Lewis Hamilton, the British driver for Mercedes AMG F1, addressed the struggles his team faced in the Bahrain Grand Prix of Formula 1. He emphasized that he is not disheartened by the performance and instead sees it as a starting point for improvement in the upcoming season. Mercedes underwent a complete overhaul with their 2024 car after disappointing seasons since the introduction of ground effect cars in 2022. Despite positive feedback from drivers during winter testing, the team failed to deliver the desired results in the season-opener. Hamilton finished in seventh place, trailing behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen who took the victory. The 46.7-second deficit to Verstappen came as a surprise to Hamilton, but he remains satisfied with the W15 car as it provides a solid foundation compared to the previous year. Hamilton expressed optimism about the team’s ability to build upon this foundation and improve their performance in the future. While he previously stated that the 2024 car is one he can compete with, Hamilton believes it is too early to make a definitive judgment. He acknowledged that the set-up of the car was not ideal in the Bahrain Grand Prix and expressed confidence that with a better qualifying position, he could have finished higher. Despite the challenges, Hamilton acknowledged that Mercedes is still the third quickest team on the grid.
Hamilton’s qualifying position of ninth proved to be a hindrance as both Mercedes drivers faced issues with engine cooling. Hamilton described how his battery was depleted, causing him to lose ground to the McLarens. After rectifying the issue, he faced further challenges with overheating brakes, resulting in a lackluster performance overall.
Ferrari also encountered extensive brake troubles, with Charles Leclerc struggling with a significant temperature split in his front brakes. Hamilton acknowledged that Mercedes’ problems were worse than anticipated, further impacting their race.
Hamilton expressed frustration at being on the wrong side of narrow margins during qualifying, which ultimately left him with a significant deficit to overcome during the race. Despite this, he managed to overtake Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and took advantage of an undercut to pass McLaren’s Oscar Piastri after exiting the pits.
While Hamilton had some enjoyment in battling with Piastri at Turn 1, he admitted that the gap was too large to fully recover from his earlier setbacks.