Lewis Hamilton has stated that he regrets being so outspoken in his criticism of his team last time out in Monaco.
After a poor qualifying in which he could only take P7, the Brit would need the perfect strategy if he was to score some big points in Monte Carlo.
However, he didn’t get it, with his team pitting him early and both Sergio Perez and Sebastian Vettel pulling off the overcut to get ahead of him. Because of that, despite the fact that two cars ahead of him retired, he still finished down where he started.
He was furious with his team at the time, complaining on the team radio throughout his second stint about the fact that they didn’t keep him out longer.
Looking back on it, he says that he regrets doing so.
“In the heat of the moment, you don’t always say the best things,” Hamilton told reporters in Baku.
“I think constructive criticism is always a good thing, better said behind closed doors and that’s what we’ve been doing.
“There was no one single person to blame.
“I was very much part of the decision-making process, and after going back and having a look, and analysing things, there are things that I could have said that would have set a domino effect on.
“So we know that we could have done better and one race doesn’t define us.
“Of course you always try and do better in the future. As I said, we win and we lose as a team so we will push forward and hope for better.”
Swapping the Monaco streets for Baku ? We can't wait for the pics. ? pic.twitter.com/qBOSQ65G5P
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) June 4, 2021
F1 TV are offering PlanetF1 readers 10% off their Access and Pro subscriptions! and use the code PLANETF10 at checkout*
*offer expires midnight on Sunday, June 6
The poor result, coupled with the fact that Max Verstappen won, saw Hamilton lose the lead of the World Championship to the Dutchman for the first time.
The Red Bull man had a stronger car than the seven-time World Champion there, but with straight-line speed far more important in Baku, Mercedes are expected to be better.
Looking ahead, Hamilton does think things will be different.
“It’s a slightly different circuit with different requirements, and obviously the temperature difference is a bit different,” he said.
“So I think a different set of challenges probably this weekend. I don’t think necessarily our performance will be the same as we saw in the last race.”
Source: Read Full Article