May 26th 2024.
Lewis Hamilton has been having a tough time on the track lately, not being able to secure a single win since the end of 2021. The seven-time Formula 1 champion was especially disappointed after his recent performance at the Monaco Grand Prix, where he could only manage a seventh-place finish.
Despite showing promising speed in practice, Hamilton's hopes for a podium finish were dashed as he struggled to overtake on the narrow and twisty Monte Carlo street circuit. He did, however, manage to set the fastest lap of the race, earning an extra point. The emotional victory went to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who won his home grand prix for the first time.
The result of the race has left Hamilton in eighth place in the standings, trailing behind his teammate George Russell by 12 points and leader Max Verstappen by a whopping 127 points. While Russell described Monaco as one of their best weekends, Hamilton was not feeling as optimistic. "I wouldn't say that it was encouraging," he told Sky Sports. "The signs of performance this weekend have been encouraging and we've brought upgrades for three races in a row."
Looking ahead to the next race in Canada, where Hamilton claimed his very first race win in 2007, he expressed mixed emotions. "I'm excited to go to Canada, but I wouldn't say I'm excited about the prospect of racing there," the 39-year-old said. "I'll give my absolute everything, as always, and it's good to see the team bringing performance."
However, Hamilton was also left frustrated with his team after they failed to communicate to him the importance of pushing on his out-lap after pitting. This could have potentially resulted in him overtaking Verstappen, who went into the pits on the following lap. "Why didn't you tell me the out-lap was critical?!" he vented on the team radio.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff later explained that there was a miscommunication within the team, resulting in the wrong message being relayed to Hamilton. "It should have been an 'out-lap critical'," he said. "The worry in the background was if we stretched the tyre in a single lap then what would happen later? But in summary, it was the wrong message to Lewis, and this is a team sport."
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