Lewis Hamilton acknowledges his mistakes
On the eve of his vacation departure, Lewis Hamilton expressed disappointment in his race, while not denying his responsibility for the mistakes that were made, starting with the lost bet on intermediates.
In the lead for 39 of the 70 laps of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton was unable to turn this leadership into a victory. Making several mistakes, both on track and strategically, and penalized for a maneuver deemed dangerous, the McLaren driver saw his teammate Jenson Button take the win while he had to settle for a disappointing fourth place.
« It’s a shame not to have achieved the double, but it’s really my fault. I’m sorry for the team that we didn’t make it » apologizes Hamilton. First, having spun in lap 47 while he was a few seconds ahead of Button, the driver with the yellow helmet rejoined in front of his teammate at the cost of a risky maneuver. On lap 53, as a light shower hit the Hungaroring, he dashed into the pits to switch to intermediate tires; a choice that turned out to be the wrong one as he was forced to return to the pits to put on slick tires again after two laps. Ultimately penalized for his spin, he served a drive-through penalty that dropped him back to 6th position.
For Jean Alesi, ambassador for Lotus Cars, this penalty is quite severe: I must say that I wouldn’t have penalized Lewis Hamilton for turning around in front of Paul di Resta. Lewis was in the middle of the track and just trying to get out of there. Di Resta wasn’t coming fast. The speed at the chicane is 60 km/h, nothing dramatic. I found the sanction severe; a point of view that aligns with Paul di Resta, who stated he understood the McLaren driver’s maneuver. Regarding the race strategy, Jean Alesi is more critical: By putting on the intermediates, Hamilton excluded himself from the race for victory.
For Hamilton, the holidays come at the right time: « I’m disappointed, but now it’s the holidays, and I’m going to try to have a good time. I’m relieved and looking forward to leaving this difficult race behind. I need to think about what went wrong, the mistake on the track, and the other issues, but ultimately, these are good points for the team ». The Englishman may have some regrets, as he had the opportunity to catch up with Sebastian Vettel in the championship, and he now finds himself 88 points behind the Red Bull driver (equivalent to three wins and a third place).
He doesn’t forget to greet the members of McLaren: The team has done a fantastic job to bring us where we are. That Jenson and I were the most competitive drivers this weekend is a great way to start the break; not without a small tinge of blues: I always feel like I’m letting the team down a bit, but we’re going to bounce back in the next race.
