This is definitely one of the most unfortunate seasons for the 7XWDC champion Lewis Hamilton with steadfast performance. Former McLaren racer Juan Pablo Montoya publicly dismissed Hamilton’s statement over Red Bull’s dominance in Formula 1.
The Mercedes driver has urged the FIA to intervene and make changes to the law that might ease the ‘issue’ at hand. He has specifically asked the FIA to ban teams from starting development work on next year’s contender until an agreed-upon date.
Juan Pablo Montoya questioned the claim, stating that Hamilton once held the same edge as Max Verstappen is currently enjoying. He articulated, “It’s always very nice to complain when you don’t win, but when Lewis won he said that the car didn’t give him any advantage. I don’t want to say that Hamilton isn’t good, on the contrary, he is a great driver. But the reality of this sport is that you have to be in the best car.”
Juan Pablo Montoya has criticised Lewis Hamilton for complaining about Verstappen and Red Bull’s dominance
“It’s very nice to complain when you don’t win, but when Lewis won he said that the car didn’t give him any advantage.”
“Instead, Mercedes’ advantage was as big as what… pic.twitter.com/k49INSOEOw
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) August 7, 2023
The British driver voiced his unaltered focus on assisting Mercedes to secure the second spot in the championship standings when pressed on his priorities for the rest of the season. In addition to pursuing a runner-up finish for his team in the constructors’ hierarchy, Hamilton is determined to get hold of the third position in the drivers’ standings behind Sergio Perez.
Lewis Hamilton at the Belgian Grand Prix
Mercedes’ weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix had specific traits and their chosen setup, as opposed to the modifications built into the W14, accounted for the recurrence of bouncing in their car. Post the race, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were utterly disappointed since the bouncing issues that had plagued their 2022 season were the cause of concern at the Spa-Francorchamps track.
Just @LewisHamilton setting the DHL Fastest Lap of the Belgian Grand Prix on his first attempt in the last-lap of the race! 😮💨💪
View the 2023 leaderboard 👉 https://t.co/sOAsD9HZK8#BelgianGP #F1 #MomentsThatDeliver @dhl_motorsports pic.twitter.com/bQxVVrkWzp
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 1, 2023
Despite not yet matching the speed of Red Bull’s dominant RB19, Mercedes showed signs of improvement through a series of upgrades introduced before Formula 1’s midseason break.
They were forced to take a calculated risk when choosing their setup for the qualifying session on Friday afternoon given the limited dry-running alternatives offered all through the Sprint weekend. But Mike Elliott, Mercedes’ chief technical officer, did acknowledge the presence of bouncing in their car.
The upcoming version of Mercedes’ W14 is projected to make more notable advances. Furthermore, Lewis Hamilton’s performance has pushed him down by one point to Fernando Alonso in the drivers’ ratings. While Max Verstappen holds a strong 125-point lead over teammate Sergio Perez. The season’s next races appear to be centered on creating upgrades that may be effective in 2024.