…By Henry George for TDPel Media.
Lewis Hamilton has stated that the upcoming Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola is a “step into the unknown” for Mercedes.
The team will bring their first upgrades of the season to the race, and Hamilton has said that the team does not know how much of a benefit the facelift of the W14 will have on him and his teammate George Russell.
He stated that he needs a second’s worth of upgrade, but any improvement is a step in the right direction for the team to progress.
At the Miami Grand Prix, Hamilton failed to make the third session of qualifying but managed to finish in sixth place.
He struggled at the start of the race, being stuck in the DRS train with a group of cars, but managed to climb up the grid to finish in sixth place.
Hamilton stated that he was happy to have gained good points for the team.
In contrast, Russell finished in fourth place and described his race as a “good day at the office” and the maximum he could achieve that day.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was not happy with the state of the car in the aftermath of qualifying and downplayed the step the team could potentially take in the next race in two weekends’ time.
In summary, Lewis Hamilton has said that the Imola race is a step into the unknown for Mercedes, who will bring their first upgrades of the season to the race.
Hamilton struggled at the Miami Grand Prix, failing to make the third session of qualifying but managing to finish in sixth place.
Russell finished in fourth place, while Wolff downplayed the team’s potential to improve in the next race.