Mercedes F1 chief issues DAMNING Verstappen verdict after Hamilton 'disappointment'
Mercedes F1 chief issues DAMNING Verstappen verdict after Hamilton 'disappointment'
Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin has claimed that the Silver Arrows never believed they had the pace to beat Max Verstappen in Hungary, despite claiming pole position for the race.
Lewis Hamilton looked to be in a good position to fight for something special in the race after ending his pole position drought that spanned back to the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix with a mega lap on the Saturday.
READ MORE: Hamilton delivers SAVAGE putdown over how Red Bull treat their drivers
Unfortunately for Mercedes, the seven-time world champion got a terrible launch in the second phase, dropping a position to Verstappen into turn one before both McLaren drivers edged past.
Hamilton struggled to close in on the top three during the first half of the race and lost a position to Sergio Perez, but ended the grand prix strong, coming within a couple of laps of salvaging a podium finish.
Shovlin: We had no chance against Max
"Starting from P1 and not even making the podium is always going to be disappointing," Shovlin explained in the aftermath of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
"We never believed we had the pace to beat Verstappen, but we could have been second had more gone our way.
"The opening lap wasn’t great for Lewis, dropping to fourth, but as the race went on our pace seemed to get better.
"At one point it looked like we’d be a distant fourth, but he did a good job closing Perez and Lando Norris down in the final stint.
"It was frustrating that we couldn’t get on the back of them sooner."
Mercedes' attention will now turn to the Belgian Grand Prix as they look to get back in front of McLaren and close the gap to Red Bull.
READ MORE: New F1 track deal 'advancing' as calendar could add ANOTHER new circuit
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 champion reveals £100 MILLION contract to keep racing
- 12 minutes ago
F1 News Today: Newey 'property hunt' reveals Red Bull exit clues as Hamilton hints at Ferrari swoop
- 34 minutes ago
Sky Sports F1 pundit calls for RADICAL change with impressive argument
- 1 hour ago
- 1
Newey TURNED DOWN F1 rivals before Red Bull decision
- 2 hours ago
Newey's wife 'scoping out properties' in MAJOR hint over next move
- 3 hours ago
Marko reveals how Verstappen has HELPED Perez at Red Bull
- Today 13:57
Related news
BLOW for former F1 champion as Mercedes preferences revealed
Mercedes star tipped to replace struggling driver THIS season
Hamilton car camera captures Verstappen's TRUE feelings toward F1 rival
Marko reveals Vettel requirements for stunning F1 comeback
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860