Does 'aggressive' Hamilton show change at Mercedes? This is not right

F1 News

5 September 2022 at 07:19
  • GPblog.com

Jacques Villeneuve has expressed his surprise at Lewis Hamilton's outburst. In his column for Formula1.com, he says this incident shows that within Mercedes things are tilting more and more in the direction of George Russell.

At the Dutch Grand Prix, Hamilton felt disadvantaged by Mercedes. The Briton was kept out on medium tyres while competitors, including his team-mate, switched to the soft tyres during the safety car. It made Hamilton a target at the restart and he was not happy about that.

Irritated Hamilton

While it may have been a mistake by Mercedes, Villeneuve said Hamilton's reaction was inappropriate. The 1997 world champion was astonished by Hamilton's reaction. "He was aggressive, almost insulting. This does not suit a champion. After everything the team has done for him you shouldn't speak to them like that.

Hamilton can also look in the mirror according to Villeneuve. Russell did take control and called on his team to change tyres. Hamilton with all his world titles and experience could have done that too. That it was Russell who first raised the alarm also shows that he is increasingly taking on the role of leader of the team.

For Mercedes, the result in Zandvoort was ultimately a major setback. A better result seemed possible than the final second and fourth place of respectively Russell and Hamilton. Nevertheless, the gap to Ferrari has been reduced again, but in Italy, it will have to be seen if Mercedes can be as competitive on every circuit.