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Hamilton’s title hopes get boost as Mercedes remain defiant

Sport
Lewis Hamilton’s slim hopes of launching a world Formula One motor racing title challenge this year have been boosted this week by his Mercedes team’s defiant rejection of any crisis talk.

LONDON — Lewis Hamilton’s slim hopes of launching a world Formula One motor racing title challenge this year have been boosted this week by his Mercedes team’s defiant rejection of any crisis talk.

Reuters

In the wake of last Sunday’s flop at the German Grand Prix where both Briton Hamilton and his German team-mate Nico Rosberg struggled with their Pirelli tyres, the team have declared they will resolve their problems with the controversial fast-wearing Italian tyres.

Hamilton has yet to register his maiden victory with the team following his move from McLaren but has been the fastest qualifier at the last two races.

Mercedes motorsport chief Toto Wolff rejected suggestions that the recurrence of early season degradation problems could still undermine the huge potential of a car that is undeniably fast.

Hamilton proved this when he grabbed pole position at both the British and German Grands Prix, but a combination of tyre problems — blowouts and Silverstone and poor durability and performance at the Nurburgring — wrecked his hopes of a win.

But Wolff said: “It is not fair to say Germany was a huge disappointment for us — it was just disappointing . . . It is not nice to see a car that won seven days earlier not performing in the same way — going from a top car to a midfield performer.

“But we know the car is pretty quick and a car cannot change that much in just seven days! So we know not what we have to put our heads together and use the team we have and find a solution to our problems.”