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| Lewis Hamilton suffers car fire while Nico Rosberg grabs Hungary pole | Lewis Hamilton suffers car fire while Nico Rosberg grabs Hungary pole |
| (25 days later) | |
| Lewis Hamilton was a study in forlornness as he trudged away from his smoking car at the Hungaroring, his left hand clasped to his helmeted head. If the fastest driver in Formula One fails to win the world championship, in the best car there is, that image could come to define his season, possibly his entire vivid but often frustrating career. | Lewis Hamilton was a study in forlornness as he trudged away from his smoking car at the Hungaroring, his left hand clasped to his helmeted head. If the fastest driver in Formula One fails to win the world championship, in the best car there is, that image could come to define his season, possibly his entire vivid but often frustrating career. |
| This was the sixth time in as many races that his qualifying had been spoiled and his ability to seize pole with one electric lap has always been at the heart of his success. | This was the sixth time in as many races that his qualifying had been spoiled and his ability to seize pole with one electric lap has always been at the heart of his success. |
| In Canada and Austria he was at fault, as he was at Silverstone this month, though he went on to win that grand prix. In Germany last week, when he suffered brake failure, and again on Saturday he was betrayed by his Mercedes. His car caught fire five minutes into Q1 owing to a suspected fuel leak, and that means he has had reliability issues on four occasions this season. | In Canada and Austria he was at fault, as he was at Silverstone this month, though he went on to win that grand prix. In Germany last week, when he suffered brake failure, and again on Saturday he was betrayed by his Mercedes. His car caught fire five minutes into Q1 owing to a suspected fuel leak, and that means he has had reliability issues on four occasions this season. |
| Nico Rosberg, his team-mate and only rival for the title, has had only one such setback, when he failed to complete the British Grand Prix. Now Rosberg, who won his sixth pole of the season and the 10th of his career, is set to increase his 14-point advantage. That this is Hungary will deepen Hamilton’s wound, for this is one of his favourite tracks; victory tomorrow would be the British driver’s fifth here and see him overtake Michael Schumacher as the most successful driver at this circuit. The scenario looks out of the question now, as he will once again start at the back of the grid. | |
| Last week Hamilton surged through the pack, from 20th to third, in a great piece of damage limitation, but a podium place will be much harder to achieve on this track, where overtaking is more difficult. | |
| He left the track early, in abject dismay, though not before talking about his woes: “We’ll have to replace the engine and gearbox [meaning a penalty],” he said. “I can’t go any further back [on the grid]. There’s a lot going through my mind, but I just have to try to turn it into positives. I think it’s getting to the point beyond bad luck.” | He left the track early, in abject dismay, though not before talking about his woes: “We’ll have to replace the engine and gearbox [meaning a penalty],” he said. “I can’t go any further back [on the grid]. There’s a lot going through my mind, but I just have to try to turn it into positives. I think it’s getting to the point beyond bad luck.” |
| That last comment will be seized on by the conspiracy theorists who feel there is a German bias towards Rosberg at Mercedes. Certainly social media was suggesting dark deeds. | That last comment will be seized on by the conspiracy theorists who feel there is a German bias towards Rosberg at Mercedes. Certainly social media was suggesting dark deeds. |
| This notion was roundly rebuffed by Toto Wolff, Mercedes’ motorsport chief. “It’s clear Lewis has a lot of hardcore fans who are not into the smallest detail and it looks from the outside as if one driver has most of the luck and the other driver is having reliability issues,” he said. “The only thing we can do is keep telling the fans we are working hard to have both cars on the same level and keep pushing hard. | This notion was roundly rebuffed by Toto Wolff, Mercedes’ motorsport chief. “It’s clear Lewis has a lot of hardcore fans who are not into the smallest detail and it looks from the outside as if one driver has most of the luck and the other driver is having reliability issues,” he said. “The only thing we can do is keep telling the fans we are working hard to have both cars on the same level and keep pushing hard. |
| “We know what some people are going to think when these things happen and it’s not something we want to see. We must sort out the reliability problems. It is not something that we will accept. I’m extremely upset for Lewis. This is the fourth reliability issue he has had. The championship is very tight and it is a shame for him. I have no doubt that he will be in good spirits tomorrow. He has developed the strengths to recover.” | “We know what some people are going to think when these things happen and it’s not something we want to see. We must sort out the reliability problems. It is not something that we will accept. I’m extremely upset for Lewis. This is the fourth reliability issue he has had. The championship is very tight and it is a shame for him. I have no doubt that he will be in good spirits tomorrow. He has developed the strengths to recover.” |
| Hamilton said: “I can’t really believe it but that’s the way it is. I just have to try to put my focus on the race, there is nothing else I can do. I can’t say on TV what I thought. These things are sent to try us. I did nothing wrong. I looked in the mirror and my backside was on fire. You saw what happened in the last race. Hopefully I can do something similar.” | Hamilton said: “I can’t really believe it but that’s the way it is. I just have to try to put my focus on the race, there is nothing else I can do. I can’t say on TV what I thought. These things are sent to try us. I did nothing wrong. I looked in the mirror and my backside was on fire. You saw what happened in the last race. Hopefully I can do something similar.” |
| Behind Rosberg will be Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel and Williams’ Valtteri Bottas, with Jenson Button seventh in his McLaren. All eyes will be on Hamilton as he again attempts to carve through the field on this twisty and demanding track. If he does win the championship he will have done it the hard way. | Behind Rosberg will be Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel and Williams’ Valtteri Bottas, with Jenson Button seventh in his McLaren. All eyes will be on Hamilton as he again attempts to carve through the field on this twisty and demanding track. If he does win the championship he will have done it the hard way. |