After a weekend to forget in Austin, Lewis Hamilton is looking for redemption in the Mexican Grand Prix. The Briton is confident that Mercedes has identified the cause of the many issues they encountered at the Circuit of the Americas, though he isn’t betting on a competitive W15 at the Hermanos Rodriguez circuit. The seven-time world champion also took the opportunity to discuss one of the hottest topics of the moment: the decisions made by the stewards last weekend and Max Verstappen’s conduct during on-track duels.
Hamilton: “Unstable car in Austin on a very bumpy track”
Mercedes, which came to Texas with significant upgrades, struggled greatly at Austin due to the bumpy nature of COTA’s track surface, which remained problematic even after the new asphalt was laid. Technical director James Allison commented on this in his post-race analysis, pointing out that the car was too rigid and low-slung for those specific track characteristics.
Lewis Hamilton agreed with this assessment, and when discussing his expectations for the Mexican GP, he said: “It really depends on whether I encounter the same issues I had in the last race with the updates. The car was unstable last weekend, but it was a very bumpy track. This isn’t a bumpy track, so I hope that on a smoother circuit, we won’t have the same issues. If that’s the case, then maybe we can be a little closer to the top of the standings. It’s all a big ‘if,’ and I just hope it goes positively.”
Verstappen’s borderline maneuvers and the need for change
At Austin, Hamilton’s early exit left him as a spectator, and he likely observed with interest the controversy following the decision not to penalize Max Verstappen, contrasted with the strict penalties the stewards imposed on other drivers, such as Oscar Piastri, George Russell, and Lando Norris, who were all penalized for their overtaking maneuvers.
“It’s always been a gray area,” said the Briton, echoing comments Charles Leclerc had already made in the press conference. “That’s why he’s gotten away with it for so long. They probably need to make some changes. Also, there are inconsistencies in the decisions, weekend after weekend, obviously depending on which stewards are present. As a sport, we need to improve in every area. Look at other global sports; they have full-time referees, and I’m sure that wouldn’t be a bad thing for our sport.”
Expanding on Max Verstappen’s wheel-to-wheel maneuvers, Lewis Hamilton further analyzed the Dutchman’s conduct, recalling one of the emblematic incidents of their fierce battle during the 2021 season (see photo above): “I’ve experienced it many times with Max. You shouldn’t be able to throw the car inside, stay ahead, and then pull away, still keeping your position. It’s interesting that people are talking about it now because the same thing happened to me in 2021. If we take the Brazilian GP from that year, for example, in braking you’re ahead, but then the car on the inside lets off the brakes, doesn’t take the corner, and you have to go wide. Then they’ll say you both went wide, but you had no choice because you had to avoid a collision.” – the future Ferrari driver pointed out ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix.
In conclusion, Lewis Hamilton believes the FIA needs to intervene to prevent certain maneuvers: “Something definitely has to be done about it because it’s happening very often now. You shouldn’t be able to let off the brakes, increase speed, go off track, and still keep your position.”
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