Toto Wolff is hoping Lewis Hamilton can repeat his Brazilian Grand Prix heroics from the 2021 race and produce something special again at Interlagos.
The seven-time world champion produced one of the best weekend performances of his career to win in Sao Paulo last year. He bounced back from disqualification to finish fifth from last place in the Saturday Sprint, before going on to beat Max Verstappen to the chequered flag in the main event.
The locals were ecstatic after the race – Hamilton has always been hugely popular in Brazil, and he further endeared himself by wrapping the country's flag around himself on the podium. And now he has been made an honorary citizen of the South American country, a victory would go down even more nicely this year.
It will be tougher, though, considering neither he nor his team-mate George Russell have managed to win a race this season. Mercedes have shown huge improvement in the last two races, but still could not stop Verstappen and may have missed out on their best chances to finally stand on the top step of a podium in 2022.
Team principal Wolff expects it to be tougher for them in Sao Paulo than it was last time out in Mexico, but knows Hamilton could still produce something special. "Interlagos is an iconic track and the scene of so many special F1 moments, including Lewis' spectacular performance last year in the Sprint and the Race," said the Austrian.
"We're proud to be coming back to Brazil, with Lewis having been made an honorary citizen this week and having had such good memories there in the past. On paper, it shouldn't be quite as strong a circuit for us as Mexico, but regardless, we want to keep up our momentum from recent races. So, we will keep working hard to hopefully be in the mix once again.
Hamilton received his honorary citizenship this week, in a special ceremony which took place in the chamber of the Brazilian Congress. "I'd like to say a big, big thank you to everyone here at the house, for all those who've moved mountains to make this day possible," he told the fans who had amassed in the chamber.
"It is honestly the greatest honour for me to be here receiving and accepting this citizenship. I really do feel like now I'm one of you, finally. When I arrived here in 2007 [Hamilton’s first F1 season], the love that's grown, the experiences we've had and, particularly 2021, knowing you guys were cheering me on the way, it was one of the most special moments of my entire life."
Hamilton's Interlagos heroics in 2021 were not enough to prevent Verstappen winning the drivers' title. But his Brazilian fans were keen to make it clear they felt he was the one who deserved to take the championship, as they corrected president of the Chamber of Deputies Arthur Lira to make sure he referred to the 37-year-old as an "eight-time champion".
