Motorsport

LEWIS HAMILTON says he is “dying” to get back competing with Max Verstappen.The Brit got a taste for the action when he led the Dutch GP on Sunday – only for a botched tyre strategy from Mercedes seeing him end up finishing fourth.
Lewis Hamilton is yet to register a GP win this seasonCredit: Getty
His 2021 title rival Max Verstappen has won 10 races already in 2021Credit: Splash
Hamilton fumed to his team “that was the biggest f*** up” after Verstappen himself capitalised to register his 10th win of the season.
Merc man Hamilton meanwhile is yet to get off the mark, having battled the Dutchman at the front of the grid for the entirety of the last campaign.
But the 37-year-old is hopeful the day will come soon, as he targets a spot at the top of the podium for the first time in 2022.
He said: “I’m dying to get back in that race and have the opportunity to fight Max, but the day hasn’t come [yet].
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“There’s so many great things to take [from the Dutch GP]. If this can be the same in the future races, we’re going to be continuing to breathe down their necks and get that win.
“I’m taking all these positives forwards, so grateful for the team and all their hard work because it has been a tough slog for all of them.
“Let’s just not give up.”
Hamilton won eight races last year, before being pipped to the world championship in controversial style by Verstappen.
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The Dutchman has gone from strength to strength since then, and is on course to register his second consecutive title.
He leads Ferrari ace Charles Leclerc by a whopping 109 points in the standings.
And while is targeting further glory, Hamilton is starting with baby steps.
The first thing on the agenda being to registering one GP win before the season comes to an end. More

LEWIS HAMILTON was “aggressive and insulting” in his X-rated outburst to Mercedes at the Dutch Grand Prix, according to F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve.The Silver Arrows opted to pit George Russell and put him on faster tyres with Hamilton leading the race.
Hamilton was furious with his team’s decision to put Russell on SundayCredit: Getty
Villeneuve has slammed Hamilton’s angry outburst at his Mercedes teamCredit: Getty
The move allowed Max Verstappen to close the gap on the seven-time champion – and the Red Bull man went on to win the race, with Russell second and the fuming Hamilton only fourth.
Hamilton told his team: “I can’t believe you screwed me like that, I can’t tell you how p****d I am,” later saying on his radio: “That was the biggest f*** up.”
But Villeneuve, who won the F1 world championship in 1997, remains unimpressed with the Brit’s post-race comments.
Speaking in his Formule1.nl column, he said: “I was amazed by Lewis Hamilton’s outburst in the race and especially the way it was done.
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“He was aggressive, almost insulting. It is good that he has apologised, but this is not befitting a champion.
“After everything the team has done for him, you shouldn’t be speaking to them like that.”
Hamilton later apologised to his Mercedes team, insisting he was on the “edge of breaking point with emotions” and that the team understood it was a sign of his “passion” for the sport.
And he then added to that on his Instagram story, saying: “We are a team Mercedes, we are world champions and we don’t always get it right.
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“I didn’t get it right last week and we didn’t get it right today (Sunday), but we win and lose as a team.
“We have been through worse. Everyone is doing their best and that’s all we can do.
“We will rise and win again. I have 100% faith in this team and where we are heading,” 
Hamilton is yet to win a race this season and sits sixth in the drivers’ championship.
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Meanwhile, Verstappen’s 10th win of 2022 takes him 109 points clear of Charles Leclerc as he closes in on a second successive title.
With seven races remaining, the Dutchman needs to claim four more victories to eclipse Sebastian Vettel’s record of most wins in a single season – which currently stands at 13. More

