Sadly, Sir Lewis Hamilton has been on the longest winless streak in his career. The last time he won a race was in Saudi Arabia when he was still the reigning champion. It was the year 2021 when everything started to change in F1. Mercedes won the constructor title for the last time in 2021. But Max Verstappen stole Hamilton’s thunder that year. The Dutch racer became the new F1 World Champion. Then, the cost cap era started in 2022. The new era saw a shift in hegemony from Mercedes to their rivals, Red Bull. Since then, the two teams have gone in completely opposite directions.
The Austrian team has been rising high and higher since 2022. On the other hand, Toto Wolff’s team went downhill. After winning a solitary race in 2022 (the Brazilian Grand Prix), Mercedes remained winless last season. They had a very poor start to the 2024 season. However, the Brackley team has never lost their optimism. Clearly, there is something wrong with their simulations and understanding of the car. Otherwise, they would not perform so horribly and still feel optimistic. However, Lewis Hamilton feels there is still a long way to go this season.
Despite A “Very Complex” Situation, Lewis Hamilton Said “It’s Not Over Yet”
Recently, in an interview with Ted Kravitz of Sky F1, Lewis Hamilton mentioned that it is true that Mercedes has not mastered the current set of regulations. Things have been very difficult for Mercedes since the change of regulations in 2022. Moreover, the seven-time champion noted that they have not mastered it yet, but it is still not over. Hamilton also added that in the F1 sport, he feels it is naturally difficult to master certain regulations. Moreover, the Mercedes superstar pointed out that starting on the right foot is the key, as then a team will know that their first “Brick has got a good foundation.” Then, they can just keep on building on that.
Moreover, Lewis Hamilton said that the Silver Arrows have been through exactly that in the previous era. Later, the seven-time champion talked about the current generation of Mercedes cars. He noted that they started with five bricks, which means good weight. Every time they had to just knock it down and try again. Hamilton said, “Basically, they just try taking off that performance.” Moreover, the most successful racer mentioned they have tried everything and made a lot of changes. Sometimes, they lost their way and found it again, and vice versa. That’s why Hamilton said the situation is very complex.
Then, Why The Seven-Time Champion Still Feels Optimistic About The Mercedes Car?
After everything Hamilton has seen in the W15 car, he still feels optimistic about what can possibly be unlocked. Moreover, Mercedes and Hamilton’s first three races in 2024 have been terrible. It has been the worst start to a season for the great Briton. Nevertheless, during the media session at Suzuka, Lewis Hamilton mentioned he is still positive about W15’s potential.
During the first two races, Hamilton mentioned there had been small showings of the car when it felt great. There have been those moments when the car felt like having a good pace. However, suddenly, it kind of disappears, says Hamilton. Hence, the Mercedes superstar says there is a performance for sure. Now, all they need to do is to make the car easier to drive and make it more consistent.
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