The Briton excelled here last year having started the weekend at the back of the pack. Another sprint race beckons tomorrow, determining the grid for the main course, and though his 2022 Mercedes isn’t a patch on last year’s machine, one wouldn’t bet against Lewis taking the fight to Max Verstappen on Sunday, who’s out to win his 15th grand prix of the year.
Hamilton finished second in Austin and Mexico City. That makes eight podiums this season, yet the top step eludes him. George Russell, his young upstart team-mate, is 15 points ahead and pride dictates the older statesman needs to trump him in the final two rounds.
Lewis has only ever been beaten by a team-mate twice before, by Jenson Button in 2011 and Nico Rosberg during the German’s championship-winning season in 2016.
The Mercedes W13 has been described as a ‘diva’ and Lewis struggled with it more than George in the first half of the season. Russell, who has scored six third places and one second, has dropped off since Singapore. From Canada onwards, the seven-time champion has outscored his cocky accomplice.
Verstappen has another 200 points on Hamilton’s 216, with Red Bull’s dubious PR approach — shutting out Sky TV for questioning their sportsmanship last year — doing nothing to blunt their undeniable dominance.
‘He’s won the most grands prix in a year now,’ reminds team principal Christian Horner. ‘He’s won two sprint races, and not won them all from pole. He’s had to fight for a lot of those wins. It’s incredible the level of consistency he’s able to achieve.’
Charles Leclerc has nine poles to Verstappen’s six. He looked a potential champion until he binned it at the French Grand Prix and says he gave up hope two races later in Belgium, where Max was first and he was sixth.
‘During the summer break, I believed we still had a possibility to stay in the race until the end,’ recalls the Ferrari driver. ‘Belgium was the first weekend in which Red Bull were truly superior in pace. After that, I thought it would be very difficult.’
Though he hasn’t won a race since Austria in July, one mustn’t dismiss Leclerc, who is clearly among the top three or four on the grid. ‘The points we need to improve are tyre management, communication, strategy and reliability,’ Leclerc says. So, a pretty broad spread.
‘I believe we’ve made progress, especially in the last few races.’
Post-Spa, he’s been on the podium at every race bar one, but notes Red Bull are still better at massaging rubber: ‘Especially in specific conditions like Suzuka.’
Interlagos is a drivers’ track where verve at the wheel can overcome a lacklustre car. Verstappen, Hamilton and Leclerc can all make a difference.
Given all three men worship the memory of Ayrton Senna, a god in Sao Paulo, all three will pull out the stops to claim any hereditary glory. Each sees himself as the second coming, but Leclerc is the most modest. It’s been a mixed year for the driver who has slipped to third in the rankings behind Sergio Perez.
A win would go a long way to restore his reputation as Max’s main rival and put himself among the legendary names to triumph here, Senna, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost and Michael Schumacher among them.
MORE : Max Verstappen tells F1 chiefs to ditch sprint races ahead of their return at Brazil Grand Prix
MORE : ‘A bit awkward!’ – Lewis Hamilton reacts to being ‘booed all day’ at Mexican GP
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