Lewis Hamilton explains his poor restart at Zandvoort

Max Verstappen made short work of it. Towards the end of the race, Valtteri Bottas was once again forced to retire due to a reliability issue with his Alfa Romeo. The immobilized car on the straight required the intervention of the safety car. The situation benefited Lewis Hamilton, who found himself at the head of the pack.

However, during the restart, the British driver was immediately overtaken by his championship rival last season, with fresh soft tires. While this factor could explain the early change in leadership after the restart, Lewis Hamilton insists that another factor played against him.

I switched to race mode late, but I was in race mode on the straight line. “[The Red Bulls] were simply very fast on the straight line,” he explained. However, his engineer Peter Bonnington had reminded him to activate this engine mode, granting him an additional 160 horsepower from the MGU-K.

Mercedes faces a deficit in top speed.

Despite a lack of top speed from the Mercedes compared to the Red Bull, on this short straight, without DRS, Lewis Hamilton could certainly have resisted the attack from the Dutchman. However, he would have undoubtedly had to surrender to a driver who was racing at home, with fresh tires.

This top speed issue remains a major problem for Mercedes, as the W13 loses a lot of time on the straightaways compared to its competitors.

I think what we need to examine is our lack of straight-line speed. Our car generates too much drag. Before we correct that, it will be very difficult to compete with [Red Bull] on the straights, especially on a circuit where overtaking is difficult. Never say never, but the probability [of overtaking a Red Bull] is less than 50%, assures Toto Wolff, the boss of Mercedes.

The next appointment, in Monza, is likely to be once again complicated for the German team, where on this track, speed takes precedence over aerodynamics.