© Sam Bloxham for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix ltd.
By Carol M. Creasey
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell both struggled to get a good setup for their cars in the second race of the season in Saudi Arabia.
Toto Wolff described it as being on a knife edge, and sometimes for no apparent reason, the set up fails. Qualifying was difficult, although Russell appeared to be a little bit more comfortable in the car than Lewis, who has explained that he still cannot commit to the corners – he does not have full trust in the car. Russell qualified 7th and Lewis was 8th, but they both hoped that with a good race pace, they could climb higher up the order.
Carlos Sainz was diagnosed with appendicitis, and had to have an operation immediately, and 18 year old Ollie Bearman was chosen to take his place on the grid. He had qualified in 11th place on the grid.
The race started, and immediately Verstappen set off from pole position. Leclerc followed, but eventually had to concede 2nd place to Perez in the other Red Bull car. Stroll crashed his car into the barrier, and luckily was unhurt. This triggered a safety car, and although Lewis was temporarily 3rd afterwards, it actually ruined any chance of him making any headway because he had to pit later.
Piastri wanted to pass him, and as he was on fresh tyres, and Lewis was on worn ones, it seemed likely he would succeed. However, the determination of Lewis to hold him off resulted in a master class of defending, and eventually Piastri had to admit defeat.
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At the end of the race, Russell was in 6th place, and Lewis 9th, which made for a very disappointing result for them both. Verstappen and Perez were 1st and 2nd, and Charles Leclerc made up the final place on the podium.
However, undoubtedly the star of the day was young Ollie Bearman, who climbed up from 11th to 7th place. Lewis showed his admiration for the young talented driver by showing him the thumbs up while driving past him on the cooldown lap, and was later the first person to greet him and give him a hug as he got out of his car. Ollie said afterwards that Lewis had helped him get out of the car, as he had trouble getting out of it after the gruelling race.
When interviewed by the media afterwards, Lewis explained that Mercedes have still got a lot of work to do to make the car more competitive. After working closely with the team to help improve it, and knowing this is the 3rd year of difficulties, it was a sad moment to see his eyes full of anxiety. But this man never gives up, and he once again thanked everyone at the factory, saying the team will continue to keep working to make the improvements necessary.
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