Sir Lewis Hamilton had struggled with the Mercedes car since 2022. It has not helped his desire to be a world champion again. In 2021, he lost narrowly and even controversially to the reigning triple-time champion Max Verstappen. Since then, everything has gone downhill for the seven-time champion, struggling with the car. Moreover, the great Briton has been winless since 2022. The last time he won a race was in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 2021. Moreover, 2022 was the first year in F1 that Hamilton did not win a single Grand Prix since he made his debut in 2007.
Hence, in 2024, it was high time for Lewis Hamilton to make a tough decision. And he did. The seven-time champion shocked the F1 world when he announced his move to Ferrari in 2025. As a result, 2024 will mark the last collaboration between Hamilton and Mercedes. It has been an epic team-driver partnership for over a decade. They dominated the grid from 2014 to 2021, winning eight constructor titles in a row. However, in 2024, Lewis Hamilton feels he is driving a car from a different category in F1.
Lewis Hamilton Says Mercedes Is Still Struggling Through The High-Speed
Mercedes messed up their concept in 2022. They won only in Brazil that year. In 2023, the Silver Arrows struggled around the high-speed corners more than they did in the low-speed corners. Apparently, they are dealing with the same situation in 2024. Lewis Hamilton did not have a great outing in Saudi Arabia this year. He said the weekend was pretty tough as he finished ninth in Jeddah. Albeit, he had qualified for that race at P8. Later, the Mercedes team principal, agreeing with Hamilton, accepted the truth that there was something fundamentally wrong with the car. For instance, why do they struggle around the high-speed corners so much?
After the Saudi Arabian GP in 2024, Lewis Hamilton mentioned Mercedes could have some difficult races ahead. He said there will be challenging weekends in the following races. Moreover, Hamilton pointed at the package they currently have. Their current package puts them on the backfoot at all the high-speed circuits. Moreover, Lewis Hamilton mentioned that they are not so bad around low and medium-speed corners. But for the high-speed circuits, they need to add performance. Moreover, Hamilton told Autosport that it seemed to him “I was in a different category through the high-speed corners from the other guys.”
The Seven-Time Champion Is Not Having Fun At Present
Lewis Hamilton said he is trying to do his best to have a great final season with Mercedes. But after the first two races of the year, he is clearly not having fun. Lewis told Autosport that it does not feel fun to finish at P9. However, he is enjoying the actual racing part. Moreover, Lewis Hamilton mentioned that he tried to hunt and push it to the limit.
Hamilton tried to maximize everything he had with the car. He was pretty much on the edge. But the car really lacked performance around the high-speed corner. That’s where Hamilton mentioned, “The rest of the guys were walking all over us.” Moreover, Hamilton says it is truly frustrating to be in the same position for three years.
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