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Heartbroken and baffled Hamilton back in title chase

Heartbroken and baffled Hamilton back in title chase

  • Published on 29 Jul 2013 08:47
  • comments 0
  • By: Rob Veenstra
Pole sitter Lewis Hamilton went into Sunday's Hungarian grand prix having written off his title chances and insisting victory would require a "miracle". When the chequered flag dropped, the 'miracle' had been in the form of a dominant display, leaving Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda to deny the team had spent the weekend bluffing. Briton Hamilton also insisted: "I'm baffled. Honestly, we really didn't expect this. We bolted the tyres on and they worked for us."

He had said just before the race at the Hungaroring that if Mercedes had struggled with tyres in milder temperatures, then hot Budapest would leave the W04 nowhere. So, Lauda is now sounding hopeful Hamilton, 48 points behind, can track down Sebastian Vettel's championship lead. "Vettel is the absolute favourite," he told German broadcaster RTL, "without question. But I can tell you that Spa and then Monza will suit us."

Indeed, with some teams now starting to switch off developments of the 2013 cars, team boss Ross Brawn told Auto Motor und Sort there will be upgrades at both of those forthcoming high-speed circuits. "After that we will decide on our priorities for the rest of the season," he added.

For the moment, then, Hamilton is "very much" in the title fight, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner insists. Hamilton agreed: "You never know what the tyres are going to do elsewhere, but if we came here and made our tyres last then we should be able to do it anywhere. I hope this is not the last time the tyres work for me."

2008 world champion Hamilton also admitted to feeling melancholy throughout the Hungaroring weekend, and devoted the win to his former girlfriend Nicole. "It's been the toughest couple of months of my life," the emotional former McLaren driver, his voice trembling, told British television Sky. Lauda joked to Bild newspaper: "As long as he drives as he did in Hungary, long may his heartache live!"

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Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
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Bahrain
29 - Mar 2
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
7 - Mar 9
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street Circuit
22 - Mar 24
Australia
Albert Park
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Circuit Suzuka
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Shanghai International Circuit
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Monte Carlo
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Gilles Villeneuve
21 - Jun 23
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
28 - Jun 30
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Red Bull Ring
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United Kingdom
Silverstone
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Hungaroring
26 - Jul 28
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Circuit Zandvoort
30 - Sep 1
Italy
Monza
13 - Sep 15
Azerbaijan
Baku City Circuit
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Marina Bay Street Circuit
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United States of America
Circuit of the Americas
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Mexico
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
1 - Nov 3
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Interlagos
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Losail International Circuit
6 - Dec 8
United Arab Emirates
Yas Marina Circuit
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Date
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Bahrain Bahrain International Circuit
29 - Mar 2
Bahrain Bahrain International Circuit
7 - Mar 9
Saudi Arabia Jeddah Street Circuit
22 - Mar 24
Australia Albert Park
5 - Apr 7
Japan Circuit Suzuka
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China Shanghai International Circuit
3 - May 5
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Italy Monza
13 - Sep 15
Azerbaijan Baku City Circuit
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Mexico Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
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GB Lewis Hamilton 44
Lewis Hamilton
  • Team Mercedes
  • Points 3,173
  • Podiums 127
  • Grand Prix 189
  • Country GB
  • Date of b. Jan 7 1985 (39)
  • Place of b. Tewin, GB
  • Weight 68 kg
  • Length 1.74 m
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