mobile app bar

“He gave the race away to Max Verstappen”: Former F1 World Champion criticizes Lewis Hamilton’s performance at the US Grand Prix

Somin Bhattacharjee
Published

"He gave the race away to Max Verstappen": Former F1 World Champion criticizes Lewis Hamilton's performance at the US Grand Prix

Former F1 World Champion Damon Hill feels that Lewis Hamilton gave the race away to Max Verstappen following his comments on the team radio. 

Hamilton took the lead from the Red Bull driver despite starting second in the first lap. However, the British driver failed to capitalize on his move as he struggled to create distance between himself and Verstappen. It was then that Lewis told his team on the radio that he was struggling for pace on track.

Following the radio message, Verstappen decided to go for an aggressive tire strategy. It was seen as a gamble, but it paid off for the 24-year-old driver in the end as he took home his 8th race win of the season.

Damon Hill, who won the F1 Championship with Williams in 1996, thinks that Hamilton gave the game away with his radio message.

I was very surprised with Lewis’ radio message, says Hill

“It was a terrific race because it was so finely balanced all the way through,” he told the F1 Nation podcast. “And there’s a little bit of gamesmanship with some of those radio calls.

“I was surprised Lewis was on the radio saying ‘I can’t keep up the pace’, as he does sometimes. You think ‘why are you giving the game away?’ Then Max was saying ‘I can see him sliding around’ and then pitted and completely outfoxed Mercedes.”

“Max got track position back from his pole position that he lost in effect, then controlled a very, very tight race. It was thrilling from beginning to end.”

Lewis Hamilton has admitted that mistakes in strategy have led to him dropping many points this season.  “It could be better in the sense we’ve dropped points, we’ve not always been perfect. But you live and learn. I feel like things have happened the way they have for a reason – we’ve learned a lot.”

Max Verstappen’s victory in Texas means that the Dutchman is now 12 points ahead of Hamilton in the standings. In the next round, Formula 1 sees the sport return to the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City after a year’s hiatus.

Also read: Reddit user notes how Max Verstappen is superior challenger to Lewis Hamilton than Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

x-iconinstagram-iconlinkedin-icon

Formula 1 Editor Somin Bhattacharjee fell for the sport as well as Fernando Alonso on the same day — during the Spaniard’s thrilling victory at the German GP in 2010. Over the years, the passion magnified manyfold, and metamorphosed into a writing career in 2021. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. He has penned over 2,700 articles for TheSportsRush, presenting a diverse range — news reports, opinions, and exclusives. A true Tiffosi, Somin never gives up on a chance to defend the Ferrari boys as a fan. As a sports writer though, he remains objective to the core and relishes opportunities to follow and engage in dissecting the action during races. That’s where the real thrill lies for him. Beyond the racetrack, Somin plays different sports including soccer. He enjoys exploring other sporting events and proudly supports Spanish soccer club Real Madrid.

Share this article