Red Bull Racing are currently embracing what is arguably the greatest phase of their entire racing career, with Max Verstappen proving to be truly unstoppable against the rest of the grid. Unsurprisingly, this triggered bitter reactions from the Dutchman’s arch-rival, Lewis Hamilton, who is desperately seeking redemption for his awry title defeat in 2021.
Recently, the 7-time world champion suggested the FIA look into Red Bull’s one-sided dominance. He demanded that the governing body must tweak the regulations again to disrupt the Austrian outfit’s active reign on the track. However, Mohammed Ben Sulayem immediately rejected Hamilton’s plea with valid reasoning.
Amidst the ongoing war of words between Red Bull and Mercedes, other drivers, too, are starting to pick sides in the off-track battle. During the press conference ahead of the British Grand Prix, Haas F1 driver and former Aston Martin reserve, Nico Hulkenberg, criticized Hamilton’s recent comments on Red Bull’s one-sided affair against the grid.
Lewis Hamilton faces harsh criticism from Ex-Aston Martin driver
The German reckoned that the dominant era with Mercedes had spoiled Hamilton and is starting to complain a bit too much now that he’s nowhere close to challenging the front-runners. As reported by Planet F1, Hulkenberg said, “You’d have to say Lewis was a little spoiled by success. He’s a guy who’s quick to complain these days.”
Nico Hulkenberg thinks Lewis Hamilton has been ‘spoiled’ by driving some of the best cars on the grid! 😳#Hamilton #Hulkenberg #Mercedes #Formula1 #F1 pic.twitter.com/MLfFRd6py7
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) July 6, 2023
The recently concluded Austrian Grand Prix witnessed a rather displeased Hamilton, who couldn’t resist but rant about his car’s performance during the race. It almost seemed like Mercedes F1 boss, Toto Wolff, wasn’t particularly happy with Hamilton’s train of complaints and managed to silence the Briton with a single radio message. The Austrian billionaire said, “The car is bad, we know. Please drive it.”
The troublesome afternoon at Red Bull Ring handed Hamilton an unsatisfactory P8 which included a 15-second time penalty and a subsequent defeat to his teammate, George Russell.
FIA rejects Lewis Hamilton’s desperate plea against Red Bull’s dominance
Hamilton proposed that the FIA implement a rule that prohibits teams from developing cars for the following season until a certain date. However, the FIA denied Hamilton’s request and backed Red Bull’s ongoing era of absolute dominance. FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, believed that the Horner-led outfit deserved to be at the top of the standings.
The FIA President doesn’t believe Lewis Hamilton’s suggestion for a rule change would be fair to Red Bull 👀 pic.twitter.com/ZYKnCgfUd7
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) July 6, 2023
“It is (Verstappen’s) time. It’s Red Bull’s time. What do we do and punish the good kid? No, let’s go and make the other teams good. Nobody’s stopping the other teams from being better,” he said. “We cannot punish people for being better, for trying harder. That is unfair.”
Indeed, one can understand Hamilton’s frustration. With barely any time left in his racing career, the Briton is seeking his record-breaking 8th championship title, especially after having lost it in a controversial battle against Red Bull in 2021. Hence, will Hamilton’s desperation pay off over the forthcoming season? Or, will Mercedes continue to deliver underwhelming performances and keep their star driver waiting?