Lewis Hamilton looks to regain F1 Supremacy
With the majority of English eyes fixed upon the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, it would be easy to say that Lewis Hamilton did not receive his fair share of public attention on Saturday. In all fairness, why should it be? A comparatively lacklustre previous season, albeit perhaps at McLaren’s hands, leaves Hamilton in the peripherals of the English sports fan.
However something of a heroic display on Sunday which saw Hamilton finish a creditable second, behind Sebastian Vettel, will bolster English hopes in the F1 as McLaren made last minute changes to adapt their car for the better. What will add confidence still to Hamilton’s already rock steady mental attitude is that following an excursion that damaged the entire front half of the car’s floor, he was still able to gain a spot on the podium.
Despite conceding that Red Bull are now the team to beat, Hamilton stated that he firmly believes that McLaren can edge past them with time over a race distance. It will be interesting to see if this prophecy comes true following Red Bull’s revelation that they ran without the Kers energy-boost device at the weekend. What goes without saying is that Hamilton aims to add multiple titles to his 2008 crown, being a mentally driven character. Furthermore, his 38th career podium will affirm his self-belief.
Vettel , after becoming the sport’s youngest world champion when winning the title last year, dominated in qualifying – the nearest to him being Hamilton, 0.778 seconds behind. This form was carried into what turned out to be a comfortable start for the German, who led from the first corner to forge a 2.4 second lead over Hamilton by the end of the opening lap. This was then extended by another 0.8 seconds on lap two, before Vettel eased off.
If McLaren run with the same car that abandoned the complex and unreliable “octopus” exhaust system as well as sporting a new floor and front wing in Melbourne then Hamilton has no excuses but to produce the form we all know he possesses. Whether he can reclaim the title or not is now firmly in his hands.
