Mercedes could spring a ‘surprise’ at the Austrian Grand Prix after Lewis Hamilton finally ‘got his act together’, former Formula One champion Emerson Fittipaldi believes. Hamilton’s form has improved in recent months and he looks increasingly likely to challenge Max Verstappen to a Grand Prix triumph.
Consecutive podium finishes have boosted Hamilton’s chances of earning a first race win since 2021. Red Bull’s Verstappen has recently dominated the sport and has won six of this year’s eight races.
Fittipaldi believes that Hamilton is now in a position to challenge the Dutchman and could use Austria to his advantage. The two-time world champion pointed to the unique conditions in Austria as a reason why the Mercedes star can spring a ‘surprise’.
“Austria could be an exciting race because the teams are getting more competitive and are balanced. If it rains, a lot of things can change. We could have a surprise from Mercedes because it looks like Lewis is coming back and they’re getting the act together,” Fittipaldi told Wettfreunde.
“When I hear Toto Wolff say that they have new upgrades for the next few Grands Prix, it won’t be a big surprise if Mercedes run very strong now. Fernando will be contending for sure. He’s been on the podium often this season and he’s feeling very good and determined. The team will be putting in the effort.”
Hamilton has fought back after a period in the wilderness, finishing on the podium in Barcelona and Canada. The seven-time world champion had previously blamed Mercedes’ W14 and last year’s W13 for his struggles.
Last week, Hamilton called for stricter regulations on when teams can start developing their cars for the next campaign to avoid periods of ‘dominance’. “If everyone had a time [to start on the next car], no one has a head start and then it’s a real race,” he said.
“Maybe that would help everyone be closer the following year. In my 17 years of being here, even before I got here, you would see periods of dominance and it continues to happen.
“I was very fortunate to have one of those periods and Max [Verstappen] is having one now. With the way it’s going, it will continue to happen over and over again, and I don’t think we need that in the sport.
“When you are so far ahead, 100 points ahead, you don’t really need to do a lot of development on your car so you can start earlier on your next car. And with the budget cap that means spending that year’s money on next year’s car.
“Something has got to change because when we were winning championships, we could start earlier than everyone else. It would be cool to see in the next period if we don’t have huge bands of time when one team is ahead because we want to see better racing.”
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