Lewis Hamilton says he wants to “bounce back” from the disappointment of losing the Monaco Grand Prix at this weekend’s race in Canada.
The world champion said he wishes to draw a line under the outcome of the previous weekend, where a late pit stop cost him a likely victory: “I think everything that needs to be said about Monaco has already been said.”
“Obviously, it was a huge disappointment for me and also for the team. But we’ll learn from it and move forwards together like we always do.”
“I just want to get back out there and bounce back – and I could hardly ask for a better place to do that than Montreal.”
Mercedes motorsport chief Toto Wolff said that although the team still won the race with Nico Rosberg, losing a one-two finish was “tough for all of us to swallow”.
“You can never afford to drop points and this was a reminder that any error can prove costly. However, we must also remember how far we have come to be disappointed with a P1 and P3 finish in Monaco.”
“So, we take it on the chin as a team, learn from our mistakes and now look ahead to the next race in Canada.”
The team’s executive director for technical Paddy Lowe responded to criticism of the team’s strategists, who previously came under fire when Mercedes lost the Malaysian Grand Prix to Ferrari after pitting both their cars during a Safety Car period.
“There has been a great deal of comment concerning our mistake in Monaco and its consequences,” said Lowe. “On behalf of the team, this error should be put into context. It was a single error made in a split second based on incorrect data.”
“Sport is all about split-second decisions, trading risk with reward, and we do not always get these decisions right. But in my opinion this team gets them right more than most.”
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PorscheF1 (@xtwl)
2nd June 2015, 10:52
Poor fella. I’d love to see a list of serious mistakes made by strategists. I don’t think his will be among them. In the end sometimes you gamble and sometimes that works out but it can’t always.
Neiana (@neiana)
2nd June 2015, 11:19
@xtwl
I will never try to argue the comparisons from various sports but I can think of a very recent Super Bowl (the American football kind) where a poor strategic call lost the championship. Then I can think of the 2002 NBA Western Conference Finals where a split second decision by a Sacramento Kings player to slap the basketball away rather than to grab it and hold it arguably lost them the championship. Not a strategist but still had a much larger overall impact.
I’m sure there are thousands of others across the globe in sport alone. And thousands more in armed conflict.
Charlie
2nd June 2015, 10:55
The issue is not that Merc got a one-three rather than a one-two though, is it?
SatchelCharge (@satchelcharge)
2nd June 2015, 14:22
From ‘the team perspective’ it is an issue yea… I think it sounds better than ‘yea we robbed Lewis blind but we’ve put it behind us now’
Mike (@mike)
2nd June 2015, 10:59
Monaco wasn’t really a low for Lewis, I mean, sure there was a massive balls up. But realistically, he absolutely dominated Rosberg. Which is better than what occurred the race before.
Woody (@woodyd91)
2nd June 2015, 11:19
I think that’s why he has the potential to “bounce back” straight away this year, last year Monaco wasn’t a team mistake, Lewis was simply just not fast enough on race day so that was his issue which lead him to overdrive the car in Qually at Canada which in turn put him behind Rosberg for the race and although Hamilton was faster on race day than Rosberg his positioning on the track helped lead to his break failure.
This year though he comes of a bad result in terms of points awarded but a very positive results in terms of performance, nobody on the grid in Monaco was a match for Hamilton this year so he can take great positives from that and on the morning after the race Rosberg will also know that although he won the race and got the points, Hamilton had got him beaten for almost the entire weekend.
Looking forward to Canada, one of my favourite tracks and normally produces some great races.
Kgn11
2nd June 2015, 11:53
+1 with you on that comment.
To be gapping your teammate at almost a second a lap without having to push hard to do so around a circuit like Monaco, should worry Nico greatly.
vtf
2nd June 2015, 23:07
Funny how Hamilton fans exaggerate his speed… If he was pulling a second in this modern age it probably means he is pushing more than his teammate who wasn’t pushing. What advantage would Rosberg gain from pushing in Monaco? Was he gonna catch and overtake or what? You saw that if anything it cost the win to Hamilton. Moreover, if he was a sec on average faster than his teammate the gap would be much bigger even while he was “not pushing”… Apparently he couldn’t even pull a gap at the rate they wanted to Vettel, along with the brake issues. One asks himself/herself why did he push for a 20 sec gap with even the slightest potential brake issues….
Samouri (@samouri)
3rd June 2015, 4:29
Nobody wants to finish 20 sec. behind his teammate.
Woody (@woodyd91)
3rd June 2015, 17:29
The problem is, it’s not the case that Hamilton was pushing and Rosberg wasn’t, otherwise Rosberg wouldn’t have said although he got lucky based on the weekend he has to raise his game even further.
You say it’s funny how some fans like to exaggerate his speed, It’s also funny how many fans like to diminish his speed at the same time. I’m not sure even the most loyal of Hamilton’s detractors could say with a straight face that he isn’t a very quick driver.
