Lewis Hamilton “could’ve fought for victory” in the Las Vegas Grand Prix, states F1 journalist

F1 pundit Michael Schmidt feels Lewis Hamilton could have raced for the win at the 2023 F1 Las Vegas GP. Though the seven-time world champion started the race from 10th, Schmidt reckons that Mercedes had good pace around the new track in the US.

In an exclusive column on Auto Motor und Sport, the F1 pundit claimed that when Hamilton's Mercedes W14 was in free air, the driver was clocking in some fast laps that were comparable to those of the frontrunners. He stated that there were essentially two unlucky instances that threw away his chances of fighting for the win.

"Lewis Hamilton could also have fought for victory, even if it didn't look like it at first glance. But the Mercedes driver did fast laps, like the frontrunners, when driving in free air. Hamilton was unlucky twice on his way to seventh place."

Michael Schmidt went on to explain how Lewis Hamilton was hit from behind by Carlos Sainz, which forced him to lose several places at the start of the race. He stated:

"At the start, he was rammed by Carlos Sainz. In order to not hit other cars, Hamilton had to take the long way through the first curve and rejoin the pack in 15th. 14 laps later, the record winner was back in eighth place. But then there was a contact in the duel with Oscar Piastri on the right rear wheel against the left front wheel."

Furthermore, Lewis Hamilton also collided with Oscar Piastri and was forced to do an extra lap with a slow puncture on his right rear tire. He said that these incidents ruined the Briton's strategy and chances of finishing in a decent position in the Las Vegas GP.

"While Piastri immediately headed for the boxes with a puncture, Hamilton only noticed shortly after the pit entrance that his right rear tire was losing air. The lap with the slow puncture cost the Briton 15 seconds. This not only threw him back to 18th place, it also ruined his entire strategy."

---

Lewis Hamilton was delighted with 2023 F1 Las Vegas GP track despite poor race result

Even though Lewis Hamilton did not have the best race in the 2023 F1 Las Vegas GP, he was happy to see how the track delivered in the main race. He said that the numerous overtaking opportunities made the track fun for drivers.

"I'm really grateful that the race was so good. I don't know how it was for the spectators, but there was so much overtaking, it was like...Baku but better. I really was not expecting the track to be so great. More and more laps I did, I just really loved racing. Lots of great overtaking opportunities," Hamilton told Sky Sports after the race.

The Mercedes driver started the race from 10th and managed to finish seventh. He is third in the drivers' standings with one race to go, trailing second-placed Sergio Perez by 41 points.