Michael Bleekemolen thinks Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes’ mistakes are now really under the magnifying glass, now that Max Verstappen is under full pressure. “If his crossed-out teammate does better, then something is going on,” he said. GPFans.
It looks like Hamilton has lost his true form for a while. He no longer puts victories together. Mistakes were made by the seven-time world champion, who would have liked to crown himself a record eight times this year. But before that, there is still a huge obstacle in his path by the name of Verstappen. The Dutchman seems to be at his best and remains fairly straightforward. This, according to Bleekemolen, shows how the tide has turned at the top of Formula 1.
happy arena
The next stop for the Formula 1 convoy is Austin in the United States. This circuit wasn’t on the calendar last year, but in previous years both Hamilton and Verstappen have been very successful. Hamilton finished on the podium in 2019, 2018, and 2017, and even took victory in the latter. Verstappen (with less car than he has today) finished on the podium in 2019 and 2018. Very good performance. It shows how well both drivers can handle here. “Verstappen knows how to get the most out of every circuit these days,” says Bleekemolen. “In the end it’s good that the circuit is smooth,” the former driver points out to the new asphalt that has been laid at the Circuit of the Americas.
“You didn’t go well at Mercedes”
Bleekemolen says Mercedes says this is a good track for them. “The big difference is: Verstappen doesn’t make mistakes, but Hamilton makes them regularly. Hamilton continues to say the car is no different than in previous races. But I think sometimes they just can’t handle the road,” Bleekemolen points to the Briton’s underperformance. “That wasn’t good at Mercedes. Maybe they didn’t have the right settings. This sport is so close together that you always have to have the best cards.”
Peter Bottas and Hamilton
Then Bleekemolen wonders aloud: “Why you? [Hamilton, red] Not fast enough, while writing off your teammate [Bottas, red.] This is it? Then something went wrong. In the past, Mercedes didn’t have mistakes, because they were master and master. Then did not notice. Now they have Verstappen behind them and then it becomes a different story and they have to correct everything. We’ll see what happens. Are they still at their best? “
