Hamilton Winning Was Easy Losing is Harder
After being denied a record eighth world championship title in highly controversial circumstances in the final race of 2021, many expected that the sport's most successful ever driver would strike back with a vengeance in 2022.
Heading into the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, the bookmakers appeared to agree. Lewis Hamilton was 13/8 (2.63) favourite to win this year's drivers' world championship at the end of pre-season testing. His new Mercedes team mate, George Russell, was third favourite behind Max Verstappen, with odds of 13/2 (7.5).
Very quickly, it became clear that Mercedes' hopes of fighting for either of this year's titles would be very slim indeed. The W13's persistent porpoising problem was not just painfully uncomfortable for its two drivers, but it compromised the car's downforce levels to such an extent that neither Hamilton nor Russell could get close to the Red Bulls and Ferraris during the start of the season.
What was perhaps even more surprising, however, was how Hamilton's results compared against his far younger team mate. After seven challenging rounds to begin the season, Russell has amassed 34 points more than his seven-time champion team mate.
But do the results truly tell the full story, or have circumstances in races outside of Hamilton's control made his start to the season appear worse than it has been?
Bahrain Grand Prix
Results
Qualified: 5th (+4 places ahead of Russell)
Finished: 3rd (+1 place ahead of Russell)
Championship standings
3rd – Hamilton: 15
4th – Russell: 12 (-3)
After the first day of practice for the opening race of the season in Bahrain, Hamilton was honest about his team's prospects of fighting for the victory. "We're not bluffing like people assume we are," he said. "At the moment, we're not going to be in the race for the win here."
Qualifying went about as well as Hamilton could have realistically hoped, securing fifth place behind the two Ferraris and Red Bulls, comfortably ahead of Russell, who made a mistake on his final Q3 attempt. At the start, he jumped Sergio Perez until being passed by the Red Bull. He ran fifth until Verstappen retired from second, then gained another place when Perez's Red Bull seized on the final lap to take an unexpected podium, one place ahead of Russell.
What Hamilton said:
"It was such a difficult race. We've struggled throughout practice. This is really the best result we could have got. Of course, it was unfortunate for the other two drivers, but we did the best we could and we're grateful for these points."
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Results
Qualified: 16th (-10 places behind Russell)
Finished: 10th (-5 places behind Russell)
Championship standings
3rd – Russell: 22
4th – Hamilton: 16 (-6)
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend began well for Hamilton, as he ended all three practice sessions with quicker times than team mate Russell. However, a gamble on the set-up in qualifying backfired dramatically, seeing him eliminated in Q1 on merit, while Russell secured sixth on the grid.
Using hard tyres from the start, he made steady progress through the field, gaining places as those ahead of him pitted to run in sixth behind his team mate. Then, the Virtual Safety Car was deployed on lap 38 due to multiple cars slowing with problems.
Hamilton was called into the pits approaching the final corner, but appeared to hesitate to enter the pit lane due to Ricciardo's stricken McLaren sitting metres away from the pit entry. Hamilton was told to pit a second time as he passed pit entry, but failed to do so. Behind him, both Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg entered the pits to make stops by driving around the McLaren. Hamilton eventually pitted two laps later, but resumed in 12th. He would finish in tenth place.
What Hamilton said:
"We were unlucky with how the VSC played out at the end but I was giving it everything. Yesterday made the weekend so much harder and I take that on my shoulders. It's gutting, but we need to keep fighting, it's all we can do – I know I've got a great team and we'll just keep our heads down."
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Australian Grand Prix
Results
Qualified: 5th (+1 place ahead of Russell)
Finished: 4th (-1 place behind Russell)
Championship standings
2nd – Russell: 37
5th – Hamilton: 28 (-9)
The return to Albert Park appeared to be a more positive one for Hamilton after he ran "decent" laps during practice. He secured fifth on the grid in qualifying on his final effort to pip Russell by just over a tenth to line up behind Lando Norris's McLaren.
At the start, he jumped both Norris and Perez to run third until Perez took back the place on the tenth lap. Hamilton pitted on lap 22 and managed to emerge ahead of Perez, who overtook him along the back straight. But before Hamilton could counter-attack, Sebastian Vettel's crash led to the Safety Car being deployed. Russell took advantage and pitted, gaining two positions over both Perez and Hamilton.
Perez would eventually catch and pass Russell, leaving Hamilton one place behind his team mate. However, Hamilton was unable to challenge Russell for the final podium position as he had to manage an overheating concern on his Mercedes. Hamilton would eventually finish fourth, while Russell claimed his first podium for Mercedes in third.
What Hamilton said:
"We definitely didn't expect to be third and fourth today. George did a great job – I got to see a bit of the battle of him racing Perez and I wish could have been in it but nonetheless, we'll take these points and keep pushing. I couldn't fight for third because the engine was overheating so I had to back off and sit behind, but we bagged as many points we could as a team and that's great."
