The weekend at Chinese GP didn’t go as planned for the eight-time Constructors’ Champions. The technical team looks ‘clueless’ as they made drastic changes for the main race after a decent sprint race. The Silver Arrows have been waiting to end a trophy drought for three years. However, with problems harrowing the W15 car, things keep getting worse.
Lewis Hamilton was clearly disappointed by the car upgrades during the Shanghai sprint. Moreover, this is the Briton’s worst season start since his debut. The seven-time world champion has scored 19 points in five races. Also, the 39-year-old racer has yet to finish a race ahead of his teammate, George Rusell. Despite a poor run, Mercedes’s technical head, James Allison, is optimistic about crucial upgrades ahead of the Miami GP.
Mercedes Is Positive For Miami After China Blunder
At the Chinese GP, Hamilton finished ninth, while Rusell was sixth. However, Hamilton had a decent outing, securing the second spot during the sprint. Later, it all went downhill after plenty of radical tweaking by the technical team. The upgrades backfired, as the Mercedes driver was heard complaining about the car’s pace. In a video uploaded by Mercedes, James Allison acknowledged that the W15 car has some ‘underlying balance issues.’ He believes that the challenge for the technical team is to tweak the pieces and set up to improve the balance. Further, he added that long and high-speed corners are ‘hemorrhaging’ their lap time.
However, Allison is sure that the upgrade package for the upcoming Miami GP will fix the balance puzzle. Despite the on-track struggle, the technical spearhead sounds confident, as he is willing to ‘learn from the mistakes’ of the Chinese GP. Although Miami’s racing circuit is almost opposite of Shanghai’s, the Silver Arrows are planning a more ‘orthodox’ approach. It’ll be interesting to see how the upgrade package helps the struggling three-pointed stars.
Toto Wolff Backs His Star Racer
While most F1 fans criticize Hamilton’s current form, the team boss has stood up in support. Toto Wolff believes that the seven-time world champion has played his part in uplifting the team’s morale. Whereas the Briton is set to leave for Ferrari in the upcoming season, his professionalism remains intact. During an interview with Autosport, Wolff hailed the former world champion and called him ‘A Pro.’
Notably, the legendary racer is going through a rough patch, failing to finish in the top six. While the 39-year-old is set to leave for Ferrari, his primary focus is to overcome the current challenges. He is willing to finish his final season at Mercedes with silverware. However, words of appreciation from Wolff would help the champion driver overcome the adversities.