Hamilton out to bounce back at Silverstone
LEWIS Hamilton and Mercedes would be well advised to ignore all previous form and a pile of encouraging statistics as they bid to bounce back at their home British Grand Prix on Sunday (with the race set to start at 8:10pm Cambodian time).
After the debacle of their double retirement at last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, where they were previously unbeaten in four years, and Hamilton’s travails in Canada, where he was a clear pre-race favourite, the Mercedes team has lost its nearmetronomic consistency.
Forecasts of their continuing supremacy on tracks where they have always seemed invincible are no longer as trustworthy as they have been.
Max Verstappen’s victory in Austria, his first this year, rewarded Red Bull’s opportunism, but his Milton Keynesbased team and Ferrari may face a struggle to match a resurgent Hamilton, reliability permitting, in front of his own fans.
The 33-year-old Englishman will be hunting a record fifth consecutive ecutive British triumph at Silverstone, rstone, and his sixth overall, on n Sunday to regain the lead in n the title race from fellow four-time champion Sebastian stian Vettel of Ferrari.
Ready dy to fight
The e German, who finished hed third in Spielberg, lberg, has a one-point point advantage, following Hamilton’s ilton’s first non-scoring scoring finish in n 34 races dating ng back to the 2016 016 Malaysian Grand Prix, but expects a difficult cult weekend on a circuit that should suit Mercedes. Much, however, will depend on the extent of the damage inflicted on the champions’ confidence after their t worst result since r re-entering F1 in 2010.
“We tried to show the right cha character in defeat,” s said team chief Toto W Wolff. “We took full responsibility fo for our mistakes, w which takes guts, and we will now analyse t h e m a n d co come back str stronger from tha that learning. Both dri drivers were calm and s showed true leadership leadership.
“We hav have had the fastest and most reliable car in r recent years and they re reminded us of that fact. We come to Silverstone on the back of the worst weekend we’ve had in a very long time. We are determined to put up a hard fight on home turf and come back with a strong result.”
Hamilton (pictured, AFP) compared his and the team’s feelings to that of a boxer. “When you get knocked down, to the ground, you can either stay on the floor or get back up and fight even harder,” he wrote on Instagram. “I am ready to fight.”
In the current British heatwave conditions, tyre wear could be a major factor again, in the outcome of Sunday’s race on a track that favours power and, as in Austria, this may upset all forecasts.
“These tyres are pretty sensitive to heat, and that could be a really interesting variable that’s thrown in,” said Red Bull boss Christian Horner.
It may also create a few incidents and a possible deployment of the safety car, or a virtual version, in circumstances that require the kind of instant tactical decisions that, last weekend, undid Hamilton’s bid for victory in the early laps.
Ferrari chief Maurizio Arrivabene said he expects a tricky race for his team.
“On paper, it looks difficult for us. Aerodynamics are very important and it will be difficult . . . “he said.
The Italian team have not won at Silverstone since twotime champion Fernando Alonso, now with McLaren, succeeded in 2011.
This week McLaren parted company with racing director Eric Boullier in a bid to arrest their prolonged slump, but there appears little reason to believe that this will change their fortunes.