Lewis Hamilton is now 32 points behind Max Verstappen in the Formula 1 drivers’ standings after finishing fourth at the Austrian GP; Hamilton suffered ground damage at the Red Bull Ring and was overtaken by Valtteri Bottas and Lando Norris
By Matt Morlidge
Last updated: 7/4/21 5:46 PM
1:52
Lewis Hamilton admits that his Mercedes team still has a lot to do to close the gap to the Red Bulls
Lewis Hamilton admits that his Mercedes team still has a lot to do to close the gap to the Red Bulls
Lewis Hamilton believes he would have curtailed Max Verstappen’s title momentum at the Austrian GP without the “frustrating” and “super unfortunate” damage to his Mercedes car that eventually brought him back to fourth place.
Hamilton, who was some way behind the dominant race winner Verstappen, was in a comfortable second place at the Red Bull Ring before being reported shortly after half of the race of a floor damage, which was confirmed by Mercedes when he was over the curbs I drove lap 10.
The seven-time world champion then quickly lost pace against his team-mate Valtteri Bottas and star performer Lando Norris, both drivers overtook him and left him on the podium.
The end result leaves Hamilton 32 points behind Verstappen in the title standings, instead of the 26 it would have likely been without his problem.
0:45 Lando Norris is back in third place after overtaking Lewis Hamilton
Lando Norris is back in third place after overtaking Lewis Hamilton
“I said before the race that it would of course be very difficult to beat Max,” said Hamilton. “It’s obviously frustrating to lose so much downforce at the rear of the car and not be able to keep second place.
“So lost a lot of points today.”
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff absolved Hamilton of the guilt for the damage, as he “didn’t walk too hard over the curb, it was only a part that has fallen away”.
And when asked by Sky F1’s Rachel Brookes about the problem, Hamilton replied, “I haven’t driven the curbs more than anyone, so I have no idea where it happened, but a lot of damage has been done.
0:18 Lewis Hamilton expressed his admiration for Lando Norris after an intense battle between the two at the start of the race
Lewis Hamilton expressed his admiration for Lando Norris after an intense battle between the two at the start of the race
“I was second when it suddenly broke. Second place would have been easy.”
Hamilton added to F1 that “there was nothing I could really do” and that the damage was “super unfortunate”.
Hamilton: Upgrade won’t be enough to catch Red Bull
The Austrian GP was Verstappen’s third win in a row, while it was another tough race for Hamilton – who held the title lead ahead of the Monaco GP in May and appeared to be the man to beat.
“I would say the last five races have been so difficult,” admitted Hamilton. “I’ve obviously lost a lot of ground after the last five races so it was pretty painful.”
And Hamilton isn’t exactly optimistic about catching Red Bull. Even without his damage or his starting place, Verstappen seemed predestined for an outstanding victory.
1:25 Max Verstappen says he felt like he was in the East in the car when he drove to victory at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen says he felt like he was in the East in the car when he drove to victory at the Austrian Grand Prix.
“We are miles away from them so we have a lot to do,” said Hamilton. “They have brought a lot of upgrades in the last couple of races and we haven’t brought any. So we have to bring some and find as much performance as possible, otherwise this will most often be the result.”
Mercedes will have a “small step” of an upgrade package at the British GP, but Hamilton added: The upgrade definitely won’t catch up on time. We can’t keep up with these guys at the moment, we’ll do our best, but it’s definitely tough. “
