Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes finally came to the party at the Australian Grand Prix after failing to deliver in the first two races of the season in Bahrain and in Saudi Arabia. The Briton would have the best race week in Melbourne this year as he first qualified third on Saturday before clinching his first podium of the season on Sunday.
Even though Hamilton surprised F1 fans around the world by producing a remarkable comeback considering the start of his season, there was a strange incident that took place after the race.
The Mercedes team were nowhere to be seen near the podium to celebrate the 38-year-old’s victory. He even got caught publicly saying, “Where’s my ****ing team?”
Mercedes snub podium celebrations a few days after Hamilton splits with Cullen
Mercedes’ failure to celebrate Lewis Hamilton‘s podium has undoubtedly raised several questions about whether there is a rift between them. This huge moment comes just a few days after the 38-year-old parted ways with longtime performance coach Angela Cullen.
“Where the fuck is my team” 😭 pic.twitter.com/XTWpEP1VkU
— Sir Lewis Hamilton Updates (@SirLewisUpdates) April 2, 2023
Throughout the course of this season, there have been reports that Hamilton has not been happy with his team. In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live’s Chequered Flag podcast earlier in the year, the Briton blamed Mercedes for not listening to him.
“It’s about owning up and saying, ‘Yeah, you know what? We didn’t listen to you. It’s not where it needs to be and we’ve got to work,” explained Hamilton. The seven-time champion explained that the Silver Arrows did not address his issues with the car despite him having informed them about the same.
Fans fear all is not well with Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes
Since all these incidents took place quickly, fans took to social media and expressed their concerns about a potential rift within the Mercedes camp. One fan wondered, “What’s going on there with Mercedes”. Meanwhile, others were curious to know where was Lewis Hamilton’s team.
What’s going on there with @MercedesAMGF1 ?
— O’Neil Dellacroce (@Flavistoh) April 2, 2023
Where was his team 😶💜
— Mandy (@Sv5Lh) April 2, 2023
Well great, that just broke my heart
— Amara (@moz_georgia) April 2, 2023
Hamilton and Mercedes clinch first podium of the season
After having two consecutive fifth-place finishes in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, Lewis Hamilton drove a brilliant race to finish second, ahead of longtime rival Fernando Alonso. As a result of the Briton’s results, he has now increased his points tally to 38 and is just seven points behind Alonso in the championship.
While the race ended with all smiles for Hamilton, the same cannot be said about his teammate, George Russell. The 25-year-old’s race ended in a heartbreak DNF after a brilliant start, in which he pipped Max Verstappen for the race lead.
Consequently, Russell dropped to seventh in the championship with just 18 points, two points behind Carlos Sainz and Lance stroll. As for Mercedes, they are third in the championship with 56 points, nine points behind second-placed Aston Martin (65) and a whopping 67 points behind leaders Red Bull (123).
