Aug.31 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton returned from the summer break vowing to relax and enjoy himself again, but Ferrari’s struggles continue.
The seven-time champion had labelled himself “useless” before the break, but looked more upbeat at Zandvoort despite only managing P7 in qualifying – one place behind teammate Charles Leclerc, who described his own performance as “terrible.”
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, who worked with Hamilton through his dominant years, thinks the 40-year-old Briton’s self-criticism is nothing new.
“He hasn’t lost his speed. When he has a car that works, he goes fast, like in Shanghai,” he told Sky Italia. “That’s not working today.
“In Hungary, he reacted the same way with us – he’s very emotional in these situations, and he starts to doubt himself. But that’s positive – many successful people I know, in business and in sports, have a lot of doubts.
“And that’s how he is. In situations like this, he starts to doubt himself, not the team. And for me, that’s a very good trait, because it pushes him to work on himself rather than trying to change others,” Wolff added.
Former F1 driver Ivan Capelli – now a commentator for Sky Italia – also noticed signs of a spark returning. Hamilton had spun through 360 degrees while pushing hard in practice, but Capelli saw it as progress.
“Hamilton’s start on Friday shows he wanted to push the limits,” Capelli said.
“He overcame the fear of making mistakes and looked like someone who tries, who makes mistakes, who spins once or twice, who finds the performance. This is where the mentality comes into play – we’re starting to see the Hamilton of a few years ago again.”
Hamilton himself sounded more relaxed after qualifying. “I had a better feeling over the weekend,” he told Sky Italia. “After some reflection, I improved my approach and changed a few things in the preparation that made everything more relaxing.”
As for Ferrari’s bigger picture, both Hamilton and Leclerc are forced to watch McLaren charge ahead. Wolff says it’s a reminder of Mercedes’ own past.
“McLaren is like we were a few years ago,” said the Austrian.
“They’ve found the right combination of chassis, engine, tyres. When you look behind the wheel of a McLaren, everything seems easy, while we’re constantly fighting with the car and the tyres. The slightest slide can destroy all our performance.”
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