For Ralf Schumacher, Hamilton wants to “attract attention”
Michael Schumacher's brother believes that the British driver's outfits allow him to attract attention, despite a poor start to the Mercedes season.
Hamilton had a difficult weekend at the Miami Grand Prix: the British driver went from second place in the first practice session to failing to qualify for Q3 on Saturday (13th on the grid). However, his W14 came to life during the Sunday race. The British driver made a comeback and finished in the points.
However, with a different strategy from his teammate Russell, it was the 25-year-old driver who had the best pace in the final stint. Mercedes then asked Hamilton not to hold back Russell. He agreed but added that he wouldn’t do anything to lose time himself. Russell took Hamilton’s place and worked his way up to fourth, overtaking Carlos Sainz towards the end of the race, while Hamilton finished in sixth position.
“Aftereffects” for Hamilton
Former Williams driver Ralf Schumacher believes that the seven-time world champion has suffered long-lasting consequences from that moment. « He is not used to not winning. He wants to draw attention, we always see him in his outfits. In Miami, he finished behind his teammate George Russell. It’s a major blow for Hamilton. »
According to his statements, Mercedes needs a significant increase, otherwise they have a real problem. Hamilton finished Sunday’s Grand Prix with over 50 seconds behind the race winner, Max Verstappen, and the British driver declared that he wishes the improvements made by Mercedes in Imola are worth a second.
Internal issues to explain the poor start of the season
For Schumacher, the difficulties encountered by Mercedes are not just a matter of concept. After the updates, we can expect Mercedes to be back on track. I don’t have much confidence in the other teams. Mercedes arrives in Europe with a completely new concept. I expect a significant improvement, otherwise they have a real problem.
According to him, the bad start of the season is not limited to the car. It also concerns the staff and the set objectives: Mercedes recently reinstated James Allison as technical director and Mike Elliott took on the role of technical director. So it’s not just about the concept, he continues, but also about internal issues related to incorrect objectives and standards that have been set.
Mercedes is currently third in the constructors’ championship with 96 points, which is six less than Aston Martin.
