
Hockenheim, Germany - Formula One leader Lewis Hamilton is hoping rain will come to the rescue as a Hockenheim heatwave threatens to dash Mercedes's hopes of a home German Grand Prix win on Sunday.
The five-times world champion and Mercedes have been dominant this season, the team winning nine of 10 races so far, but they wilted in the sweltering heat at last month’s Austrian Grand Prix.
Mercedes has made changes to help cool the car but, with much of Europe caught in the grip of a heatwave, Hockenheim could be even hotter than the temperatures were at Spielberg where Max Verstappen won for Red Bull.
"If it stays this hot we are going to struggle and be in trouble," the 34-year-old Briton, who leads team-mate Valtteri Bottas by 39 points in the standings, told reporters on Thursday.
"There is not much we can do (when it comes to cooling), it is a much bigger design issue when it gets hot which is not so easy to change.