Is the Mercedes dynasty starting to wobble? That was the impression in Austria last weekend as the Silver Arrows suffered their first double mechanical failure since returning to Formula One in 2010 as a works team. But Lewis Hamilton, chasing a record sixth British Grand Prix victory at Silverstone today, shrugged off the setback yesterday as an aberration rather than cause for alarm.
"What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger," said Hamilton, who fell one point behind title rival Sebastian Vettel after retiring in Spielberg with a fuel pressure problem. "The spirit in the team is stronger than it has ever been. While it was a painful experience, it actually brought us closer. Coming here, there have been some fixes already. I'm confident we have done everything possible to make sure it doesn't happen again."
Not that Hamilton could give any guarantees. A theme of the 2018 season so far has been Mercedes' uncharacteristic gaffes, first in denying Hamilton an apparently certain win in Melbourne due to a computer glitch, then in failing to bring him into the pits during a virtual safety car period in Austria, with the upshot that he dropped from first to fourth. A once-impregnable team is showing glimpses of fallibility, with James Vowles, Mercedes' chief strategist, giving a humiliating apology to Hamilton over team radio for the latest mistake.
"I hope the next mistake isn't in a title decider, but I can't predict what's going to happen," Hamilton said. "What I can say is I feel I have the best team of strategists behind me. Look at how many wins I have had here. We have had far, far more successes than failures, and there is no way to be perfect."
It is a concern for Mercedes, though, that their painful lapse in the Styrian mountains came after they had just introduced an expensive engine upgrade.
Hamilton has history in his sights, with a chance to pull clear of Alain Prost and the late Jim Clark as the British Grand Prix's most decorated driver, on six wins...