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Lewis Hamilton determined to reverse shaky form at British Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton determined to reverse shaky form at British Grand Prix
(2 months later)
Lewis Hamilton tweeted pictures of himself and girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger in Venice on Monday; and the way things are going for the British driver right now you wouldn’t bet on him getting through a gondola ride in one piece.Lewis Hamilton tweeted pictures of himself and girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger in Venice on Monday; and the way things are going for the British driver right now you wouldn’t bet on him getting through a gondola ride in one piece.
He wore a brave smile after his latest setback in Spielberg on Sunday evening but it was difficult not to detect an incipient forlornness following his latest defeat to team-mate Nico Rosberg at the Austrian Grand Prix.He wore a brave smile after his latest setback in Spielberg on Sunday evening but it was difficult not to detect an incipient forlornness following his latest defeat to team-mate Nico Rosberg at the Austrian Grand Prix.
There is a grim relentlessness about Rosberg’s driving at the moment, and the German is now many people’s favourite to win his first Formula One title. He has built up a 29-point lead going into the British Grand Prix on Sunday week, the race that marks the halfway point of the season.There is a grim relentlessness about Rosberg’s driving at the moment, and the German is now many people’s favourite to win his first Formula One title. He has built up a 29-point lead going into the British Grand Prix on Sunday week, the race that marks the halfway point of the season.
Hamilton, who has paid a heavy price for making mistakes in qualifying in each of the last three races, has lost all the momentum gained from his four straight victories earlier in the season. At the moment he is stuck in reverse gear. Silverstone, however, is symbolic for him, and he pulls the old Northamptonshire airfield towards him as if it were a security blanket. It was here that the rookie Hamilton, who had already stunned F1 with his precocious brilliance, won pole for the 2007 race. And his win in the wet the following year was one of the finest of his 27 GP victories. Hamilton, who has paid a heavy price for making mistakes in qualifying in each of the last three races, has lost all the momentum gained from his four straight victories earlier in the season. At the moment he is stuck in reverse gear. Silverstone, however, is symbolic for him, and he pulls the old Northamptonshire airfield towards him as if it were a security blanket. It was here that the rookie Hamilton, who had already stunned F1 with his precocious brilliance, won pole for the 2007 race. And his win in the wet the following year was one of the finest of his 27 GP victories.
“When I won there in 2008, coming through a chicane and people were aquaplaning and going off and [Felipe] Massa spun, I was going through and I could see the crowds getting up and cheering. It was so supportive. With the crowd there you feel like you are doing it all together,” he said. “Even though I have not got the results there recently, people are still supportive and say ‘don’t worry, there is next time’. I am really confident I can do it this year. I have the car, so there is no reason why we shouldn’t.“When I won there in 2008, coming through a chicane and people were aquaplaning and going off and [Felipe] Massa spun, I was going through and I could see the crowds getting up and cheering. It was so supportive. With the crowd there you feel like you are doing it all together,” he said. “Even though I have not got the results there recently, people are still supportive and say ‘don’t worry, there is next time’. I am really confident I can do it this year. I have the car, so there is no reason why we shouldn’t.
“It’s coming at the right time. I have had a couple of dodgy races, so it will be good to get it right. I’m going to Silverstone with the best package I’ve ever had.”“It’s coming at the right time. I have had a couple of dodgy races, so it will be good to get it right. I’m going to Silverstone with the best package I’ve ever had.”
Formula One trophies are generally not things of great beauty, but that doesn’t concern Hamilton. “At the end of the day it really doesn’t matter what the trophy looks like, so long as it has first on it,” he said. “It could be an old tin can it really wouldn’t matter. I could not explain how special it would be to win there. It has been a long time since I won it and it was just unbelievable.”Formula One trophies are generally not things of great beauty, but that doesn’t concern Hamilton. “At the end of the day it really doesn’t matter what the trophy looks like, so long as it has first on it,” he said. “It could be an old tin can it really wouldn’t matter. I could not explain how special it would be to win there. It has been a long time since I won it and it was just unbelievable.”
Another defeat, however, would probably hole Hamilton below the Plimsoll line. For now, though, Mercedes’ non-executive chairman Niki Lauda remains sanguine about his chances. “We are going to Silverstone and Lewis is Lewis,” Lauda said. “There’s nothing wrong and he’s highly motivated. He will be more motivated going to Silverstone after this result and the points difference. Silverstone comes at the perfect time for him.”Another defeat, however, would probably hole Hamilton below the Plimsoll line. For now, though, Mercedes’ non-executive chairman Niki Lauda remains sanguine about his chances. “We are going to Silverstone and Lewis is Lewis,” Lauda said. “There’s nothing wrong and he’s highly motivated. He will be more motivated going to Silverstone after this result and the points difference. Silverstone comes at the perfect time for him.”