Car that ‘is like a viper’ once again struggled in Melbourne and may have already cost Hamilton any hope of an eighth F1 title
Regardless of how Sunday morning’s Australian Grand Prix plays out, for Lewis Hamilton just crossing the line must be counted as success. He enjoys a wide range of interests but snake-handler was surely never one he anticipated having to adopt as he wrestles with a positively venomous Mercedes that may have already cost him any hope of an eighth Formula One championship.
The race in Melbourne will likely mean a continuation of the fascinating fight between the frontrunners, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who took pole and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen who was just behind him. In an object lesson of the travails facing Mercedes this season, Hamilton and his teammate George Russell managing fifth and sixth on the grid was considered a success. Comparatively it was, Hamilton was 16th in qualifying at the last round in Saudi Arabia.