After Initial Hiccups, Lewis Hamilton Saw Himself at Par With Max Verstappen That Leaves Mercedes to Do Some Prep Before Monza Trip

Sabyasachi Biswas | 28/08/2023
After Initial Hiccups, Lewis Hamilton Saw Himself at Par With Max Verstappen That Leaves Mercedes to Do Some Prep Before Monza Trip

Lewis Hamilton had a mega rise at the recently concluded Dutch Grand Prix. The Mercedes star came back from P13 to finish the race in P6. Hamilton, who was elated with his performance also revealed that he was at par with Max Verstappen at some places, as per F1TV. However, in reality, the Silver Arrows have some work to do in spite of the British driver’s comment.

The seven-time world champion saw initial hiccups coming to the Grand Prix. There were balance issues in his car after the changes made ahead of the qualification. Admittedly, that was the reason why the 38-year-old failed to earn his berth in Q3.

Despite that, Mercedes and Hamilton managed to bring out a decent finish amid the extremely wet conditions of the Zandvoort. Therefore, the seven-time world champion was positive and set a target for his team in Italy.

Hamilton saw himself on level terms with Verstappen

During the post-race interview with F1TV’s Lawrence Barretto, Hamilton stated that he with his W14 was at par with the mighty RB-19 of Verstappen. He made the comment even after knowing that the Red Bull driver picked up nine back-to-back wins this season.

When asked about how his race went as he came from behind to have a P6 finish, he said, “I think today was a great example of never give up you know.” Following this he added that one should not stop even if they fall down or stumble. They should get back up and keep on trying.

With this, he stated, “We’ve got work to do for sure, but there were times today where the car was much much better today. There were points where I was as quick as Max [Verstappen] today.”

With this, he also mentioned that the team needed so much work to do as he felt dragged during the race, directly hinting towards the development ahead of the Italian GP.

Can Mercedes get the better of Aston Martin before they take on Red Bull?

Aston Martin picked up a podium through Fernando Alonso at Zandvoort on Sunday. The Spanish driver came back to P5 to finish the race in P2. With that, he was able to put a gap between him and Hamilton in the Drivers’ championship.

Furthermore, Aston Martin also managed to slash a gap between them and Mercedes in the process. Therefore, Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton would not want the momentum going away from them as they eye a P2 spot in the Constructors’ championship.

However, the edge Aston Martin and their AMR23 have at Monza can be worrying for the Brackley brigade. The track at Monza is a fast corner circuit, therefore the Green team will be in an advantageous position.

Post Edited By: Pritam Priyedarshi
Lewis Hamilton Max Verstappen

About the author

Avatar photo

Sabyasachi Biswas

Sabyasachi Biswas is an F1 journalist at The SportsRush. With over one and a half decades of love for the sport and five years of experience in the field, he dreams to be a regular at the paddock when the lights go out. A Red Bull fan and F1 fan in general over the years, he enjoyed watching Felipe Massa, Sebastian Vettel, and Max Verstappen dominate the track. Apart from F1, he's also a big-time Madridista and Federer fanatic. He was a sub-junior level footballer, won inter-district quizzes and debate competitions back in school. A travel freak throughout, he tries different cuisines and learns new cultures whenever he's away from the keyboard.

Don’t miss these