F1 expert shares his take on Lewis Hamilton answering critics with a P2 finish in Las Vegas
Renowned Formula 1 commentator and expert Martin Brundle hailed Lewis Hamilton following his scintillating performance in the recently concluded Las Vegas Grand Prix. In his latest column with Sky Sports F1, Brundle wrote that Hamilton with his Nevada race gave a befitting reply to critics.
The 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix has been a stellar show by Mercedes, who took the race weekend by storm. The Silver Arrows drivers were dominant right from the start, and they did not stop before claiming a 1-2 in Sunday's race.
While George Russell claimed the victory, Lewis Hamilton worked his way up the field from P10 after a poor qualifying session and finished the race in P2. In a nutshell, the drivers from Brackley delivered a perfect race for Toto Wolff and company.
However, it was the seven-time world champion's performance that caught Brundle's attention. Speaking about this, the Formula 1 commentator said,
"It was a standout drive from Lewis, picking his way through serious contenders up into second place and finishing just seven seconds behind at the flag," Brundle said. "The fans rightly voted him driver of the day, and he answered some questions a few have been throwing at him lately about being over the hill."
Hamilton's massive performance in Nevada came after a poor show throughout the race weekend in Brazil, where critics called him out for his underwhelming performances.
Renowned automobile expert, Jeremy Clarkson stated that the seven-time world champion was no longer able to compete at the top and was past his prime.
Besides two poor Qualifying (Q and SQ), the Mercedes driver's Sprint and Race turned out to be shambolic as he was able to take a solitary point throughout the race weekend.
Coming from such a disastrous outing, Hamilton kept his composure in the United States and delivered a masterclass. Lewis Hamilton rode high in the Las Vegas Strip Circuit with P1s in FP1 and FP2 to P2 in the main race.
Toto Wolff aims for a similar outcome from Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in Qatar
Following the conclusion of the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix, Toto Wolff stated that he wants to aim towards a similar result in Qatar. The Mercedes boss thinks that the high-speed track in Qatar (Lusail International Circuit) will be helpful for the W15s.
"The races in Las Vegas and Qatar couldn’t be more different," Wolff said. “The Lusail International Circuit has many high-speed sections and few, if any, big braking zones. Despite going there later in the calendar than last year, it will still be very warm."
"That is in contrast to the cool conditions and many slow-speed sections of Las Vegas. Nevertheless, we are aiming for another strong showing this weekend," he added.
Even though Mercedes pulled off some stunning performances in Las Vegas, it did not reflect much in the Constructors' Championship. Despite the 1-2, the Silver Arrows are in P4 in the Constructors' championship.
They currently have 425 points after 22 races and five sprints. Championship leaders McLaren has 608 points under their belt, followed by Ferrari with 584 points in P2, and Red Bull with 555 points in P3.