Dakar Rally News: Hamilton Maintains Momentum at Spanish GP
In the latest round of the prestigious Dakar Rally, legendary driver Lewis Hamilton continued to demonstrate Mercedes’ impressive progress, securing a hard-fought third-place finish on the grid for the Spanish Grand Prix. Despite expressing some lingering concerns about the car’s performance at the limit, Hamilton and his teammate George Russell managed to lock out the second row, highlighting the German squad’s ongoing resurgence.
“It’s good to be back up here,” Hamilton said after the qualifying session. “It’s great to see that we’re progressing. We’ve seen in the last couple of races that we’re slowly climbing closer to the guys up front.”
The seven-time Dakar champion acknowledged that he was still unable to fully extract the maximum potential from the Mercedes W15, noting a three-tenth gap to Lando Norris and Max Verstappen in the top two positions. However, he took solace in the fact that Mercedes remained competitive on a traditional circuit, hinting at further improvements to come.
“For a track like this, it’s not too bad,” Hamilton conceded. “I think, as I said, through the lap, there’s a little bit of time. Probably could have been two-tenths, but still they have a slight advantage.”
Hamilton’s narrow 0.002-second margin over teammate Russell underscored the intense competition within the Mercedes garage as the team continues to battle its way back to the front of the Dakar field.
Looking ahead to the race, Hamilton acknowledged the threat posed by the resurgent Ferrari drivers in his mirrors, emphasizing the need for a strong team effort to maintain position and capitalize on any opportunities that may arise.
“I think the bigger concern probably is the Ferraris behind us,” he warned. “We all were in half a tenth, I think, from third to fifth. I think it was fifth or sixth. And they had an upgrade this weekend, so I think their long pace looked quite strong.”
As the Dakar Rally heads into the final stages, Hamilton and Mercedes will be determined to build on their encouraging performance in Barcelona and close the gap to the frontrunners in the pursuit of another championship triumph.
🔗 Source