Lewis Hamilton, the renowned Formula 1 driver from Mercedes, has called for modifications to be made to the 2024 car due to a disappointing start to the season. The team has struggled to score significant points in the first two races, and Hamilton has been vocal about the shortcomings of the W15 challenger. He believes that significant upgrades could enhance the performance of the car and improve its chassis.
Not everyone agrees with Hamilton’s assessment, however. A former F1 Technical Director, whose name is not mentioned in the text, criticized Hamilton’s comments. This unnamed individual pointed out that Hamilton suggested major changes to the car following a disappointing end to the previous season. Furthermore, they highlighted that Hamilton was referencing concepts seen on rival teams’ cars, showing a lack of awareness of their own car’s setup.
The critic emphasized the importance of the underfloor in the car and claimed that Hamilton was attempting to replicate design features from Red Bull’s RB20. However, they argued that the W15 requires more than just visual changes and that the team still lacks knowledge about the necessary ground-effects for the car.
The W15 challenger’s instability at high speeds has posed problems for the drivers. This has led Gary Anderson, the Englishman who criticized Hamilton, to believe that the season is shaping up to be similar to previous years. He urged Mercedes to be realistic about the car’s performance and face the truth about its shortcomings.
Despite the criticism, Anderson acknowledged that Mercedes showed competitive performance during early practice sessions. However, their performance declined during subsequent sessions, causing difficulties during races. This inconsistency has forced Mercedes to continuously work on the car to extract maximum performance.
The team hopes that with some adjustments to the chassis, they can compete strongly in the latter half of the season. They are determined not to let Hamilton down before his expected move to Ferrari in the 2025 season.