Brundle cautions against Hamilton optimism – The second Formula One trip along the Strip in Las Vegas, was a triumph for Mercedes. They topped the timesheets in every session and despite Lewis Hamilton’s mistake in qualifying, the team earned a valuable 1-2 on the road to recovery.
However, the problem is neither the team nor the drivers and engineers knew why their car was so dominant in Sin City with the best explanation on offer being the winter temperatures suit the Mercedes W15.
George Russell led from pole and only briefly relinquished the lead to his team mate when pitting for fresh rubber. Lewis on the other hand did not have the perfect weekend. Two poor laps in qualifying saw the seven times champion start from P10.
Hamilton scythes through the field
When the lights went out, Hamilton made a steady start but by lap six he had passed Nico Hulkenberg. Two laps later as the first of the medium compound runners began to pit, Lewis was in P5 then as his team mate decided his tyres were going off, Hamilton briefly held the lead on lap 13.
Even this early in the Grand Prix it appeared inevitable the result would be a Mercedes 1-2, but not so clear which driver would be taking the top step of the podium.
Following the final round of pit stops, Lewis continued to close the gap to Russell until he was just under five seconds behind the driver from Kings Lynn then his challenge petered out and Hamilton came home seven seconds behind his team mate completing a famous night out in the Nevada desert.
In the post race interviews, Hamilton was positive as he reflected on the weekend for the Mercedes AMG F1 team. “If I’d done my job yesterday, it would have been a breeze today [winning],” he said. “But it’s okay, I had fun coming from the back, coming from 10th and the team did a fantastic job.
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“We don’t know why we were so quick this weekend, but that’s the best the car’s ever felt, so I’m grateful to have been a part of getting it to that point.”
Earlier in the season, Lewis had issued cryptic comments after qualifying in Monaco where he claimed his team mate would win the Mercedes intra-team battle in qualifying this year.
“I already know automatically that I’m going to lose two-tenths [of a second] going into Qualifying. That’s definitely frustrating and something I don’t have an answer for,” Hamilton stated.
“I don’t anticipate being ahead of George in Qualifying this year,” and when asked why responded: “We will see.” Now with 22 rounds complete and with two Grand Prix remaining Hamilton has been proven correct with the score 17-5, a huge turnaround from last season when the pair were evenly matched 11-11.
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Brundle cautions Hamilton’s optimism
Former F1 driver and Sky F1 pundit Martin Brundle reflects on the Las Vegas Grand Prix and counters Hamilton’s belief it would have been a ‘breeze’ to take the win had he started further up the grid.
“Hamilton had looked fast, albeit with a few trips up the escape road here and there,” Brundle wrote in his post-race column for Sky. “Sadly for him he had two poor laps in final qualifying when the back end stepped out and he would start a lowly 10th.
“He said post-race that had he started at the front he would have breezed the race, which surprised Russell a little. There’s no doubt Russell had more pace if he’d needed it.
“However, it was a standout drive from Lewis, picking his way through serious contenders up into second place and finishing just seven seconds behind at the flag.”
Lewis countered “shelf life” suggestions
Hamilton was voted driver of the day by the fans and his drive through the field went some way to counter recent suggestions the seven times world champion was over the hill. Toto Wolff in his recent book release had suggested the reason Mercedes had offered just a one year contract was due to his concern about the “shelf life” of older drivers.
Lewis has just a couple of races remaining with Mercedes before he leaves for Ferrari and Italy, having signed a multi year deal with F1’s most historic team. Hamilton will be replaced by rookie Kimi Antonelli with George Russell stepping into the team leader role, something Brundle believes he is ready for.
“In all the championship noise you must feel sorry for George Russell, who qualified impressively on pole position and simply dominated the race,” said the ex-McLaren driver. “He was so far out front for most of the 50 laps we hardly saw him given the battles raging behind. It was George’s third grand prix victory.”
George Russell had a flight booked back to England just hours after the chequered flag, yet his victory along the Las Vegas Strip was set to change all that. He arrived at the XS Nightclub inside the Wynn Hotel with his girlfriend for an unbilled appearance alongside the Swedish House Mafia during the F1 post race party.
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Hamilton tips for his replacement driver
Lewis Hamilton was asked about his legacy at Mercedes and what tips he had for his rookie replacement Kimi Antonelli. “Don’t do absolutely everything everyone tells you to do. Ask lots of questions. Take your time,” mused Lewis.
“Don’t let the negativity get to you because, you know, people are so negative nowadays judging you non-stop.
“So stay off social media and keep your family and your closest friends close to you because they are the only ones that are your true friends and they’re going to be there for you when they go and get stuff.”
Hamilton argued things have changed since he joined the sport in 2007 and the rise of social media has meant the drivers are more exposed to external criticism.
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George Russell’s win in Las Vegas smashed a Formula One record which had stood for 43 years. The British drivers second win of the season meant that seven drivers had multiple race wins this season, breaking the record set in 1983.
Max Verstappen crowned world champion in Sin City has eight wins across the year, while Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris have three victories. Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Carlos Sainz and Oscar Piastri each have two Grand Prix wins each.
During a hectic round of media sessions post the chequered flag in Vegas, Max claimed he would have won the title even had he been driving a Ferrari or a McLaren instead of his RB20. The world champion driver had claimed five wins over the first seven Grand Prix weekends before trouble hit the Red Bull camp… READ MORE
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