It is known to every single Formula One fan that Lewis Hamilton has been winless for over a year now. Last season saw the F1 great go through a winless run for the first time in his career. In his 15-year-long and illustrious career, Hamilton has won as many as 103 races and 104 pole positions. At present, no driver has even reached 100 wins in the history of the game. Moreover, all these years, the Briton driver has driven only Mercedes-powered cars. Even when he started with McLaren, the car’s engines were Mercedes power units.
But then, in 2013, Hamilton joined the Mercedes F1 team, and the rest is history. Hence, the chemistry between the driver and Mercedes cars has been very successful. However, in the last couple of years, the German team has not been at their best. Since last year, the Brackley team failed to build the fastest car. Lewis Hamilton still believes the problem lies with the rear end. The team needs to work on it.
Lewis Hamilton Suggests The Primary Concern Is Still The Rear-End
Lewis Hamilton has been saying since the season opener that the main problem of the car lies in the rear-end and the cockpit position. But the Mercedes boss previously said the changes Hamilton is asking for could happen when the whole setup gets a makeover. That means Lewis Hamilton will have to wait for the next year to get possibly his desired car. But in a recent interview, the seven-time champion mentioned the team is constantly trying to learn more about the car. Everything matters, from the car’s performance in cross-winds to the airflow of the car.
Also, the Brackley team is learning about the high-slow-medium corners to the high-medium-low downforce, along with the tires and high speed. But the rear-end is still the primary problem, feels Hamilton. However, Lewis Hamilton feels the focus in the second half of the season will be to finish second in both driver’s and constructor’s championships. The seven-time champion feels it would be a huge achievement if they finish second. Moreover, Lewis Hamilton believes every small change the team made this year, from adding downforce and so on, made a difference.
The Seven-Time Champion Is Looking To Biding The Time
But it is clear that Hamilton is waiting to drive the fastest car on the grid again. However, it will be a matter of time to see if W15 is the car to help him win his eighth title. Until then, the idea is to stay motivated. Lewis Hamilton says he is biding time and looking for things to stay positive. For instance, he has got the F1 movie to make with Brad Pitt under his production house. It is a great source of motivation. He really needs it. Moreover, they are not at the top and dominating the grid anymore. Instead, they are struggling to get the car right. The Brackley team has been dealing with multiple issues since the introduction of the cost cap regulations.
At first, they believed in the zero-side pod concept back in 2022. It was not a great idea because the W13 car became much slower than they could imagine. Moreover, the car had severe porpoising issues, and it caused too much bouncing. These issues made the lives of the engineers and drivers all the way more difficult. However, they worked on it and reduced the porpoising issue but still had no side pods at the start of the season. Very soon, they realized the W14 car needed side pods like Red Bull. Later, in the Monaco Grand Prix, they did add side pods along with front and floor suspensions.
