited from the late-race chaos to secure a podium finish, shared his own frustrations after the race. In his post-race debrief, Russell expressed confusion over the team’s fluctuating pace. “It was a really odd race. The first 20 laps we were 1.5 seconds off the pace, the last 20 laps we were one second quicker than [Oscar] Piastri or Charles [Leclerc], 0.3 or 0.4s quicker than Carlos [Sainz] and Checo [Perez],” Russell explained.
The inconsistency, particularly with the tyres, left Russell puzzled. “These tyres… it’s the same car, same driver, same track. How you can have two extremes, I don’t know?” he added. “P5 was a fair result. Probably should have been P6 if Lando [Norris] started in his normal place.” Despite securing third place, Russell’s remarks underscored the unpredictable nature of the 2024 season and the frustration felt by drivers across the grid.
The issue with tyre performance has been a long-standing challenge for Formula 1 drivers, including Russell, who voiced his exasperation. “At the beginning it felt like it was a P20 car. It’s a little bit infuriating for every driver that we are dealing with this week in, week out, but every driver says the same about the tyres. It’s been 14 years with these tyres and no one understands them,” he concluded.
As the 2024 season progresses, Mercedes finds itself battling not only its rivals but also its own internal challenges with the car’s performance. With Hamilton’s departure on the horizon, the team will need to regroup and find solutions quickly if they hope to close the gap to the frontrunners.
About The Author
