Credits: IMAGO NurPhoto
Lewis Hamilton’s woes this season continue after another disappointing race at the Chinese GP. A disastrous qualifying session saw him start the race in P18, making things difficult for him but also giving him the chance to make big overtakes. One particular overtake on Nico Hulkenberg caught the attention of many, but Hamilton doesn’t think there was anything special about it.
Hamilton pulled off a splendid move on Hulkenberg as he used the additional pace of his W15 to sweep past the German in a high-speed corner. It was a risky move and any mistake from Hamilton could have resulted in a race ending crash for both parties.
“I’ve done it a million times there, so it wasn’t particularly…I appreciate saying it was creative, but I mean it was pretty straightforward. I mean it was textbook to be honest,” explained Hamilton.
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Hamilton’s move on Hulkenberg helped him move to P9, where he finished the Chinese GP. For Hamilton to score points from all the way down in P18, making risky moves like he did on Sunday was vital.
Lewis Hamilton couldn’t play it safe in China
Throughout the Chinese GP race, Hamilton kept complaining about the W15, calling out its pace. He didn’t like the usage of the soft tires, and also expressed his annoyance when he was struggling to overtake the Alpine of Esteban Ocon.
Struggling for pace, the seven-time world champion had no choice but to make audacious moves. They got him up to P8 at one point but after Fernando Alonso pitted for fresher tires towards the end of the race, Hamilton came down a position.
While Hamilton did not have the best of races in Shanghai, he finished second in the Driver of the Day fan pole. The Briton will now hope to have a better race weekend in Miami after arguably his worst start to an F1 season. Hamilton is currently ninth in the standings after five races and has only managed 19 points, seven of which he scored after finishing second during the Chinese GP sprint.
