Lewis Hamilton finished fourth at the Azerbaijan GP on Sunday but suffered immensely with back pain throughout the race.
Mercedes had a very strong outing in Baku on Sunday. George Russell started the race from P5 and Hamilton from P7, but a hard fought battle saw them finish P3 and P4 respectively.
Both the Ferraris retiring certainly helped their race, but the Silver Arrows were in the right place at the right time. However, one particular issue that may have spoiled this race was the porpoising in the W13. Mid race, Hamilton took to the team radio to complain about the car’s bouncing, and how it was causing him back pain.
In spite of that, he made multiple overtakes and showed why he’s one of the best in the business. The seven-time World Champion passed AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly towards the closing stages to finish fourth.
After the race however, the 37-year old was taking time to get out of the W13. When he did exit the cockpit, he looked to be in severe discomfort and was struggling to walk.
Toto Wolff apologizes to Lewis Hamilton for poor Mercedes car
Once again, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff took to the team radio to apologize to Hamilton for the condition of the car. This time, it wasn’t because of it’s performance, but because of the physical toll it took on their star driver.
Russell did not suffer as much, possibly due to a different set up or maybe because his young age allowed him to withstand the porpoising.
Fans on Twitter were disturbed at how Hamilton struggled to move after a grueling 51 laps around the Baku City Circuit. Most of them however, lauded the legendary driver for how he managed to withstand the pain and keep himself in contention until the final lap.