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix
Results
Qualified: 13th (-2 places behind Russell)
Sprint race: 14th (-3 places behind Russell)
Finished: 13th (-9 places behind Russell)
Championship standings
4th – Russell: 49
7th – Hamilton: 28 (-21)
Imola was the most difficult weekend of the season so far for Hamilton. Slower than Russell in Friday practice, he was eliminated along with Russell in Q2 after rain fell during a red flag for Carlos Sainz Jnr's crash at Rivazza.
Starting two places behind Russell in the sprint race, he lost two further places at the start but managed to pass Lance Stroll to line up 14th on the grid for Sunday's grand prix. After inheriting three positions from a chaotic opening lap in the wet, Hamilton fell back to 14th place after switching to slicks. Hamilton spent the final 43 laps of the race staring at the rear wing of Pierre Gasly's AlphaTauri, unable to find anyway passed despite being within one second of Gasly for 39 of those laps.
Hamilton would cross the line in 14th, gaining 13th when Esteban Ocon's (incurred when he was released in front of Hamilton's Mercedes) unsafe release time penalty was applied. Hamilton's race was in stark contrast to Russell's, who moved up through the field from 11th on the grid to finish fourth after holding off Valtteri Bottas. Hamilton would apologise to his Mercedes team for his performance over the weekend.
What Hamilton said:
"It's been difficult, but I don't really know what to say. It's definitely not easy and we all feel it as a team. At least George got some points today for the team, so my apologies to everyone I wasn't able to do the same. I was just a bit of a sitting duck today. I've definitely had lower moments, so it's not the lowest, for sure."
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Miami Grand Prix
Results
Qualified: 6th (+6 places ahead of Russell)
Finished: 6th (-1 place behind Russell)
Championship standings
4th – Russell: 59
6th – Hamilton: 36 (-23)
Miami was a frustrating weekend for Hamilton, where he would finish behind Russell for the fourth consecutive grand prix after his team mate again benefited from a well-timed Safety Car.
Friday began promisingly for Mercedes, with Russell ending the day quickest overall and Hamilton fourth-fastest. But on Saturday, their pace evaporated. Hamilton managed to qualify in sixth, but behind former team mate Bottas's Alfa Romeo. His performance was at least better than Russell, who failed to reach Q3 and started 12th.
After a less-than-ideal start, losing two places, Hamilton gained them back within six half-a-dozen laps to run sixth behind Bottas. Despite pitting earlier than the Alfa Romeo, Bottas managed to emerge from his own stop a few laps later still ahead of Hamilton, while the pair were now behind Russell who was still on a long opening stint on hard tyres.
Russell stayed out for as long as possible, hoping for a Safety Car. On lap 41, fortune smiled on Russell for a second time in 2022 when Gasly and Norris collided. Russell pitted and rejoined behind the pair, but far closer than he otherwise would have been and with the benefit of faster medium compound tyres.
Soon after the restart, Hamilton gained fifth after Bottas made a mistake at the hairpin, but came under pressure from Russell on quicker tyres. Russell passed Hamilton for fifth, but the FIA told Mercedes to reverse their positions as Russell was deemed to have broken track limits. It would not be for long, however, as Russell would overtake Hamilton legally the next lap, leading his team mate home to the chequered flag.
What Hamilton said:
"I was unfortunate with the Safety Car and I'm waiting for a change in fortune but, until then, I'll just keep working as hard as I can. George did a great job in that first stint on the hard tyre, in hindsight the hard tyre was probably the better race tyre for today but George did well to recover from his position and we got fifth and sixth which is good points for the team."
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Spanish Grand Prix
Results
Qualified: 6th (-2 places behind Russell)
Finished: 5th (-2 places behind Russell)
Championship standings
4th – Russell: 74
6th – Hamilton: 46 (-28)
The Spanish Grand Prix may have marked a turning point for both Hamilton and Mercedes with the arrival of the team's first substantial upgrade package of the season.
Mercedes were immediately much closer to their rivals in practice thanks to their proposing problems being greatly reduced, with both cars in the top six across all three sessions. However, Hamilton was slower than Russell in all practice and qualifying sessions, eventually lining up two places behind Russell in sixth.
Hamilton's race went awry at the start when a clash with Magnussen's Haas on the opening lap left him crawling back to the pits with a puncture. When he emerged from the pit lane at the start of the second lap, Hamilton sat 19th – almost 55 seconds behind leader Leclerc and 51 seconds behind Russell. He was even heard over team radio suggesting that Mercedes retire the car.
However, what followed was a drive that felt like truly vintage Hamilton. By his first pit stop, he had recovered to 16th place, then managed to gain ten more places during a long middle stint on mediums. During his final stint, he passed Ocon, Bottas and Sainz to eventually move up to a remarkable fourth place behind Russell, having gained almost a minute on his team mate. Unfortunately, however, a water leak in the closing laps meant Hamilton had to back off by as much as eight seconds a lap compared to his previous pace, costing him fifth at the finish to Sainz.
What Hamilton said:
"The car felt great in the race, our pace is closer to the top guys which is amazing. I was just really unfortunate at the start to get the puncture but I didn't give up – that's what we do, right? I was so gutted to lose the place to Sainz, especially after coming from where I came from. I mean, I was 30+ seconds behind last place – that's like no man's land. It's a horrible feeling being that far behind, but you just have to keep your head up, keep pushing, keep going and hoping for better."
