Lewis Hamilton has not been happy with the W14 car ever since he has driven it in the opening Grand Prix in Bahrain this year. The car did not have side pods, plus the drivers complained about the rear downforce as well. Hamilton also pointed out the cockpit position that is not making him comfortable. According to the seven-time champion, the cockpit is too close to the front wheel. Apparently, when he drives the car, it does not make him comfortable to know that he is too close to the wheels. Since the start, he wanted the seat position to change, and later, he also talked about it in Saudi Arabia. However, even after upgrades to W14 since the Monaco Grand Prix, the seat position is still the same. And that is really bugging the seven-time champion.
Lewis Hamilton Can’t Do Anything About Fixing The Cockpit Position
The seven-time champion has made it pretty vocal that he is feeling discomfort due to the seat position of the W14 car. Even after the modifications, Lewis Hamilton is not totally comfortable, as he says, “I can do nothing about the cockpit position.” Boss Toto Wolff also made it clear that before the season is over, they cannot change the chassis. And until they do that, the seat position will remain the same. Hence, Hamilton will need to change his driving style to adapt to the seat position for the rest of the season. In an interview with F1i.com, Hamilton mentioned that the only thing you can do about the cockpit is to slow the rotation rate and stabilize the rear end. According to him, those things depend on the mechanical balance. But it is limited to the tools a team has got.
But why does the Mercedes driver doesn’t like sitting close to the front wheel? To that, Hamilton gladly replied, “Over the years, I’ve enjoyed driving an oversteering car. But when we sit too close near the front wheel. It’s the worst feeling as it is hard to predict if you are further back or sitting at the center.” Even though the team cannot solve the problem of seat position, they are indeed heading in the right direction. Evidently, Lewis Hamilton is pretty glad about that part. Moreover, it is now or never for Mercedes to turn things around or even try to close the gap between them and the arch-rivals, Red Bull.
The 38 Year Old Is Desperate For A Championship-Winning Car
Currently, what Lewis Hamilton needs is a smooth and fast car that enables him to win another championship. He came so close in 2021, but unfortunately, things went topsyturvy from the final race of 2021 in Abu Dhabi. Hamilton lost his chance of winning the coveted eighth title two years back. On the other hand, Mercedes lost its grip on the constructors’ title due to their poor car last year as well as this year.
But Hamilton was happy with the upgrades to the W14 car after driving in Monaco. He even mentioned, “Albeit it is not the ideal track to test upgrades, the car feels pretty good.” Moreover, going to Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix, Mercedes was hopeful. It is because the track has generally favored the Brackley team. Indeed they were right, as Mercedes had their first double podium. Lewis Hamilton came second again after the Australian Grand Prix this year.
