In a matter of weeks, Lewis Hamilton has lost his smile and has started shooting “darts” when referring to the performance of his Mercedes W13. The Briton expected a poor car at Imola, but was unable to get past 14th position after starting 13th on the starting grid.
The excitement generated by Saturday’s free practice, where George Russell finished ahead of all his rivals, aroused some expectation in the Brackley team, as the W13 seemed to have good race pace.
However, hopes were dashed in the opening laps of the sprint race. While Carlos Sainz moved from 10th to 4th, the seven-time world champion got stuck in the pack and couldn’t even make it into the top 10.
The race in general was a disaster that does not bode well, quite the contrary, according to Hamilton ‘s own statements: “This will last all year, I do not see the light at the end of the tunnel.” After this sentence, the British recognized that this year it is impossible to fight for the title and recognized the reality in which the team has been immersed.
If we add to all this that George Russell has been at his level or even ahead of him in some sessions at the start of 2022, the picture becomes even more bleak for Hamilton .
The worst news for Mercedes is that the updates for Imola seem to have fallen on deaf ears, with the Brackley team stuck in a black hole from which it is difficult to get out, a situation that Hamilton seems to have already assimilated despite his resignation.
“This morning we had a good feeling compared to yesterday’s free practice, but this is a track where overtaking is very difficult and I was stuck in traffic.”
“Today was difficult and tomorrow I guess it will be the same. I think the whole year will be difficult for us, but what doesn’t destroy us will make us stronger.”
“There is no light at the end of the tunnel, but we are working to find it…” said an apparently disappointed and at times even speechless Lewis Hamilton .
