“Last Thing He’s Doing Is Checking Out”: Lewis Hamilton Absolved From Ferrari Accusations by BBC Journalist

Despite starting the race in seventh, Lewis Hamilton made good progress to finish P4 in the Canadian GP. Still, after the race, the Brit sounded dejected discussing the race. This sparked a question in the mind of Harry Benjamin on the F1: Chequered Flag podcast. He asked his fellow panelist Andrew Benson if the seven-time world champion had checked out and had given up on Mercedes, passing his time till he joins Ferrari. Benson pointed out his reply in the post-race interview which suggests otherwise.

He said, “Well, it certainly didn’t sound like it from that Harry, did it? He’s bemoaning his own performance. The last thing he’s doing is checking out. He wants to do better.”

The 39-year-old’s desire to still improve the troubled Mercedes challenger is proof he’s not given up on his team. When Benjamin pointed out that he sounds downtrodden after every race. Benson countered by pointing out he sounds disappointed after every bad race because the hunger to do more is still there.

Canada was a bad race despite what the result says for Hamilton, though. The Brit could’ve secured a win with Mercedes’ improved pace, which is why P4 is a bad result. Moreover, he was overtaken by his teammate at the very last despite overtaking him.

However, Mercedes’ decision to put George Russell on better-performing medium tries compared to hard compounds on Hamilton played a part. This also adds to the general perception of the Brackley outfit giving preferential treatment and better strategy to the young Brit.

Is Mercedes giving George Russell the preference over Lewis Hamilton?

No matter who his teammate was, Lewis Hamilton became the de facto leader. However, this scenario at Mercedes changed soon after his Ferrari announcement. The suggestion of preferential treatment for Russell ahead of the seven-time champion started creeping in. Over time, this suggestion is being substantiated by evidence.

The duty of running experimental setups to better understand the car has continued to fall on Hamilton’s shoulders. In Monaco, the preference for the front-wing upgrade also went to the 26-year-old. This even made the 39-year-old confess he doesn’t expect to beat his teammate in any qualifying session all season.

The suggestive comment attracted some backlash toward him with many questioning why he is giving up so early. However, time might prove this statement true, with several speculations and suggestions regarding the inner politics at the Brackley outfit.