‘Devastated’ Hamilton issues heartfelt statement about…read more
Lewis Hamilton expressed his deep disappointment following a surprise retirement from the United States Grand Prix. The race saw Charles Leclerc lead a rare Ferrari one-two finish, followed by teammate Carlos Sainz, while Max Verstappen secured the third podium spot. Lando Norris initially thought he had taken third, but a five-second penalty following a close encounter with Verstappen meant he dropped to fourth. Verstappen’s podium finish solidified his 57-point lead over Norris, with only five races left in the championship.
Hamilton’s race ended abruptly on the second lap after a strong start from 17th on the grid. He quickly climbed to 12th place before a sudden loss of control sent him into the gravel, cutting his race short. The mishap was a significant blow to the 39-year-old, who has struggled since the mid-season break. Despite two impressive wins before the summer pause, Hamilton has only gathered 27 points in the five races since. With just a few races remaining, his chances of adding to his record-breaking tally with Mercedes appear slim. However, he is set to join Ferrari next season, seeking a fresh start in his pursuit of an eighth world title.
Reflecting on the incident in an interview with Sky Sports F1, Hamilton appeared stunned as he recounted the moment his car failed him. He apologized to his team, explaining that the problem came out of nowhere. “I mean, that’s never happened before, a first time for everything, I guess,” he said. “I wasn’t even really pushing, and then suddenly the car started bouncing.” He went on to describe how his engineer, Bono, mentioned a strong 40km/h tailwind, which combined with the bouncing, caused him to lose the rear of the car.
Hamilton noted that a similar issue had affected his teammate, George Russell, during the weekend on Mercedes’ latest update package. Russell, however, raced with the older package during the Grand Prix, avoiding a similar fate. Hamilton expressed frustration at the unexpected challenge but remained optimistic, saying, “It’ll be interesting to see if there’s learnings from it. It’s so upsetting, and I’m so sorry to all the team back at the factory.”
Despite the setback, Hamilton remained focused, insisting that the surprise handling issue caught him off guard. “I was really caught by surprise by the bouncing that I had and obviously I’m devastated, but onwards and upwards.” The veteran driver now looks forward to his upcoming move to Ferrari, hoping that it will bring better results in his quest for more titles.
