Lewis Hamilton has doubled down on his assessment that he no longer has any hope of fighting for the 2022 F1 world title. Hamilton and Mercedes endured a painful weekend at Imola, as the W13's struggles continued, with the seven-time World Champion leaving empty-handed. Having dropped out in the second phase of qualifying, Hamilton was unable to make any progress in the Sprint or the main Grand Prix as he ended up 13th, nine positions behind teammate George Russell.
Wolff and Hamilton exchange words
The predicament prompted Mercedes boss Toto Wolff to apologise to Hamilton over the radio on the lap back to the pits. "Sorry for what you have needed to drive today. I know this is undriveable and not what we deserve to score as a result," said Wolff. "We'll move from there, but this was a terrible race. We will come out of this." Hamilton responded: "Yeah, no worries, Toto. Let's keep working hard."
Hamilton admits title hopes are over
Speaking to media when he returned to the paddock, Hamilton admitted there was little he could do during the race, most of which he spent stuck behind AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly, and doubted the addition of DRS would have helped. "I really don't know, to be honest. I don't think it would have made much of a difference," he told Sky Sports F1 , with the overtaking aid not available for around half of the 63-lap wet/dry encounter. "It's a weekend to forget, that's for sure." Asked again about his hopes of fighting for the title, Hamilton issued a clear response. "I mean, I'm out of the championship, there's no question about that," he added. "I'll still keep working as hard as I can and try and somehow put it back together."
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