Mercedes ace Lewis Hamilton has been waiting for his moment to get back to title contentions. But it has not been an easy journey for him and his team ever since last year. After the 2021 F1 season, Mercedes did not have the right car to help Lewis win another title. There was so much trouble with the W13 car that the drivers could not get the performance they were hoping for. However, the expectations were very high for the W14 car this year. The Silver Arrows fans thought the team had figured out the issues with bouncing that really created problems last year.
This year, the German manufacturing team has reduced the porpoising issue with the car. And the double-podium in Spain was much more satisfying because the team has been working on upgrades for so long. Finally, when they did use the upgrades, they wanted results. Although, Mercedes did not have much success in Monaco, where they tested the modifications for the first time. That is why they really needed success in the Spanish Grand Prix. However, there was a moment when the Grand Prix could’ve ended for Lewis Hamilton in Lap 1 itself as he had contact with the McLaren car of Lando Norris.
Andrew Shovlin Feels Lewis Hamilton Is Lucky To Get A P2 Finish In The Last GP
Looks like the Mercedes F1 team learned a lot from its success in the Brazilian Grand Prix last year. Apparently, they would not want to make the same mistake of thinking, “The car is great” again. From the team principal to the engineers and drivers, all of them are trying to be realistic and just not overly optimistic. They know the updated car still needs more improvements to get even close to Red Bull. To fans’ surprise, Max Verstappen was still 24 seconds faster than Lewis Hamilton in Barcelona, Spain, last weekend. The seven-time world champion also had a brief contact with MacLaren’s Lando Norris in the first lap itself. That is why the trackside engineer of Mercedes feels Hamilton was lucky to be on the podium in the previous Grand Prix.
It is because the race could end pretty quickly for Lewis Hamilton after his contact with Norris. Hamilton started the race at P4 and, at turn two, clashed with Lando’s car. His car suffered front wing damage and hence ended his tussle for the front row, but Hamilton left without even a puncture. Andrew Shovlin explained that moment as lucky because only the wheel shield got damaged with that contact. It was not very scary for the team, as in the next pit stop, the team had to change the wheels with a new shield, and everything got back to normal in no time.
W14 Not Even A Match For RB19
Clearly, the W14 car is no match for Red Bull’s RB19. Red Bull and Max Verstappen are using the RB19 car to its fullest advantage. They are not giving any other team or driver to take their place at the top. Verstappen has won five from all the races so far, but Red Bull has won all as his teammate Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez won the other two.
On the other hand, Mercedes had their first double-podium finish of the year in Spain last weekend, but not a win. It was the second podium of the season for Lewis Hamilton and the first for his teammate George Russell. The seven-time champion came second at the Australian Grand Prix too. It has been quite a while since team Mercedes secured a chequered flag win.