Guccio (@concalvez00)
2nd June 2015, 15:11
@Michael Woodward. When Rosberg was cutting the chicane you mean lol
Ian Bond (@ianbond001)
2nd June 2015, 15:04
i think it’s time for Hamilton to have a DNF.
hatae
2nd June 2015, 23:08
LOL +1
Biggsy
2nd June 2015, 16:36
Why is it always such a big deal when something happens to Hamilton, but when it happens to other drivers, everyone just shrugs and says it’s all part of the sport. Sometimes you are lucky, sometimes not.
I don’t remember even half of the amount of outcry when Rosberg’s car failed in the title finale. Or when someone made a mess and spilled something over his steering wheel in Singapore, costing him anything between 18 and 25 points.
George (@george)
2nd June 2015, 18:08
Hamilton’s fans share his persecution complex.
ALONSO
2nd June 2015, 18:54
Because Ros car failing meant absoloute nothing. It is why he looked so “class” in some peoples eyes. People said Ham would not have done the same if his car retired. Well yeah im not suprised it is not even the same circumstance. Ham dominated the season in races and Ros knew the only reason he was in with a chance was double poiints and alot of luck and punting his teammate off the road, or never overtaking Hamilton and actually losing places on track to his teammate. Rosbergs mentality was completely diff he knew it was only luck if he won. Hamilton did not need the luck he did enough anyway he won the race and was faster.
ALONSO
2nd June 2015, 18:58
Or you mean the Australia on pole car failing? Or you mean in Canada when he was leading? Or what about Spa? Fact is failures meant nothing Nico would not been WC. If both drivers finished. Or what about 2 qualifying incidents in a row that made him start at the back of the grid? Lol Ham won the WC and actually deserved even with haveing to make a defecit up through no fault of his own for half a season.
Steve
2nd June 2015, 19:27
Because Hamilton has more people who care about where he finishes than Nico does?
paulguitar (@paulguitar)
2nd June 2015, 19:46
Well, in the finale, Hamilton was off into the distance as usual, so I would suggest that’s why the outcry was far more muted. Plus, we avoided a double points farce, so that was a great relief to most people I think.
Strontium (@strontium)
2nd June 2015, 20:54
You are right, of course. No doubt it was a big deal, but had this been any other driver (especially a non-Mercedes), we would have heard nowhere near as much.
vtf
2nd June 2015, 23:31
I remember more painful races for Raikkonen. Actually a whole season strewn with engines blowing up at last laps or last corner of last lap or on the main straight before crossing the finish line. Those were much more dramatic and pitiful really. Especially since in the end he DID REALLY lost the championship because of those reliability issues. Now THAT was a big deal.
More recently, even Vettel’s reliability issues was arguably more costly than Hamilton’s. He wasn’t just fighting his teammate either. There was from 2 to 4 different teams with their 2 drivers quarrelling for the same championship. Those DNFs and reliability issues were no less costly. While he was leading the championship he would DNF and lose any advantage whatsoever. Of course in his case, cheering for DNF was the standard response, even though we watched more exciting races with RBR not being dominant like Mercedes. Not to mention that he could’ve possibly won in 2009 without those sort of issues, so it may very well cost him a championship too.
On the other hand, is there any doubt that Hamilton will win the WDC? With his 1 sec per lap quicker than next best car. I’m sure he can handle Rosberg. Contrary to belief, reliability problems most of the time even out between the teammates by the end of a season, as long as there’s not a chronic issue.
Steve
3rd June 2015, 13:29
On the contrary, you could argue that any DNF for the championship leader is in fact more costly when there is only one other championship contender.
Jorge Lardone (@jorge-lardone)
2nd June 2015, 21:12
How about this notice?
JUNE 1, 2015
Bosses vote Hamilton best driver in F1
Team bosses have voted Lewis Hamilton the best driver in formula one today.
Germany’s Auto Bild magazine ran the survey amongst all ten rival team principals in the paddock, with Mercedes’ reigning world champion emerging at the front ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso.
Equinox
2nd June 2015, 21:32
The team principals can vote Hamilton as the best all day long but the fans know that he isn’t at the same level as Alonso and Vettel.
Woody (@woodyd91)
3rd June 2015, 17:21
Since when were you elected to talk on behalf of “the fans”. I certainly don’t share your opinion, and I’m one of the fans you mentioned.
Besides there can’t be a definitive “best” driver on the grid, because what peoples requirements are to judge a driver as the best is unique to each person. Does a fan think a driver is the best because they attack, or because they sit back and stalk, use all their grip straight away to set blistering laps time or to save their tyres and reduce pit stops etc etc etc…
vtf
2nd June 2015, 23:34
What’s the points system, no one mentioned that. I also wonder who voted for whom.
I heard Wolff voted for Bottas, Arrivabene voted for Hamilton, Tost voted for Vettel. Not sure though…..
DeVante
3rd June 2015, 13:11
#Equinox speak for yourself. As a fan, I subscribe the opinion of the majority of the team principals. Hamilton is, by far, the best driver in the field.
Equinox
3rd June 2015, 14:24
lol because he have one of the most dominant car in the history of f1 and he can’t even dominate a mediocre driver like Rosberg.
SauberS1 (@saubers1)
2nd June 2015, 23:02
I think he will win on this race.