Earlier than the season had even begun, Lewis Hamilton triggered the most important System 1 story of the yr by activating an escape clause in his recently-extended contract with Mercedes which might permit him to maneuver to Ferrari for 2025.
Whereas the transfer delivered to an finish the longest and most profitable crew and driver partnership System 1 has ever seen, it additionally prompted many scorching takes from those that questioned whether or not changing Carlos Sainz Jnr with Hamilton could be the instant improve it could have appeared only a few years in the past.
In spite of everything, Hamilton arrived into 2024 on the again of a two-year win-less spell – by far the longest of his historic profession. However though he had been out-scored by a lot youthful crew mate George Russell of their first season collectively in 2022, Hamilton had no less than been the superior performer of the 2 final season.
Over the opening salvos of 2024, Hamilton did little to silence his critics. It took till the fourth spherical in Japan for him to out-qualify Russell as each Mercedes drivers had been pissed off to seek out their entirely-new W15 was not the nice leap ahead that they had hoped it to be. Solely when Miami rolled round in Might did Hamilton attain the chequered flag earlier than his crew mate for the primary time, however his performances failed to face out because the rounds continued to roll by.
He was not making main errors. He was not costing his crew a number of factors with a elementary lack of pace. He was not having ‘unhealthy’ weekends. He was merely not getting the best possible from his automobile as usually as he has over so a lot of his seasons in System 1.
Mercedes had been slowly discovering their toes with their fully new aerodynamic idea, nonetheless. As they joined rivals McLaren and Ferrari in catching up with the beforehand untouchable Pink Bull of Max Verstappen, Hamilton appeared to seek out extra confidence as Mercedes started to extract extra efficiency from their automobile.
Spain marked a turning level. In addition to qualifying third – his greatest beginning place of the season – Hamilton overtook Sainz and Russell by the race to safe his first podium end of 2024. Then the breakthrough got here for Mercedes on the subsequent spherical in Austria – but it surely was Russell who claimed the crew’s first victory in over a yr, whereas Hamilton completed in fourth after struggling ground injury early on and incomes a 5 second penalty for crossing the white line at pit entry.
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Mercedes arrived at Silverstone for his or her residence grand prix and promptly shocked their rivals by securing a front-row lockout in qualifying. However on Sunday, because the altering climate circumstances offered a significant problem to drivers, Hamilton channelled a few of that outdated driving magic and seemed like his classic self as soon as extra. He did an outstanding job to carry on to his tyres and maintain off Verstappen within the closing laps to safe his first victory in nearly 1,000 days, delighting the British crowd and going a protracted strategy to validating Ferrari’s choice to signal him for subsequent season.
Lewis Hamilton
| Finest | Worst | |
|---|---|---|
| GP begin | 2 | 11 |
| GP end | 1 (x2) | 9 (x3) |
| Factors | 150 | |
It was nearly as if tasting victory once more unlocked one thing in Hamilton’s psyche, as he was equally good for the next two race weekends into the summer season break. Whereas unable to problem for the victory in Hungary, Hamilton gained a spot firstly, undercut and held off Verstappen, then took the ultimate place on the rostrum in third behind the dominant McLarens for his two hundredth profession podium end.
Spa was additionally a really sturdy efficiency. From third on the grid, Hamilton picked off Sergio Perez into La Supply firstly, then overtook future Ferrari crew mate Charles Leclerc to take the lead of the race. Though he appeared to have misplaced the win because of Russell’s glorious work in making a one-stop technique work for him, Hamilton inherited his second victory in three rounds after Russell’s automobile was found to be underweight after the race.
Hamilton subsequently headed into the break with six consecutive high 5 finishes and 4 podiums from the final 5 rounds having amassed extra factors in that span than any driver except for Verstappen – with the pair each scoring 108. Nearly as if being again on the entrance was Hamilton in his pure habitat, probably the most profitable driver in historical past solely appears to carry out at his greatest when the stakes are highest. Mercedes will hope he can proceed this kind over the remainder of the season – as will Ferrari.
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