Lewis Hamilton hits back at Mercedes 'failure' claims after Baku pace struggles

Hamilton in Azerbaijan — Photo: © LAT Images

Lewis Hamilton

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Hamilton hits back at Mercedes 'failure' claims after Baku pace struggles

Seven-time world champion recovered to take a P6 finish in Azerbaijan

Harry Smith

Sunday 30 April 2023 16:30

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Lewis Hamilton has claimed that Mercedes' return from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix should not be deemed a 'failure', despite their lack of pace relative to their rivals.

The British driver came in for his pit stop right before Nyck de Vries collided with the wall, bringing out the safety car.

Hamilton then pounced at the safety car restart, making his way from P10 to P7 with some well-judged moves, including one on team-mate George Russell.

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A mistake from Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll allowed Hamilton to snatch P6 on lap 20, but he couldn't find a way past Carlos Sainz as Mercedes picked up just 13 points in Baku.

Steps in the right direction

When asked whether Mercedes had maximised their pace by Sky Sports, Hamilton said: "I think we did.

"There was great prep before coming here. Couple [of] days at the factory, plenty of sim running. Really proud of the team, big thank you to everyone back at the factory."

Hamilton dealt with a couple of setbacks during an impressive drive in Baku

The seven-time world champion praised the mentality in the Mercedes camp despite the low scores, saying the team is 'getting to where we need to be'.

He said: "The mentality in the team is great. There is such a winning mindset and everyone is focused on progressing and getting to where we know we can get to.

"It's just taking some steps. I don't think there are any mistakes, there are any lessons or this is a failure. I think this is just the build to getting where we need to be."