THIS felt like a case of déjà vu.Lewis Hamilton in the lead while driving behind the safety car – only to be passed by the Red Bull of Max Verstappen, who would go on to take the glory.
Lewis Hamilton was left raging at his Mercedes team at the Dutch GPCredit: PA
Max Verstappen went on to claim the victory in his homelandCredit: Getty
There was also the tin-foil hat brigade on social media casting wild accusations of a conspiracy after Red Bull’s sister team had sparked a rather strange virtual safety car.
The scars from those wounds inflicted at last year’s controversial finale in Abu Dhabi are still obvious at Mercedes.
But there was no need for an inquest here. No race director sacking, either. Just a good old passionate outburst in obvious frustration after a team cock-up.
Hamilton fumed over the radio at his team: “That was the biggest f*** up.”.
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He later added: “I can’t believe you guys f****** screwed me. I can’t tell you how p***** I am.”
Hamilton came home in fourth place behind teammate George Russell and Charles Leclec, who finished in second and third place respectively.
He later apologised for his language used towards his team but didn’t for his passion.
Quite why Mercedes failed to pit Hamilton – when they did his teammate Russell – will be unpicked at their Brackley HQ today.
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But once he had cooled down after his rant on the team’s radio, Hamilton was adamant they ARE still the best in the business – despite the error which denied him a long-awaited win.
When asked if he felt whether Mercedes had the right staff in place, Hamilton was definite.
“One hundred percent we do,” he said: “This team are a group of young, super-determined individuals.
“Some have been here as long as me or longer. They continue to be motivated every year. I 1,000 percent believe we have the right team in place.
“Today wasn’t an easy call. Of course we could always look back at all the scenarios and see what we could have done or if we would have made a different choice.
“But that’s not life. You just learn from it. I was hopeful to get a podium. I was hopeful to get a first or second at least but we move on.”
It was a thrilling race from start to finish. Hamilton nearly collided with Carlos Sainz on the first lap when they came dangerously close to touching.
But this week there was no repeat of the incident which ended his race on lap one of the Belgian GP just seven days earlier.
He was three seconds behind pole-sitter Verstappen before Hamilton started cutting his way back into the race.
He tangled with Sergio Perez as the Mexican driver put up a spirited fight before Hamilton finally squeezed past on lap 36.
On the hard tyre, Hamilton started cutting into Verstappen’s lead in the hope of going the race distance with only one pitstop.
But that strategy went out the window on lap 47 when Yuki Tsunoda complained of feeling his wheels were not fitted correctly.
The Japanese driver made a pitstop but came out back on track only to pull over to the side and the race director deployed the virtual safety car, which allowed Verstappen to make a stop for fresh tyres.
It played into his hands as he was able to maintain his place at the front.
But on lap 56, it was Hamilton’s turn for a long-overdue slice of luck.
It came in the form of a retirement for his chum Valtteri Bottas, whose Alfa Romeo conked out.
Verstappen decided to stop again, but curiously Hamilton had stayed out, promoting him to the lead.
Merc boss Toto Wolff admitted it was a tough call not to bring Hamilton in for tyresCredit: Splash
But rather than stopping for tyres himself, Mercedes kept him out on track and he was left a sitting duck when the race resumed on lap 66.
It was all too easy as Verstappen swooped past into turn one and into the lead and on his way to victory.
Hamilton’s chances of his first win of the season were extinguished and he then saw his podium disappear too, as he was eventually passed by Russell and Charles Leclerc.
Mercedes boss, Toto Wolff admitted it was a tough call not to bring Hamilton in for tyres.
He said: “It’s right [he’s angry], because the pitwall and strategists try to calculate probabilities and come up with the best possible decisions.
“It all came so quickly. It was so tremendously difficult to make the right judgement call and especially if you have two drivers that are competing against each other.
“One is going to be upset and the other one is going to be happy and that’s the swing and just acknowledge that the frustration on one side is always there.
“Every single day of my life, I’d rather risk everything for winning the race rather than cementing second and third.
“We get emotional in the race. And when you’re the driver in the car, it just comes out and you can’t stop it.
“We are the trash can, the vomit bag in the aeroplane. And we’re taking all that because we need to.
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“This is how it has always been in a relationship between a frustrated driver and the pitwall.
“We decided to take a risk that really backfired for him. But there’s more positives to take and this is what we chatted about.” More

LEWIS HAMILTON fumed at Mercedes for blowing his chance of winning his first Grand Prix of season. Hamilton was leading in Holland with team-mate George Russell in second and arch rival Max Verstappen placed third.
Lewis Hamilton during the Dutch GPCredit: Alamy
But as Mercedes brought Russell into pits to put fast tyres on, it allowed Verstappen to close the gap.
The Dutchman and Russell eventually overtook Hamilton, leaving the seven-time champion fuming.
He said: “I can’t believe you screwed me like that. I can’t tell you how p****d I am.”
He was also heard saying on radio: “That was the biggest f*** up.”
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Hamilton’s day ended in misery as he failed to secure a podium spot, finishing in fourth.
Reigning champion Verstappen made it a winning return on home soil with Russell in second.
Charles Leclerc came third meaning Hamilton came away with nothing.
And it had fans online calling for the Brit to LEAVE Mercedes after being cost his pole position.
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One said: “Mercedes and George Russell just cost Lewis Hamilton the win. Make no mistake.”
Another said: “Lewis Hamilton has to leave Mercedes, please.”
One added: “Sorry, but I think this is the race that changes everything. Lewis Hamilton needs to leave Mercedes.
“That call is not something that can be ignored.”
Another commented: “Nah, Mercedes does not deserve Sir Lewis Hamilton.”
Lewis Hamilton before the Dutch Grand PrixCredit: Getty More