© Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
When the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton topped practice one in Miami, the fanbase had reason to feel optimistic about the weekend ahead.
However, sadly for Lewis Hamilton, by the time qualifying took place he was unable to get into Q3. He described it afterwards as “a kick in the teeth”. George Russell fared better by just scraping into 10th, and in Q3 he managed to post a lap good enough for P5. However, team boss Toto Wolff later said he took no pleasure from this result, as they want to be taking pole positions, and this was echoed by Russell.
At the beginning of the race, Russell managed to gain a position to 4th, and this is where he finished at the end of the race. For Lewis back in 13th, it was much harder, however he managed to deliver an amazing recovery drive. At one point in the race, Lewis was asked to let Russell through, as he was on fresher tyres, and on a different strategy. He did this with good grace, and proved once again what a team player he is. After his pit stop, Lewis came out in 12th place, and had work to do again, and with the benefit of fresh tyres he made some great clean overtakes to bring himself to 6th place. The race was won by Verstappen, who started ninth, second was Perez, and Alonso was third
When being interviewed afterwards, Lewis was in a buoyant mood, saying how much he had enjoyed fighting back in the second half of the race when the car came alive. It is amazing how much effort both Mercedes drivers put in each and every race weekend, in a car which is at best third fastest on the grid.
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When you get people like Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher questioning whether Lewis has lost his speed, then I think they need to note those overtakes, and realise what foolish assumptions they have made. By his own admission, Lewis does not have enough confidence in his car, and he has said several times he can’t wait for changes to be made. These changes will finally arrive this weekend in Monaco, and although Mercedes are not promising a silver bullet to make everything right immediately, it might set them on a positive road to recovery.
News headlines continue to link Lewis to a move to Ferrari, but he has quashed those numerous times, and has even said Mercedes is not just a team to him, but a family. Maybe the pundits should realise just how strong his loyalty is. Lewis is going nowhere, and he will renew his contract whenever it suits himself and Toto. They both trust each other, so there will be no nasty surprises. This to me speaks volumes about the integrity of Mercedes.
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