عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Sports

Buoyant Hamilton Seeking to Keep Momentum and More Records

Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton celebrates on the podium after winning the Formula One British Grand Prix at the Silverstone motor racing circuit in Silverstone, central England, on July 7, 2024. (Photo by BENJAMIN CREMEL / AFP)
Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton celebrates on the podium after winning the Formula One British Grand Prix at the Silverstone motor racing circuit in Silverstone, central England, on July 7, 2024. (Photo by BENJAMIN CREMEL / AFP)
TT
TT

Buoyant Hamilton Seeking to Keep Momentum and More Records

Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton celebrates on the podium after winning the Formula One British Grand Prix at the Silverstone motor racing circuit in Silverstone, central England, on July 7, 2024. (Photo by BENJAMIN CREMEL / AFP)
Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton celebrates on the podium after winning the Formula One British Grand Prix at the Silverstone motor racing circuit in Silverstone, central England, on July 7, 2024. (Photo by BENJAMIN CREMEL / AFP)

A buoyant Lewis Hamilton heads into this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix on the crest of a wave, seeking a record-increasing ninth Hungaroring victory and Mercedes' third consecutive win of the season.
After two years of struggles, Hamilton ended his long winless run at the British Grand Prix with a record ninth home triumph at Silverstone and hopes to repeat that feat in forecast intense heat at the track where last year he secured his most recent pole position, AFP said.
Following his emotional success in front of an adoring crowd in the English rain, Hamilton said he felt excited at the prospect of returning to a track where he has scored several memorable victories in his career.
"I love Hungary," he said. "And so I am definitely looking forward to going there. The trajectory we're now on and the fact that the car is starting to really, really come alive and feel great. I can't wait."
The 39-year-old seven-time world champion won at the Hungaroring -- a tight, twisty and often dusty circuit 22 kilometers north of Budapest -- in his debut season for McLaren in 2007 and again in 2009 and 2012.
After switching to Mercedes, he continued to relish the unique challenge of a track often described as 'Monaco without the walls' and won again in 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020.
If he secures a podium finish this Sunday, it will be the 200th of his career, a pole position would be a record-extending 10th, landmark achievements that set him apart as he bids to add to team-mate George Russell's victory in Austria and his own in Britain.
He and Russell know, however, that they will not be favorites despite their recent successes as defending three-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull bids to complete a hat-trick of Hungarian wins after triumphs in 2022 and last year.
"Last year was brilliant," said Verstappen. "I have good memories of racing here and last year achieved our 12th win in a row. So, hopefully, we can have a great race again."
Midway point
The Dutchman leads the title race by 84 points ahead of nearest rival and friend Lando Norris of McLaren as the season crosses the midway point after 12 of the scheduled 24 races.
Team boss Christian Horner expects a close scrap.
"It's going to be interesting to see how we perform there," he said.
"It could be very hot and I think it will be the usual people who are quick at the moment and it will be very, very close again."
That suggests Horner considers Red Bull will be fighting with McLaren and Mercedes on recent evidence, but with Ferrari likely to return to form on a tighter circuit –- not unlike Monaco where Charles Leclerc gained an emotional home win in May.
With the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps following immediately, within a week, the double-header offers an opportunity for teams to make a telling impact before Formula One takes its annual 'summer shutdown' during August.
This will translate as more pressure for struggling Sergio Perez of Red Bull who is hoping to escape a nightmare run having scored only 15 points in his last six outings since agreeing a new contract.
Ferrari are also in need of a solid result from Leclerc but have struggled with a recent upgrade package that failed.
"When you're at the sharp end, it's all marginal gains," said Horner. "Mercedes were very quick at Silverstone, took pole and the front row and then executed a good race... at least Lewis did."
His Mercedes counterpart Toto Wolff admitted: "We have momentum and gained headline results in Austria and at Silverstone, but we don't yet have a car to challenge for victories every weekend.
"The Hungaroring is very different in character to the last two circuits. We will focus on doing the best we can and hope to maintain our trajectory."

