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!"

Order the latest Mercedes merchandise here!

Replies (0)

Login to reply

BE Grand Prix of Belgium

Local time 

BEGrand Prix of Belgium

Local time 

World Championship standings 2024

Show full world champion standings

Test calendar

See full test schedule

Related news

Give your opinion!

Will Bottas challenge Hamilton for the world championship in 2020?

Formula 1 Calendar - 2024

Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Bahrain
29 - Mar 2 2024
Bahrain
7 - Mar 9 2024
Saudi Arabia
22 - Mar 24 2024
Australia
5 - Apr 7 2024
Japan
19 - Apr 21 2024
China
3 - May 5 2024
United States of America
17 - May 19 2024
Italy
24 - May 26 2024
Monaco
7 - Jun 9 2024
Canada
21 - Jun 23 2024
Spain
28 - Jun 30 2024
Austria
5 - Jul 7 2024
United Kingdom
19 - Jul 21 2024
Hungary
26 - Jul 28 2024
Belgium
23 - Aug 25 2024
Netherlands
30 - Sep 1 2024
Italy
13 - Sep 15 2024
Azerbaijan
20 - Sep 22 2024
Singapore
18 - Oct 20 2024
United States of America
25 - Oct 27 2024
Mexico
1 - Nov 3 2024
Brazil
22 - Nov 24 2024
United States of America
29 - Dec 1 2024
Qatar
6 - Dec 8 2024
United Arab Emirates
-
United Arab Emirates
See full schedule

Formula 1 Calendar - 2024

Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
29 - Mar 2 2024
7 - Mar 9 2024
Saudi Arabia Jeddah Street Circuit
22 - Mar 24 2024
Australia Albert Park
5 - Apr 7 2024
19 - Apr 21 2024
3 - May 5 2024
United States of America Miami International Autodrome
17 - May 19 2024
24 - May 26 2024
Monaco Monte Carlo
7 - Jun 9 2024
21 - Jun 23 2024
28 - Jun 30 2024
Austria Red Bull Ring
5 - Jul 7 2024
United Kingdom Silverstone
19 - Jul 21 2024
Hungary Hungaroring
26 - Jul 28 2024
23 - Aug 25 2024
Netherlands Circuit Zandvoort
30 - Sep 1 2024
Italy Monza
13 - Sep 15 2024
Azerbaijan Baku City Circuit
20 - Sep 22 2024
18 - Oct 20 2024
United States of America Circuit of the Americas
25 - Oct 27 2024
1 - Nov 3 2024
Brazil Interlagos
22 - Nov 24 2024
United States of America Las Vegas Street Circuit
29 - Dec 1 2024
6 - Dec 8 2024
United Arab Emirates Yas Marina Circuit
-
United Arab Emirates Yas Marina Circuit
See full schedule

Driver profile

  • Team Mercedes
  • Points 3,377
  • Podiums 132
  • Grand Prix 208
  • Country GB
  • Date of b. Jan 7 1985 (40)
  • Place of b. Tewin, GB
  • Weight 68 kg
  • Length 1.74 m
Show full profile

Team profile

Show full profile
show sidebar