Toto Wolff defends Lewis Hamilton against criticism

Lewis Hamilton was present at a press conference on Thursday in Miami and the Briton clearly wanted to be everywhere except in front of the journalists. Between ultra-short answers and an icy tone, the champion's irritation was clear to all and contrasted with the brilliant smile he displayed at the beginning of the year when he was starting out at Ferrari.

Since then, the beginnings of the most anticipated collaboration in history have been a little disappointing: apart from a champion's sprint segment in Shanghai – with pole position and victory – Lewis Hamilton is currently subject to the law of his teammate Charles LeclercThe Stevenage native himself explains that he needs time to adapt, recalling that it took him six months to feel comfortable when he joined. Mercedes.

Hamilton can also count on the support of his friend and former boss Toto wolffThe Mercedes director does not believe that his former driver is particularly suffering at the start of the season. "I don't think he's in trouble, honestly. In this sport, you tend to be either in superlatives or in depression," nuance Toto Wolff.

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“After Shanghai, everyone was saying ‘he’s back’ because he dominated the sprint race. Then for several weekends in a row, they say he’s missing something. He’s in a new team, with a car with completely different DNA than what he knew, a new engine that’s very different, a teammate who’s very fast… Because of all that, there will be a fluctuation in performance, but you don’t dominate in Shanghai if you don’t perform well.”, continues the Austrian, convinced that the one who won six world championship titles in his team has lost none of his qualities.

Lewis Hamilton finished seventh in qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix sprint race, just behind teammate Charles Leclerc, while his successor at Mercedes, Kimi Antonelli, took pole. The Italian and Hamilton are the only two drivers to have secured first place in a sprint qualifying race so far this season, a sign that the exercise is working well for those who are usually dominated by their teammates.

This is the first time this season that Kimi Antonelli has dominated George Russell in qualifying, as the Briton had previously led 6-0. At Ferrari, the duel is (a little) more balanced: Charles Leclerc leads 5-2 against Lewis Hamilton, after having been beaten only during the pole position of the number 44 in sprint qualifying in China and the following day during the session defining the starting order for the Grand Prix (Hamilton 5th, Leclerc 6th).

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