Most Viewed

 
 
Sports

Mediocre Euros, Copa América Show There is Such a Thing as Too Much Football

At the Euros, transport infrastructure broke down, basic security was inept and illogical and no effort was made to tackle the scourge of beer being used as a projectile. - Reuters
At the Euros, transport infrastructure broke down, basic security was inept and illogical and no effort was made to tackle the scourge of beer being used as a projectile. - Reuters
TT
TT

Mediocre Euros, Copa América Show There is Such a Thing as Too Much Football

At the Euros, transport infrastructure broke down, basic security was inept and illogical and no effort was made to tackle the scourge of beer being used as a projectile. - Reuters
At the Euros, transport infrastructure broke down, basic security was inept and illogical and no effort was made to tackle the scourge of beer being used as a projectile. - Reuters

On the one hand, the best side in both the Euros and Copa América ended up triumphant. On the other hand, there was just about everything else, from the general quality of play to the fact football’s authorities seem to have entirely lost the capacity to stage matches. However bad Uefa’s organisation of various aspects of the Euros was, what happened at Hard Rock Stadium was on a different level.

An inquiry will presumably be held to determine exactly who or what was to blame for the scenes that delayed kick-off by 75 minutes and led to as an estimated 7,000 fans without tickets gaining access to the ground, but what is clear is that there is need of major improvement before the stadium hosts seven games at the World Cup finals in 2026. It’s not just a question of more security: lengthy queues in searing heat are not a solution to anything.

What happened at Hard Rock Stadium was just the culmination of a month of desperate organisation. The tournament was hosted by Conmebol with little input from officials on the ground in the US, but lessons must be taken by Fifa before the World Cup returns to America in less than two years. Even before Sunday’s chaos, there had been the scenes at the semi-final as Uruguay’s players waded into the stand to, as they saw it, protect their families from Colombian fans.

At the Euros, transport infrastructure broke down, basic security was inept and illogical and no effort was made to tackle the scourge of beer being used as a projectile.

An inability to handle large crowds has been an increasing feature of recent Uefa tournaments, and it shouldn’t be forgotten that eight people died in a crush outside an Africa Cup of Nations game in Yaoundé, Cameroon, two years ago. Although many have said that there were few such issues at the last World Cup in Qatar, the circumstances were very different.

Both the Euros and the Copa América suffered from poor playing surfaces. Frankfurt was the worst surface in Germany, cutting up dreadfully, apparently because of a poor re-lay after an NFL game was staged there in November. In Düsseldorf, Uefa insisted the pitch be relaid three times between the end of the domestic season and the start of the Euros; not surprisingly, there was no time for it to bed in. There were problems in Hamburg and Gelsenkirchen as well.

At Copa América, the problem was playing in NFL stadiums, which meant pitches were often narrower than usual and that natural turf had to be hastily laid over artificial surfaces. Again, bedding in was a problem, leading to larger and looser divots, while in certain cases it appeared pallets had not been adequately fitted so the joins between adjoining tiles created gaps and ridges. Given eight of the 14 stadiums will be used at the World Cup, that is something for Fifa to consider with a degree of urgency. Conmebol seemed more concerned with the nonsense of a Shakira concert that meant half-time of the final had to be extended. How about just doing the football right?

But beyond the specifics, there has been something more existential going on. Neither the Euros nor Copa América produced consistently high-level football. Uruguay aside, pressing was limited. That’s often the case in the international game and is understandable, given the lack of time available for coaches to work with their players. Matches are far more regularly determined by individual moments. The lower quality is often offset by a greater sense of struggle and drama. In both tournaments this summer, though, the sense has been of fatigue.
Everybody is exhausted. That’s why teams so often, having taken the lead, sat back: try to hold on, run less, go again only if we have to. It’s why so many players underperformed. It’s why the most thrilling football tended to be played by countries with fewer players operating at the highest club level.

In part, that’s still the hangover from the Covid lockdown and the subsequent disruption in the calendar caused by a December World Cup in 2022. For Uefa and Conmebol there have been three major international tournaments in three years. Nobody has had a proper break since before the pandemic. On top of that, Fifa wants everybody to come back to the US next summer for the Club World Cup, although with players and clubs protesting, no venues booked and no TV deal signed, there must be at least some doubt that will go ahead.

Something, somewhere, has to give. The present fixture list is unsustainable, for players and – possibly – for the audience. The game’s authorities have to give that serious consideration, but as the last month has shown, both in Europe and in the Americas, it’s been a long time since they could be trusted to act for the good of the actual game.

The Guardian Sport