Lewis Hamilton crashed in the 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix as he was chasing down Max Verstappen.
After a break of three years, the Mercedes driver is back in Imola with the intention of competing, if not challenging Red Bull, at the racecourse.
The second portion of a scheduled upgrade package will be brought to the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix this weekend by the Silver Arrows.
Last time out in Miami, the team ran the first half, with Hamilton finding it difficult to even pass a Haas for P8 in the Sprint due to his lack of straight-line speed.
In his battle for the lead three years prior, Hamilton was anxious to pass the American team as one of his backmarkers.
At Imola, the reigning world champion and Verstappen engaged in a close duel for P1 after they passed the Williams and Haas vehicles.
Nevertheless, Hamilton mishandled a pass on George Russell, his future teammate, which was not helped by the wet track in northern Italy.
On fresh slick tyres, the 39-year-old was closing in on race leader Verstappen when he lost control and went over the gravel trap and into the barriers.
Over the radio, the hesitant British celebrity apologised to the listeners.
However, being aware of the circumstances, his race engineer responded with calmness, saying, “Yeah, no sweat.”
Hamilton appeared to be out of the running for the podium, but luckily for Mercedes and their lead driver, he was able to reverse back onto the course.
Russell and Valtteri Bottas, his present and future teammates, collided at 190 mph, yet a pivotal red light moment saved his race.
At the time, Russell was a Mercedes junior driver filling in for Williams at the Silver Arrows, hoping to unseat the Finish star.
His lone success came from smashing into Bottas on the approach to Tamburello, then stepping out of his cockpit to angrily slap his rival’s helmet.
Russell later made comments that Toto Wolff expressly denounced and then repudiated, implying that Bottas caused the incident because he felt threatened by him in his Mercedes seat.
The thrilling encounter put an end to the races of both drivers, but the red flag that followed only managed to save Hamilton’s.
Mercedes took advantage of the race halt to finish fixing their vehicle, and Hamilton duly made a tremendous comeback, moving up to second place from eighth.
Hamilton later said, “On my side, it wasn’t the best of days; it’s the first time I’ve made a mistake in a long time.”
He continued, saying, “I remember sitting there looking at the barrier and I refused to believe that the race was done, that the race was over.” “I’m glad I didn’t just turn the power off and leave, even though I could have.” There are so many things to learn, therefore I was attempting to channel my rage into constructive energy so I could go on and compete.
Adversity can take many different forms, however whether it comes to obstacles, hurdles, or challenges, overcoming them is always more fulfilling. We are not defined by our faults; rather, it is our ability to pick ourselves up after falling.
In three years, the British player will have to perform flawlessly if Mercedes is to have a shot at another podium.