Lewis Hamilton, who secured second place at the last two Grand Prix races behind Max Verstappen, is hopeful that he can narrow the gap and challenge the Red Bull driver in Brazil this weekend. The Interlagos circuit holds significance as it was where George Russell achieved his breakthrough Formula 1 victory last year, with Hamilton finishing in second place. With recent improvements made by Mercedes, another similar outcome could very well be within reach in the upcoming race.
“I was hoping maybe there’d be an opportunity to get closer to Max, said Hamilton after finishing 14 seconds behind the top Red Bull in Mexico.
But maybe next week.”
Team principal Toto Wolff shares the optimism but cautions that Max Verstappen and Red Bull remain the frontrunners. Wolff stated, “While it’s a question if our package is strong enough to outperform Max’s, their package, which encompasses the driver, car, and power source, is currently a very formidable combination.”
Nonetheless, a plausible scenario is that Lewis Hamilton may close in on Sergio Perez, who is facing challenges, and secure second place in the overall drivers’ standings, with the gap now reduced to just 20 points.
“It’s mostly dependent on Checo’s weekends really, Hamilton said. “They have the championship-winning car. He’s just been unfortunate, I think, in some scenarios.”
“But honestly, it’s not going to make a big difference to my life, whether I come second or third, the seven-time world champion added. It’s a bonus if we get second in the drivers.”
Former F1 driver Timo Glock believes that Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton’s resurgence is adding more pressure to Sergio Perez at a particularly inopportune time.
“Hamilton has currently found a good way to handle the car, he told Sky Deutschland. “The race pace is great.”
“That’s why it will now be twice as difficult for Perez in the final races. It’s down to his nerves, the German added.”
In the meantime, former technical director Mike Elliott has faced the consequences of Mercedes’ unsuccessful ‘no side-pods’ car concept. He had already been demoted in the hierarchy due to the return of James Allison in April this year.
Mercedes has officially announced Elliott’s departure from the team after 11 years, as he embarks on the next phase of his career.
“It’s evident that he is eager to explore new opportunities outside of Mercedes,” commented Wolff. “I believe this move is the right one for him as well.”
