2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, Saturday – Steve Etherington
By Carol M. Creasey
After the season ended in 2021 with Max Verstappen winning his first title in dubious circumstances, after the Safety Car rules were changed to favour him, Mercedes and particularly Sir Lewis Hamilton had to regroup for 2022.
After the shock of losing the drivers’ title under these circumstances, as painful as it was, Lewis and the team had to put it all behind them to focus on 2022, and another attempt at the championship. However, right from the start their car suffered from porpoising, and was a very uncomfortable ride. Then, in October of 2022, it was revealed by the FIA that Red Bull had breached the 2021 cost cap, so it was inevitable that they would win another championship, and with their car so far ahead in development, it would also benefit them in 2023.
Mercedes realised as soon as their car was on track in 2023, although they had cured the porpoising, their car was not fast, and in a moment of frustration Lewis said he wished they had listened to him. The whole situation was a wake up call for Toto and the team, and since then, with the limited amount of money that they could spend, they changed direction and have been steadily improving their car. This was necessary as they had gone from having the third fastest car on the grid in 2022, to fourth or even fifth depending on the race. While Ferrari’s car has been very circuit dependent in the first half of the 2023 season, Aston Martin managed to make a huge leap in performance, and later even McLaren.
But Mercedes are improving, and the proof of this has been the results. Lewis had second place finishes in Australia and Spain, and third places at the British and Canadian grands prix. He also earned his 104th pole in Hungary, beating Verstappen in an obviously faster car by just three thousandths of a second.
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But of course none of the teams can beat Red Bull right now, and the punishment given by the FIA for their cost cap breach was very lenient, and has not affected their performance. They are even faster this year. So, the aim right now is to beat the other teams, who are fairly close in the top five.
Now, as F1 enjoys the summer break, Lewis sits one point behind Alonso, who currently holds third place in the drivers’ championship. Mercedes now appears to have overtaken Aston Martin, which will give them hope for the second part of the season. They are also second in the constructors’ championship, thanks to points from both drivers, and Russell, who is fifth, has a podium to his name as well. The last two races have been disappointing for Lewis, as he just missed a podium with two fourth place finishes. But in Spa he did claim the fastest lap.
However, defeat is not on Lewis’ agenda, he will be pushing even harder after the summer break, and he needs the support of his fans right now, but not the fair weather ones, who disappear when he is struggling. Not the ones who abuse Mercedes because they are not winning. Nobody can match the Red Bull car right now, but Mercedes are more likely than any other team to rein them in. Believe in Lewis and Mercedes, they are working flat out and deserve credit for the improvements they have made this year. Wishing all at Mercedes an enjoyable summer break!
Be sure to follow Carol on Twitter @eagertogo and visit her website www.carolmcreasey.com!
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