© Mercedes-Benz AG
By Carol M. Creasey
Ahead of the start of the 2023 season Mercedes were delighted to find that this year their car is no longer bouncing, but sadly it lacks performance.
Even more disappointing for them is the fact that they have seemingly slipped down the order behind the newly improved Aston Martin, and are not possibly the fourth fastest car.
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton qualified for the Bahrain Grand Prix in P6 and P7 respectively, but were optimistic when going into the race. When interviewed after qualifying, Lewis explained that his car was more set up for the race. Indeed he made a great start jumping both his team-mate and Fernando Alonso, to take himself up to 5th. But he then had to look after his tyres, because they were degrading badly. Towards the end of the race Alonso on fresher tyres overtook him, although the retirement of Charles Leclerc kept the Briton in 5th position. Carlos Sainz was also complaining about his car, and although Lewis made ground up on him, after a brief consultation with his team, he decided not to try and pass, being unsure if his tyres could stand up to it. George finished the race in P7 after being overtaken by both Aston Martins.
The race was won by Max Verstappen some 50 seconds ahead of the rest of the grid, with Sergio Perez in P2. But the star of the show was Alonso coming third after many years where he was not featured on the podium. I really enjoyed the racing between the Spaniard and Lewis, and also the words of respect Alonso spoke afterwards. I loved to see these two drivers who have 9 (possibly 10) world championships between them hugging each other, even though people like David Coulthard speak as though there is a rift between them. It is amazing that they are both in the mix and fighting against competitors so much younger than themselves, and doing so well.
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When Lewis was interviewed after the race he was so upbeat, he thoroughly enjoyed the race, and spoke about how lucky he is to still be able to enjoy racing. The racing was clean and respectful, which is how it should be. After the race Toto Wolff was feeling so disappointed with the car, and to be fair, when as a team you have worked together for a year to rectify the problems, and then still have them a year later, it is an understandable reaction. Of course the fair weather fans and the haters were quick to stab at Mercedes, and berate them, but those cannot be true fans of the sport.
Later, in a calmer frame of mind, Toto has issued a statement that they have not given up, and they will get the car right, and the true fans will be right behind that. Lewis has proved to be such a stalwart to the team, he never gives up, and has stated that he intends to stay in Formula 1 until he gets that eighth title back. Meanwhile on Channel 4, Mark Webber and David Coulthard were discussing how Lewis would probably want to change teams to be able to get that championship, but Lewis refuted that, he is 100 percent committed to Mercedes, and they are to him.
No matter how much the haters jeer at this latest predicament, I believe Mercedes will have the last laugh on them. Mercedes need the support of their fans, and as Lewis always says: “We win and lose together”. It is a long season, so let’s sit back and watch it unfold!
Be sure to follow Carol on Twitter @eagertogo and visit her website www.carolmcreasey.com!
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