For 15 months, Lewis Hamilton hasn’t known what it’s like to be the winner of the Formula 1 Grand Prix. The Briton is frustrated with Mercedes, he even left his physiotherapist.
In the last twelve months, Lewis Hamilton has been experiencing a number of records. But the ones you’d like to forgive.
Last year, for the first time ever in his career, he did not win at least one Formula 1 Grand Prix. He did not succeed this year either, so his wait for the race date in Jeddah was already a full 469 days.
After the Saudi company, it holds (just like last year) in the fifth position. He was so “bad”, i.e. outside the top three of the World Championship standings, the last time he was ten years ago after the opening two Grand Prix.
“They didn’t listen to me”
On top of all that, Mercedes, which until recently was the undisputed best car in the entire racing field, is clearly losing to Red Bull. In addition, fierce competition appeared in the form of the ambitious Aston Martin.
Seven titles is still not enough for the 38-year-old Briton, he would like to surpass Michael Schumacher and be the sole king of F1 history. But the current situation only increases his frustration.
“I just don’t feel connected to this car. No matter what I do, no matter what I change, what I change, I can’t trust it. I’m a bit at a loss,” he described his relationship with the Mercedes F1 W14 single-seater, which is still a long way from aspiring to fighting for victory in the Grand Prix.
The Briton’s contract with the Silver Arrows expires this year, so some tension can also be felt from Mercedes F1 team boss Toto Wolff. After qualifying for this year’s opening race in Sáchiro, he said that it was a fundamental mistake to stick to the concept of last year’s car.
Hamilton immediately took part in this. “Last year I told the team people some things. I told them about the problems with the car. I’ve driven so many formulas in my life, so I know what it needs and I know what it doesn’t need. But they didn’t listen to me,” he said angrily.
An unexpected change in the team
The fact that just before the race in Jeddah he ended his collaboration with his long-time physiotherapist Angela Cullen testifies to how deep the rider’s frustration is. Since 2016, the petite blonde has stood faithfully by the rider’s side during training, qualifying and just before and after the Grand Prix.
Angela Cullen and Lewis Hamilton in the F1 Mercedes pits | Photo: Reuters
It was his second self, as the Stevenage native himself admitted. “Angela and I are incredibly close. We basically live together. Naturally, people don’t understand it because they see it from afar, but she is one of the best things that has happened to me in my life,” he said last year.
But as it seems, something has recently started to creak in this vicinity. According to Wolff, the working relationship between the former representative of New Zealand in ice hockey and the second highest paid F1 pilot did not bring anything new. Then he added with a laugh, “Angela will always be the mascot of the team. She’s the only one who can scream over the starting car.”
As you can see, Hamilton is ready to change everything he can in his quest for an eighth title, just to move from the spot. The question is to what extent Wolff’s divine assurance that he will extend his contract at Mercedes is substantiated. Perhaps the change should go the same sensational way as when he unexpectedly changed McLaren to Mercedes before the 2013 edition.
