(Baku) Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton is dealing with a back injury a week before the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.
Posted at 8:35 p.m.
The seven-time world champion said he was “praying” for Sunday’s Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix to come to an end. In particular, he clung to his back as he cautiously exited his Mercedes after finishing fourth.
The 37-year-old driver complained about his Mercedes car’s tendency to bounce when hitting high speeds.
“There were several moments that I didn’t know if I was going to finish the race and if I was going to be able to keep the car on the track,” Hamilton said after the race. This is the most painful and hardest race I have known.
“I was just holding on and gritting my teeth from the pain. The adrenaline helped me, but I can’t express the pain I felt, especially on the (extremely fast) straights. I was just praying it would stop. »
He told Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff that the car “absolutely needs to be modified”.
Rule changes this season have forced cars closer to the ground and stiffer suspensions.
Wolff told Hamilton via team radio towards the end of the race: “Lewis, we all know it’s a bit of a ‘shitty car’ and we’re sorry about your back. We’ll fix it.”
Wolff told reporters in Baku that he will consider using a replacement driver in Montreal if Hamilton is still unwell.
Mercedes’ substitute drivers are Stoffel Vandoorne and Nyck de Vries.
Hamilton’s absence would be a blow to the contested race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, which will be held for the first time since 2019. The 2020 and 2021 editions have been canceled due to COVID-19.
Hamilton sits sixth in the drivers’ standings with 88 points. Red Bull driver Max Verstappen is the leader.