Mercedes morale soars after Hamilton's Barcelona barnstormer
Mercedes morale soars after Hamilton's Barcelona barnstormer
Toto Wolff claims Lewis Hamilton's recovery drive in Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix has raised the morale of not only the seven-time F1 champion but of everyone at Mercedes.
Hamilton suggested retiring his car at one stage early on to preserve the power unit after a lap-one incident with Haas' Kevin Magnussen that led to a puncture, pit stop and the Briton 40 seconds adrift of the pack when he re-emerged.
But a reassuring message from race engineer Pete Bonington that points were still on the cards resulted in Hamilton delivering a stirring performance that elevated him up to fourth place by the closing laps, only to drop to fifth due to a water leak.
Suggested to Wolff that Hamilton had repaid the team with a great drive after being given a motivational boost by Bonington, he said: "The relationship, the dynamic between the driver and the team is something that is so important.
"It's clear, in having an accident in the early stage of the race, you say to yourself 'Not again!' and you are not featuring.
"He was 38 seconds or so behind the last cars after his pit stop and that's basically game over.
"But him then showing his very good pace was important for not only his morale but also our morale.
"Who would have thought he would climb all the way to fourth before the problem came up."
Hamilton mindset should not be questioned
An element of surprise, however, was Hamilton's message given he has ordinarily been so determined over the years to fight through adversity.
Asked of Wolff whether Hamilton's words were a result of his difficult start to this season compared to being in a winning car in past years, the Austrian was dismissive.
"On the contrary, that was a sentence of 'I can't believe that'. It was not what he meant," replied Wolff.
"You are not describing a driver that comes back from 38 seconds behind the last guy, storms to the front, puts in the fastest consecutive lap times throughout the race and ends up in P5.
"That shows his quality, mindset and determination."
Wolff has conceded the issues in the dying stages of the race, not only on Hamilton's car but with that of George Russell's W13 overheating are a concern, although the searing 37-degree heat throughout had a major impact.
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
EXCLUSIVE: Hamilton engineer reveals top drivers' key characteristic
- 22 minutes ago
Red Bull now pressured into MISTAKES insists F1 rivals as title race heats up
- 1 hour ago
F1 News Today: Vettel CONFIRMS stunning comeback as Red Bull boss issues Verstappen statement
- 1 hour ago
F1 fan celebrates Verstappen failure with OUTRAGEOUS permanent change
- 2 hours ago
Wolff opens up on WHY Mercedes are 'very bad'
- 3 hours ago
F1 winner Sainz shares RAW images from surgery and recovery
- Today 09:12
F1 Race Calendar
-
GP BAHRAIN
29 Feb - 2 Mar
Max Verstappen
-
GP SAUDI ARABIA
7 - 9 Mar
Max Verstappen
-
GP AUSTRALIA
22 - 24 Mar
Carlos Sainz
- GP JAPAN 5 - 7 Apr
- GP CHINA 19 - 21 Apr
- GP USA 3 - 6 May
- GP ITALY 17 - 19 May
- GP MONACO 24 - 26 May
Related news
Wolff opens up on WHY Mercedes are 'very bad'
Hamilton and Cullen F1 fairytale COULD happen as clues reveal how
Hamilton 'emotional burden' heading into 2024 season revealed
Hamilton flooded with applications as F1 celebrity pal founds new team
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