Monaco Grand Prix
Results
Qualified: 8th (-2 places behind Russell)
Finished: 8th (-3 places behind Russell)
Championship standings
4th – Russell: 84
6th – Hamilton: 50 (-34)
After the promise of Spain, Monaco was a reality check for Hamilton and Mercedes. Despite appearing to have got on top of their porpoising problems with their Barcelona upgrades, both Hamilton and Russell struggled severely all weekend in Monaco from the W13 bouncing harshly over the many Monte Carlo bumps due their stiff suspension settings.
Hamilton was only in the middle of the field on Friday, but appeared to have found a little more speed on Saturday morning. However, his grid position – and his race weekend – was compromised twice on Saturday when he set his first lap time in Q3 in the wrong engine mode, then missed an opportunity to improve under the session-ending red flag.
After lining up eighth on the grid for the rain-affected race, he stayed there in the early laps until pitting for intermediates on lap 15, falling behind Ocon who remained on wets. Ocon's aggressive defending successfully kept Hamilton behind, but earned him a five second time penalty for the end of the race. Hamilton managed to use one lap of clear air when Ocon pitted for slicks to successfully jump the Alpine after he made the same switch a lap later.
That left Hamilton behind Fernando Alonso either side of the red flag, but when Alonso decided to embark on a very steady Sunday drive after the restart, Hamilton was stuck behind him and entirely unable to do anything about it. It was a long afternoon for Hamilton from there, eventually falling back from Alonso and spending the final part of the race with Ocon in his mirrors. He would eventually cross the line in eight, three places behind his team mate.
What Hamilton said:
"That was one of those days in Monaco – stuck behind other cars for most of the race and, in the end, just cruising but not able to overtake. I was glad when the rain came because that usually creates opportunities, unfortunately it didn't play out that way and we couldn't get past Ocon when I was running on the intermediates. It's been a tough weekend and I've had some unlucky situations, like the red flag in qualifying, so I'm looking forward now to turning the page and heading to Baku."
What's next for Hamilton?
Not only is this Hamilton's worst start to a season statistically, arguably it's his worst start to a season in his 16 campaigns in Formula 1 – although that in itself speaks volumes about the calibre of driver Hamilton is.
As challenging as the W13 has been to drive at times over the start of the year, there are striking examples of Hamilton just not getting on top of the car over a weekend. Russell, in the same machinery, has reached the chequered flag in the top five every time, while Hamilton's average finishing position is seventh. Hamilton's pit entry error in Jeddah cost him a solid result after recovering from 16th on the grid, while his weak showing across the entire three days at Imola was all the more remarkable for how rare it is to see Lewis Hamilton be a complete non-factor during a grand prix weekend.
But while the points difference between Hamilton and his team mate is eye-opening in how large it is, it does not tell the full story. Russell has gained at least one podium from a Safety Car in Melbourne which was timed so perfectly it couldn't have suited him better if he'd scripted it. And in Miami, Russell's gamble to stay out on his long opening stint paid off handsomely when the Safety Car again appeared at the perfect time, leaving Hamilton practically powerless to keep Russell at bay in the closing stages of the race. Russell has undoubtedly been the more consistent of the two Mercedes drivers over the first seven races, but his six-race streak of finishing higher than Hamilton perhaps flatters a little too much.
What should give Hamilton, his millions of fans and his Mercedes team confidence for the rest of the season to come is his truly remarkable recovery drive in Spain. While his storming middle stint back through the pack showed that he is still just as capable of producing a punishingly fast pace as ever, while it also demonstrated the speed that lies within the W13, awaiting to be unlocked. Monaco may have been a step backwards but it is Monaco: A complete outlier on the calendar in so many ways.
While Baku may also be a street circuit, it could hardly be much more different from the streets of Monte Carlo. And followed by a return to Montreal – a track that has often been kind to Hamilton – all it would take is two strong performances over the next two weekends for Hamilton to transform the narrative and prove that he is still one of the most formidable forces on this exceptionally talented Formula 1 grid.
Become a RaceFans Supporter
RaceFans is run thanks in part to the generous support of its readers. By cotributing £1 per month or £12 per year (or the same in whichever currency you use) you can help cover the costs of creating, hosting and developing RaceFans today and in the future.
Become an RaceFans Supporter today and browse the site ad-free. Sign up or find out more via the links below:
- Become a RaceFans Supporter
- RaceFans Supporter FAQ
2022 F1 season
- F1 drivers welcome Spa's 2023 deal and hope more follow after track changes
- Single problem may explain why Mercedes are "getting it wrong" with car – Wolff
- 'Outside perceptions' of Ferrari strategy errors this year are wrong – Binotto
- Verstappen is second driver to win back-to-back races starting no higher than 10th
- 2022 Belgian Grand Prix driver ratings
Browse all 2022 F1 season articles
Source: https://www.racefans.net/2022/06/06/analysis-has-hamiltons-slow-start-to-2022-been-as-bad-as-it-seems/
Post a Comment for "Hamilton Winning Was Easy Losing is Harder"