Will Lewis Hamilton be able to change Mercedes fortunes? – Formula 1 Special
The 2012 F1 season was epic; many saying that it was as good as F1 can get but like all the years before, it had its disappointing moments.
Some will say that Michael Schumacher finally quitting F1 was most disappointing but then every driver has to retire one day. What was disappointing were the failures of Mercedes for a third year in a row. Even though the team started with a competitive
pace earning their maiden Grand Prix victory in China through Schumacher’s younger teammate Nico Rosberg but soon fell short and failed to score any point in the last six races of the season.
Late in September when Lewis Hamilton announced that he is finally leaving his long term team, McLaren, to join the Mercedes team in 2013, it shocked the F1 community. It is no surprise that Hamilton was going to change teams after spending six years with
the British team since his debut in F1 but to choose a team which is visibly struggling did cause confusion enough to make McLaren team principal confess that he might regret it.
Many people would point out that if a legend like Schumacher could not help the team then how can Hamilton? The comparison is not justified since Schumacher joined the team at the back end of his career whereas Hamilton is younger, agile and much more determined
to win. Hamilton has confessed that he needs a new challenge so certainly the young British driver is hungry for wins. His determination to score each possible point in 2012 F1 season despite continuous reliability issues of the McLaren car and frustration
of retiring several times from leading position is a proof that he can turn the fortunes around for Mercedes.
Meanwhile, Hamilton will be free of immense pressure that he used to be constantly under with McLaren. People expect big teams to perform but teams like Mercedes are received well just with improvement. Hamilton will be focused on setting the pace rather
on championships which will definitely help Mercedes to improve.
Then there is the issue of the car. Mercedes car has definitely failed to uphold expectations which is being mainly blamed for Schumacher’s lacklustre performance. Will Hamilton have a better car? Like all the teams, Mercedes is also promising both its drivers
the best car and obviously we cannot confirm that will not be the case. F1 is unpredictable; who would have thought that Red Bull is going to win again at the beginning of the 2012 F1 season but they did improving the car towards the end. There are huge chances
that Mercedes will improve the car given that it is not a problem with their engine since the same engine went into Hamilton’s McLaren car which showed great pace at the last two races of 2012. If Hamilton can deal with a reliability stricken car then he can
bring out the best from a weak car as well.
Hamilton and Rosberg have been friends since their Karting days so they will be having a better relationship within the team unlike Hamilton had with his previous McLaren teammate, Jenson Button. Having two friendly drivers in your team can help with the
on track strategies. Mercedes might not win the constructors’ but the mutual points of both drivers will be an improvement.
Hamilton might not be aiming for a championship with Mercedes since that is the wrong objective. Hamilton will be aiming to win races and score reasonable points and gradually turn the fortunes for Mercedes.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely of the writer’s and do not reflect bettor.com’s official editorial policy.
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