It is clear as crystal that Formula One ace Lewis Hamilton has been struggling badly since last year. After narrowly missing out on the driver’s world championship, fans expected Hamilton to come back stronger than ever. But it was not meant to be. He somehow lost his way and his grip on the title. It was mainly due to the car, and the cost cap era has not been friendly toward Mercedes. Since 2022, the best result for Lewis and his team has been a few P2 finishes only. The seven-time champion clearly wants to get back to winning ways. He and his fans have waited for a win for a long time now.
After Mercedes introduced new upgrades to the W14 car, things are looking a little better. But still, the W14 car has not helped them end their rival’s winning streak. As a result, the Silver Arrows drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have been complaining about the car’s rear end for a long time. Recently in the British Grand Prix, McLaren’s Lando Norris was able to beat Lewis Hamilton. Moreover, Lando’s teammate Oscar Piastri surprisingly beat the front runners to secure the fourth position. Although Lando Norris has been impressive since the Austrian Grand Prix as he has been faster than Hamilton and Russell since then. And Lewis Hamilton believes it is because of the MCL60’s rear end that is helping Lando achieve such speed.
Lewis Hamilton Believes MCL60’s Rear-End Design Is What Mercedes Must Adapt
In Silverstone, Lando Norris surprisingly did well and got a P2 finish. Hence, Mercedes is looking at another competitor after they already had tough battles with Aston Martin and Ferrari. Apparently, Red Bull is a little too far ahead of all the teams. As a result, team Mercedes has decided to start focusing on the 2024’s car shortly as they have no other choice. However, Lewis Hamilton mentioned in the post-race interviews what his team must do to get back to winning ways. The seven-time champion feels that, at first, his team can start listening to his feedback because he knows what the car needs to win.
After losing to Norris, Hamilton felt that Mercedes could solve their rear-end issue if they copied the design from McLaren’s MCL60. He even told Sky Sports F1 that the MCL60’s rear-end design is the way forward for them. As he mentioned, “We’ll start moving in the right direction as soon as we have the rear-end like MCL60.” However, the W14 has been more consistent than MCL60 throughout this season. Apparently, after taking suggestions from Hamilton, Mercedes had found positive results in the past. Hence, the fans will wait and see if the Brackley team introduces a new upgrade in the Hungarian Grand Prix with an MCL60-style rear end.
Mercedes Team Boss And Driver Feels They Should Start Focusing On 2024
Since the Monaco Grand Prix, Mercedes introduced several changes to W14. They added side pods, front and floor suspensions, and recently, a new front wing to enhance pace around the low-speed corners. But the two problems Lewis Hamilton has been talking about since the opening race in Bahrain are still there. The issue with the rear-end downforce and the seat position is still bothering Hamilton. But Toto Wolff, the Mercedes boss, mentioned that they are losing time to fight for the title.
Hence, they may have to start planning for the next year’s car soon. They have no other option. Even Lewis Hamilton said before that he would like to fight for the next year’s championship from the very beginning. In 2023, it was a learning curve for Mercedes. Initially, they were unsure about introducing new side pods. The start of the season really messed up their proceedings. They don’t want to repeat the same mistakes from the next year.
