Speculations of strained relationships between Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton have been rife since the seven-time world champion announced his move to Ferrari earlier this year. His abrupt departure has apparently irked Silver Arrows, which is in the midst of a rebuilding phase following a regulation change in 2021.
While Mercedes continues to deny these speculations, their strategies for Lewis Hamilton have painted a different picture thus far. Moreover, after a recent shocker in Montreal, where W15 was performing as per its potential, Hamilton insinuated that the German manufacturers, in fact, sabotaged his race with a lack of tyre preparation ahead of his pit stop.
Lewis Hamilton Blames Colder Hard Tyre Set For Canada GP Mishap
Lewis Hamilton stepped into the Canada GP on a strong note as he topped the FP3 session just hours ahead of the qualifying session. The W15 seemed stronger after the front wing upgrade, and both Lewis and George Russell extracted every ounce of performance from the machinery. However, tables turned in qualifying as Hamilton reported struggles, whereas Russell clinched a pole. Lewis had to settle for P7 as his team messed up the tyre preparations. Apparently, Lewis’ tyres in Q3 were 2-3 degrees colder than the optimal temperature, and it essentially cost him a front-row finish. Not only that, Hamilton was once again denied a podium courtesy of a costly error from Mercedes. With 10 laps to go, the Silver Arrows pitted both the drivers under the safety car.
While George got slick mediums, a set of cold hard tyres were fitted into Lewis’ W15. Lewis Hamilton immediately expressed his disapproval on the radio as it cost him a well-deserved podium finish over his teammate George Russell. And his post-race comments were even more incriminating. Hamilton said he was kept in the dark about the pit stop strategy. Had he known he was getting hard tyres, Lewis insisted he would have stayed out. All this time, the Briton was under the impression that he was getting the same tyres as George, i.e., the medium set. “Am I penalized by tire choice? Yes,” Lewis said after finishing P4 in Montreal. Needless to say, the seven-time world champion’s fiery shots have caused an uproar on social media as fans are accusing the Silver Arrows of being biased.
Mercedes Disrespects Hamilton Via Social Media Post
Mercedes social media admin did a major gaffe after the Canadian Grand Prix as it flaunted George Russell’s P3 trophy as the team’s first trophy of the season. However, Lewis Hamilton fans were outraged as the Briton had already clinched a podium in Shanghai’s sprint race.
After heavy backlash, Mercedes clarified the post and apologized to the fans for spreading misinformation. However, the gaffe only adds to the preferential treatment theory as the Silver Arrows seem to consistently target Lewis Hamilton to imply that George Russell is their main priority over Lewis, who is, in fact, heading to Ferrari in 2025. It would be interesting to see how Toto Wolff reacts to the criticism.
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