Hamilton bullish over Title hopes despite falling behind after Monza
McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton is determined to put his disappointing Italian Grand Prix campaign firmly behind him at this weekend’s Grand Prix in Singapore. The McLaren driver paid the ultimate price for a mistake during the opening
stages of the race in Monza, retiring without any points in the pocket. The highly disappointed Englishman took responsibility for his lapse of judgment, conceding such errors could ultimately cost him the championship.
However, in true battling spirit, Hamilton remarked he had learnt valuable lessons from his flawed Italian Grand Prix run. The former world champion said his past errors would lead him to redouble his efforts for the remaining
five campaigns of the year. Hamilton revealed he was particularly motivated for the upcoming event in Singapore, where he will give his utmost to make for the mishap in Monza.
Hamilton’s retirement during the first lap at Monza meant he had to relinquish the championship lead to Red Bull’s Mark Webber. Although the McLaren man is safely nestled at the second spot in the standings, any further Monza-like
incidents could certainly spell the death knell for the Englishman’s world title aspirations. The vulnerability of Hamilton’s position is very real, considering only 24 points separate the five contenders for the 2010 title.
Mark Webber leads the championship with 187 points, 6 points ahead of Hamilton. Not far behind is the freshly crowned winner of the Italian Grand Prix, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso. Alonso has notched up a total of 166 points this
season, and has a mere one point advantage over McLaren’s Jenson Button who is placed 4th in the drivers’ championship standings. Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel completes the top slot, having so far bagged an aggregate 163 points this year.
With the title race so wide open Hamilton is right to be wary of any further mistakes. However, the Englishman is approaching the situation with the right mindset, stating he would not be brooding too much on the lost points, and
was focused completely on the Singaporean event. The McLaren driver stressed mistakes were an inevitable aspect of Formula One and there was no doubt he will make many more in the future.
Hamilton is the reigning Singapore Grand Prix champion, and he will undoubtedly be looking to emulate last year’s achievement. The former world champion said his principle focus for the five remaining races of the season was to
ensure he did not retire. Out of the past three Grand’s Prix, Hamilton has retired from two and bagged the winner’s trophy on one occasion. The Englishman topped the time sheets at the Belgian Grand Prix - a race where three of the other contenders for the
title did not manage to cross the finish line. In Hungary, like in Monza, Hamilton did not see it through till the end of the race after his MP4-25 developed a gear box problem.
With three victories in hand this season, it would be clearly misleading to write Hamilton off for the 2010 title. After all, Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel have been able to bounce back into the title hunt
after leaving Belgium empty handed when Hamilton and Webber both consolidated their positions in style. At Monza, the tables were turned when Hamilton failed to score any points and Webber managed to salvage a disheartening 6th position after making
an atrocious start to the race.
BBC Formula One pundit has lent his backing to Hamilton, remarking the mistake at Monza was the first serious error the McLaren driver made this season. By contrast, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel’s driving has been more
error prone. Vettel was branded a “Crash Kid” after infamously barging his vehicle into Button’s MP4-25 in Belgium, forcing the McLaren driver to abandon the race whilst earning himself a richly deserved drive through penalty. The German driver also sensationally
crashed into his own team mate at the year’s Turkish event after an audacious overtaking maneuver went horribly wrong. Alonso, meanwhile, has had his fair share of mishaps during his debut season with Ferrari. The Spaniard’s overall performance this season
has been a far cry from the displays that cast him into a two times world champion.
How the remainder of the 2010 season will shape out, is anyone’ guess.
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