Hamilton full pelt heading to home of stalling Ferrari
Madrid Desk, Sep 4 (efe-epa).- Six-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton heads to Ferrari’s home turf at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza with his tail up after strengthening his lead in the 2020 standings last week in Belgium.
Ferrari’s track record so far in the rejigged F1 season this year has been underwhelming, another factor that will buoy the English driver in his quest to equal Michael Schumacher’s tally of seven world championship titles.
Hamilton’s victory at the Belgian GP on Sunday also put him just two podiums behind Schumacher’s world record 91 race wins.
The Mercedes driver was dominant at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, while Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc both failed to make the points cut.
It was Ferrari’s worst result in over a decade, and it wasn’t down to the race itself. Vettel attributed the result down to the Italian F1 team’s power compared to its competitors.
Scuderia Ferrari principal Mattia Binotto preferred not to comment on the crisis in the team.
With the prospect of a performance turn around looking unlikely for Ferrari as they head into Monza, the team will be grateful that, for the first time so far in the season, they will be racing in front of a crowd, albeit a reduced one.
Authorities have granted 250 medical workers access to the circuit to pay homage to their efforts during the pandemic.
On Sunday, Hamilton increased his own record to 93 pole starts and led the race from lights out to the flag, followed by Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas and then Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, the only one who seems able to keep up with the Silver Arrows, this year painted black to protest racism.
Hamilton tops the leaderboard with 157 points, 47 ahead of Verstappen and 50 ahead of Bottas. He missed out on a Grand Slam when Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo nabbed fastest lap in the dying stages of the race.
