Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who had to settle for second place in the USGP 2021, believes that he did his best to achieve victory at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin. The Briton, who took five wins at this year’s USGP, believes he couldn’t have done anything else in the race.
According to the seven-time world champion, Max Verstappen and his team simply “had the upper hand” the whole weekend. The Dutchman, whose tires were hanging by a thread towards the end of the race, showed a strong defense on the track to take the win and extend his points lead over Hamilton.
Lewis Hamilton thinks he and his team couldn’t have done anything different to win the USGP
Lewis Hamilton leads Max Verstappen at USGP 2021 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)
After the race during the FIA press conference, Hamilton said:
“I really thought for a second that maybe we could win. I gave absolutely everything out there. It was such a tough race, but unfortunately we couldn’t implement it. “
On the race weekend of his rival, the reigning world champion said:
“First of all, congratulations to Max, he did a great job today. Red Bull just had the upper hand and we couldn’t keep up. It looked like they had a better and more stable rear with fewer slides. “
While Hamilton beat pole sitter Verstappen in the first corner at the start, pit stop strategies and tires played a decisive role in the outcome of the race. The Mercedes driver summed up his race with the words:
“The start was of course great and closed the gap towards the end, but I got caught in the dirty air and the tires overheated in the last few laps.”
Describing his cockpit experience fighting Verstappen, Hamilton said:
“We got off to a good start, he seemed pretty close the whole time on the medium tire and then of course they stopped extremely early and then just tried to equalize me. I was hoping it would give us a chance later to fight. But I think the position on the track was key today. “Just leave the track. And wow … what else can we say about the incredible fans here this weekend! This week’s #USGP welcome was insane – and it’s so cool to see so many of the Merc family out here supporting us! 
I can’t wait to come back next year. 
https://t.co/UjO47QNdsi
Whether he was more competitive than his rivals on the hard tires towards the end of the race, Hamilton said:
“I think they were faster on all tires all weekend today. Especially in the heat, I think, the real strength prevailed this weekend, similar to this year in other places like Bahrain. So, yes, I made the best of what we had. “
In FP1, both Hamilton and team-mate Valtteri Bottas had left their rivals well behind in terms of performance, suggesting a dominant weekend for Mercedes in the race. When asked how that has changed, Hamilton said:
“No, I think they just got faster. I do not have a clue of it.”
When asked whether something could have been done differently, Hamilton replied:
“I don’t know what we could have done differently, so afterwards I have to sit down and talk to the team. I think the team did a great job today and it was the best we had. “
The next two tracks in the F1 squad – Mexico and Brazil – are hugely beneficial to the Red Bull Racing team, and a 12-point lead at this point in the season could be a blow to Mercedes. Commenting on the next two races, Hamilton said:
“Yes, we will have very strong tracks for Red Bull on at least the next two tracks, so it will be tough for sure.”
The 36-year-old Mercedes driver said of his rival’s lead in the title:
“I’m not thinking about it at the moment, I have to be satisfied with the job I did today and live in the moment.”
Hamilton explained his approach for the next race weekend:
“Unfortunately we weren’t fast enough today to win the race, but yes, we just look ahead and drive race after race.”
With the Mexican circuit clearly favoring its rivals, Hamilton’s primary concern will be how to turn the tables in his own favor. Commenting on how he might face his rivals, he said:
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“These are two circuits that are strong for Red Bull, so let’s just try to minimize their strength compared to us and see if we can do a better job.”
Though history seemed to favor Hamilton on the Austin circuit, Verstappen’s Racecraft and Red Bull’s effectiveness at the pit wall struck Mercedes. The return from the USGP result will be an uphill battle for the Silver Arrows. The next two venues are not only challenging for their current car, but also tracks where his rivals and other teams are likely to have the upper hand.
Edited by Sandeep Banerjee
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