Classy Vettel races into pole as Hamilton vows: I will die before I give in
WITH his Mercedes spewing oil and his title defence seemingly in tatters, Lewis Hamilton crouched down beside his stricken machine and shook his head. It might prove to be the season’s defining image.
‘I’ve never seen body language like this from Lewis,’ was the assessment of the Briton’s former team-mate Nico Rosberg. ‘This is a huge setback.’
And then some. Hamilton trails Sebastian Vettel by eight points in their championship battle but the German looks sure to turn that slender advantage into a commanding one at Hockenheim today.
A hydraulic failure in qualifying means Hamilton will start the German Grand Prix from 14th. Vettel rubbed salt in the wound by claiming his fifth pole position of the season at his home race.
‘It is painful but I can’t control what’s happened,’ said Hamilton. ‘All I can do is try to shape what is ahead of me. I can’t predict what’s to come [in the race] but I will die before I give in.’ Hamilton proved that total commitment to the cause – and his increasingly desperate situation – by getting out and attempting to push his Silver Arrows back to the pit-lane after it spluttered out of contention yesterday. It was no good and after a few metres he parked it at the side of the road.
‘The car was still going and I hoped with all my heart that I might make it back and they could fix it,’ said Hamilton. ‘In my heart I never give up so it is the hardest thing to give in and accept the car will not make it back. I turned the car off and thought ‘‘perhaps I can even push it back’’, as crazy as it sounds. That’s just me being passionate.’
But passion alone will not give Hamilton a fifth world title.
A bone-shaking trip across the kerbs moments before his car ground to a halt initially saw Mercedes blame Hamilton for the problem.
But team boss Toto Wolff later admitted that machine, not man, was at fault.
‘It was definitely nothing to do with Lewis’s driving,’ said the Austrian. ‘There was a hydraulic leak which caused the steering to fail and that caused his spectacular leap over the kerbs.’
Hamilton said it was ‘nobody’s fault’ and vowed to ‘work through the issues’ with his team. But the shortcomings are surely starting to grate in what is proving to be a dismal summer.
An engine issue forced him to retire in Austria three weeks ago and his home race at Silverstone a week later was ruined by a sluggish start and a whack from Vettel’s team-mate, Kimi Raikkonen.
Hamilton came back through the field to take second spot behind Vettel at his home race but doubts that he can summon similar powers of recovery here.
‘There is no excuse for these scenarios and we don’t try to make them,’ said Hamilton. ‘We just have to work harder. It is not that easy to overtake here. It is one of the hardest tracks. It is not like Silverstone because that is open, wide and not as hard on the tyres.
‘I have no idea what I can do tomorrow but I definitely don’t expect to be where I was at the last race.’
Hamilton later sniped on social media: ‘To those who take joy in seeing other people fail or suffer, I feel for you.’