A RED RAG TO A BULL!
FROM a fighting chance of winning his first race of the season, to finishing off the podium in fourth.
Not quite Abu Dhabi levels of despair for Lewis Hamilton, but heartbreaking all the same.
Especially when the chance to gain some revenge for the controversial world title loss to Max Verstappen last season looked to be within his grasp, in the Dutchman’s home race no less.
It had all been going so well for Mercedes, their decision to go for a one-stop strategy around the sand dunes at Zandvoort looking to be a tactical masterstroke.
With Red Bull and Ferrari choosing to go for the two-stopper, Hamilton appeared to have it all in hand.
Quickly
He was setting fastest laps, he had teammate George Russell behind him and the only man in front of him was Red Bull’s Verstappen, who’d surely relinquish his lead when he pitted again.
But Hamilton knows only too well how quickly things change before the chequered flag is waved, having had what appeared to be a eighth world title ripped from his grasp in the most controversial circumstances.
In Abu Dhabi it was a crash by Williams’ Nicholas Latifi which set in motion a chain of events that ended his dream.
Yesterday, it was the sight of Yuki Tsunoda, who drives for Red
Bull’s feeder team Alpha Tauri, coming to a halt with a mechanical issue. He managed to trundle back to the pits before being sent back out, only to be told to stop his car out on track.
The effect on the race was clear, the need for a virtual safety car, which handed Verstappen the chance to pit for fresh rubber while still retaining the lead ahead of Hamilton.
The Mercedes man’s goose was still not cooked, however, thanks to the sight of former teammate Valtteri Bottas coming to halt in his Alfa Romeo with 15 laps remaining. But while those around him stopped for the speediest soft tyres, Hamilton was left out on old mediums and the game was up.
No wonder he turned the air blue after first Verstappen cruised past at the restart, before Russell, who had demanded his team change his tyres, and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc followed suit.
Spot
Hamilton crossed the line 13 seconds behind Verstappen, with Russell delighted to bag second spot ahead of Leclerc. (left) (below)
On the wind-down lap, Hamilton took aim at his team again, saying over the radio: “I can’t believe you guys. I can’t tell you how p ***** I am right now.”
But to his credit, he was quick to apologise for his outbursts once he had time to cool down. “I want to look at it as a glass half full,” he said.