“A dream car” according to Hamilton: target audience for Mercedes!
The W08 confirmed its strong capabilities on high-speed tracks. Monza was therefore the perfect playground for a double victory!
The Hamilton-Monza love story is now etched in stone. The Brit had to wait until 2012 to climb onto the top step of the Italian podium. Five years and six races later, he now has four victories to his name. The latest in the series was achieved without a hitch…
In Monza, the boss was indeed Hamilton (1st)
The winner of the day can once again thank his technical team, which hasn’t made a mistake since Friday morning. The two gray cars have dominated the top of all the sessions, except for the rain-shortened FP3.
« Today, the car was fantastic. It was a dream to drive it! I guess this is due to our initial lead. It was easy to extend the life of our tires. Maybe with a Ferrari behind, we would have been pushed to our limits! But, the Mercedes engine is really better than the Ferrari engine! »
The only difficulty for the 44 was actually at the start. Lance Stroll gave him a hard time during the initial gear shifts. After that, ciao!
« Yes, it was difficult because the grip was very weak. Today, we maximized the performance of our car. It was fantastic. I look forward to the rest of the season! » he admitted on the podium.
In the overall standings, Hamilton finally returns to the spotlight and the leader’s seat. A curious parallel: right here a year ago, he was experiencing his last race of the year as the championship leader. Will the curve reverse at this end of the season? For now, the former McLaren driver just wants to savor having brought Vettel to his knees.
« Sebastian had been leading the championship for a long time. So it’s great to be ahead, despite our ups and downs, the feeling is great! »
UPDATED DRIVER STANDINGS 🏆@LewisHamilton is now leading the championship for the first time this season! #ItalianGP 🇮🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/KantdrUHhx
— Formula 1 (@F1) 3 septembre 2017
However, that same seat is on unstable ground. Formula 1 arrives in Singapore in two weeks, on one of the worst possible circuits for the Silver Arrows. Beware of complacency!
« It’s still tight. There is still a long way to go. We are now heading to a track where Ferrari could be fast, particularly thanks to their aerodynamic downforce. The battle will continue: watch out for them in the upcoming races! »
For Bottas, no drama!
The Finn contributes to the excellent overall result of his team, after making a good start, by quickly overtaking the two contenders in front of him. By the first braking of the sixth lap, the former Williams driver was in second place, the ideal position for both him and his partner.
« As Lewis said, this start was tricky. I had to keep my cool and take positions step by step.
The car was so strong today. It was a great joy to drive it. It was the perfect result for our team!
💪💪💪 1-2 in Ferrari country! #ItalianGP 🇮🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/H7cb3zEhbW
— Mercedes-AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) 3 septembre 2017
From our special correspondent in Monza
