Hamilton’s Monaco win raises mechanics’ morale

Reigning world champion had been facing technical issues in current season

MONACO: Winning the Monaco Grand Prix transformed Lewis Hamilton’s Formula One season and also provided a timely boost for those working on the triple world champion’s side of the Mercedes garage.

The reigning champions switched the group of engineers and mechanics around at the end of last year, with most of those who had worked with the Briton now assisting his German teammate Nico Rosberg.

With Rosberg winning the first four races of the season to build a substantial lead in the championship, Mercedes have already had to deny conspiracy theories and the pressure was building. Sunday’s race was the Briton’s first success of the season.



“Hopefully it will be a boost for my mechanics who have been nervous all year,” Hamilton told reporters. “It’s not easy coming from one side of the garage to the world champion’s car.”

Hamilton had been 43 points behind Rosberg before Monaco, the showcase race that every driver wants to win, but ended the weekend only 24 adrift and with everything to play for.

Perez reminds top teams of his talent

McLaren reject Sergio Perez hopes his impressive third place for Force India at the Monaco Grand Prix will remind Formula One’s top teams of his talent.

The Mexican hailed Sunday’s race as one of the best of his career, while dedicating the British-based team’s fourth ever podium appearance to absent co-owner and principal Vijay Mallya.



Perez was a member of Ferrari’s academy and started out with Swiss-based Sauber in 2011, with two second places and a third in 2012 showing he was much more than just a driver bringing important sponsorship dollars to the team.

He moved to McLaren for 2013 with high hopes as replacement for Britain’s Lewis Hamilton, who had joined Mercedes, but his arrival coincided with the former world champions’ dramatic decline.

McLaren, who have not won a race since 2012, replaced the Mexican with Denmark’s Kevin Magnussen for 2014 and Perez’s future in the sport looked in doubt until Force India threw him a lifeline.



The Mexican has amply rewarded that faith, with Sunday’s podium his third for the team as well as their best ever result in Monaco.

With Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen out of contract at the end of the season, when he will be 37, there could be a vacancy at the Italian team and Perez is a former member of the ‘family’.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 31^st, 2016.

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