John Watson: Lewis Hamilton needs to win one of the next two races
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John Watson
After the setback of US Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton and his team are left with everything to do in the remainder of the next 5 races of the 2021 F1 calendar. Given that Mercedes is leading by 23 points, their rivals Red Bull are high on momentum and with Mexican GP next, the Austrian team would be looking to cut the gap even further. Five-time GP winner John Watson however, feels that it is important for the reigning champion to win at least one of the next two races.
Hamilton has lost ground to Verstappen on the track in the previous two races, and will be itching to make his way back. To those are not aware, visits to Mexico and Brazil are upcoming, where Red Bull have held an advantage in recent years, before new arrivals in Qatar (Losail) and Saudi Arabia (Jeddah), and the season finale at a heavily-modified Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.
John Watson on Lewis Hamilton
“I think that the momentum right now is with Red Bull,” the five-time Grand Prix winner John Watson told RacingNews365.com in an exclusive interview. “In terms of the knowns, I would say Mexico and Brazil favour Red Bull. Abu Dhabi is probably even-stevens, and the other two, Qatar and Saudi, are open for either team.
“Mercedes has made a significant comeback in terms of its performance. And Lewis is still driving, as he showed on Sunday, at the top of his game. But on the other hand, you’ve got an issue around Mercedes with motors and reliability.
“The reality is, Lewis needs to win one of the next two races, and Max have one of the two as a poor result. If Max wins in Mexico, it’s going to be very, very difficult for Lewis to find a way to get back on terms, other than through an unforeseen unreliability issue with Red Bull.”
“Lewis has got every element in the toolbox to take the battle to Max,” Watson went on to comment. “What he needs is to have the performance, but most of all the reliability, to know that he can nail the car, and that he’s got the maximum potential performance from every component.”
Asked if these reliability concerns will be on Hamilton’s mind, and potentially impact his driving, Watson stated, “It’ll not affect his performance, but obviously if he’s on the back foot, then he’s going to be limited in what he’s going to be able to do. He needs Mercedes to deliver at every one of the final five races. This is the first genuine championship competition in the hybrid era. Lewis’ opposition has primarily only come from his own teammates, not a rival team, as is the case now. It has got all the makings of a stellar finale to the championship.”
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