I can go on and on, says happy Lewis
Calamitous error puts Max in sight of another title
LEWIS HAMILTON claimed his best result of the season at the French Grand Prix — then dropped a strong hint about extending his Formula One career.
In his 300th race, Hamilton started fourth and finished second, behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. George Russell finished third, with the Mercedes pair together on the podium for the first time. ‘I still feel
I’ve got plenty of fuel left in the tank,’ said Hamilton, 37, who has 18 months left on his contract. ‘I’m sure we will sit down at some stage and talk about the future.’
LEWIS HamIlton, a little emotional, ran through a roll call of the benefactors and supporters who propelled him towards his 300th grand prix yesterday. It is strange what an unexpected second place and beating your team-mate, George Russell, into third does for morale during a season horribilis.
Prior to the race, mention the triple century and Hamilton responded like a trappist monk, but post-podium it was like An Audience with Lewis.
that was one side of the French Grand Prix here under a fierce sun. Poor Charles leclerc represented the other. He should have won, only to spin his Ferrari mid- corner, a mistake so unnecessary he left the Paul Ricard Circuit vowing to lock himself away at home.
It is to be hoped nobody offers him a whisky and revolver, because he knows his schoolboy error may cost him the title. He even questioned whether he deserves to wear the crown.
His slip into the tyre barriers at the fast turn 11 corner, le Beausset, gifted max Verstappen his seventh win of the season. So from 38 points adrift at the start of the day, leclerc is now 63 off Verstappen. that is two and half wins apart.
Ferrari really are unfathomable. Despite groaning riches and unsurpassed heritage, they regularly shoot themselves in the foot. this season alone they have pulled off the unholy trinity: unreliability, strategy botches and driver boobs. that manual was written in maranello. Why? a singular theory was advanced by one of their former champions, the late niki lauda, when I asked why michael Schumacher’s glory-soaked era had not been backed up with more success.
‘they are too Italian,’ he said. alluding to Schumacher, technical chief Ross Brawn and the predominantly native workforce, lauda added: ‘then, you had the teutonic influence: clear, unbending. the English acted as the bridge. Italy is all about romance and spaghetti.’
If anyone ever cared less for what we now call ‘wokery’ it was mr n lauda, his natural disposition being reinforced by escaping a burning Ferrari seconds before burning to death.
one Englishman whom the Scuderia really miss is James allison. mention of his name, and the fact he was allowed to leave a few years back, causes former Ferrari president luca di montezemolo to shake his head in despair.
allison, as it happens, is chief technical officer at mercedes.
Before recalling the Silver arrows’ best result of the season, a few words of self-flagellation from leclerc, who, in fairness, conducts himself with decorum and modesty. after a soul-deep screech of ‘nooooo’ over the radio, he offered a calm mea culpa in the paddock after the lap 18 incident.
‘I feel like I am performing at the highest level of my career but there is no point in that if I make those mistakes,’ said the 24-year-old in his first realistic crack at the title.
‘I lost 25 points here as it was likely I was going to win, and seven in Imola because of my mistake. So at the end of the year if there are 32 points missing then I would know it has come from me, and that I did not deserve to win the championship. I need to get on top of things if I want to be a world champion.’
It was doubly disappointing for the monegasque because he won a fortnight ago in austria to push himself back into contention and then took pole here. He was withstanding Verstappen’s early pressure manfully, and then whoops.
leclerc at least only has to wait until Budapest on Sunday — the last round before the summer break — for his shot at redemption.
Returning to Hamilton, his runners-up spot was the result of him smartly passing Red Bull’s Sergio Perez at the start and then lucking in on leclerc’s retirement.
the fact Carlos Sainz in the second Ferrari had to slice his way up from the back after an engine change, before suffering a fivesecond penalty for a ludicrously unsafe release, also helped.
But for mercedes this was balm after the travails of the last few months.
Even on Saturday they were a second off the pace, but they performed better yesterday, as they recently have, as the race developed. ‘this is an incredible result for us,’ said Hamilton. ‘this is progress even though we are not necessarily closing the gap in qualifying performance.
‘this is my 300th grand prix. It was mentioned at the beginning of the weekend and I didn’t think much of it.
‘But this morning I woke up and felt incredibly grateful, thinking about all the people who have been with me along the way — Ron Dennis, martin Whitmarsh and mansour ojjeh at mclaren, toto Wolff, niki lauda, ola Kollenius and markus Shafer at mercedes.
‘ Who am I missing? Dieter Zetsche ( former Daimler chairman). all these incredible people have supported me since I was 13. I am very proud to be up here representing them alongside George. We have to keep pushing.’
there was a little croak in Hamilton’s voice, his mind perhaps rewinding to his early journey to Formula one and then his debut in melbourne in march 2007, when his team-mate Russell had just turned nine.
as for the younger man, he drove well, not least in being alert as a late virtual safety car was withdrawn and he passed Perez for third.
By then, leclerc was already back in the paddock, crestfallen.