Once Mercedes chose to give up his seventh position on the grid in order to accept a new power unit, Lewis Hamilton realized he was going to have a difficult Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
But Hamilton struggled to gain any ground in the tail of his competitors, destroying the team’s expectations that he would be able to exploit that extra power to salvage a respectable points finish.
Whether Hamilton was on the medium or hard compound, his rubber would overheat and he would repeatedly be unable to attack the car in front of him. Additionally, his last opportunity to move forward vanished when the Virtual Safety Car was used in the final laps, just as he was beginning to gain ground.
Mercedes had forecast earlier in the race
Hamilton’s radio commentary for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Go to:
“Overtaking is going to be challenging.”
“This tire is not too good.”
“The back is simply swaying”
“This tire is far superior.”
“Am I really that slow?”
“Do you see how I have to operate this vehicle?”
“Now my tires are destroyed.”
“He is supporting me.”
“I won’t even mention it.”
“The race was terrifying.”
