The Australian Grand Prix revealed a lot of things about team Mercedes. We know now that the team is able to bounce back as they did in Brazil last year. Lewis Hamilton’s second position on the podium was a result of the little upgrades brought to the car ahead of the Melbourne race. It was a phenomenal performance of Mercedes, indeed. However, Hamilton figured out some of the problems too. Just after the race was over, he revealed that the far forward’s cockpit position of his W14 car made him a little uncomfortable. Anyways, it is not a surprise to count on the mistakes coming with the 2023 F1 Mercedes car. The team itself has admitted that it failed to meet the expectations.
The black livery W14 is not a revolution but an evolution of the worst Mercedes car, the W13. It has the same side pod design, though it is not similar in giving issues. The 2023 Mercedes creation has fewer flaws than W13, but it is not flawless! Well, no one is. But Red Bull is. And that is the problem. With the three races held so far, two things are clear: Red Bull is superior, and Mercedes has some fundamental issues that must take a year time to get fixed. One of the issues is the cockpit position, as figured out by the seven-time world champion. And the main reason for this is the same! REGULATION CHANGES. However, let’s read what Lewis Hamilton exactly explained about the matter.
Lewis Hamilton Explains How The Cockpit’s Wrong Position Made Him Struggle
Hamilton explained that Mercedes drivers sit closer to the front wheels than the rest of the team’s drivers. “Our cockpit is too close to the front,” he said. And when he drives, it feels like he is not sitting on the seat but on the front wheels. And “This is one of the worst feels ever felt by a driver while driving a car,” he added.
Meanwhile, the question is, Is the cockpit issue really big? Does it change anything? Yes. It really changes the entire attitude of the car. The skills to perceive the movement of the car gets an impact. According to Lewis, it becomes harder to predict things in that situation compared to when you are further back and you are sitting closer, towards the center. Lewis Hamilton may have managed to secure the first podium of the season, but he really struggled with the cockpit issue.
While discussing the matter, Lewis Hamilton revealed that he spoke to his team about it. He listened to the team when they told him to go in this direction. But he regrets following it. “only had I known the situation already that I had to struggle with, it would not have happened.” he said. And now it has to change in the future. How sure? 100%.
Speaking of the changes, we can accept that, yes, Mercedes is capable of bringing changes. In fact, change is what it all depends upon. The concept of the W14 is wrong, and the Brackley team is changing the entire concept by bringing upgrades to several parts of the car. They have successfully gotten rid of the porpoising issues. But the cockpit position still remains to recover. So now, Mercedes must make the decision of where to put the cockpit.
