Lewis Hamilton expressed his disappointment with the recurring issues that plagued Mercedes in Saudi Arabia, despite acknowledging the potential of their 2024 Formula 1 car. Throughout the weekend at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Hamilton struggled, failing to achieve a position higher than eighth in the three practice sessions. He attributed his difficulties to a lack of rear-end grip and experimented with a higher-downforce rear-wing option during the final practice hour. However, reverting to a lower-downforce configuration did not solve the problem, as bouncing became a major hindrance, resulting in his eighth-place finish. Hamilton explained that the bouncing made it challenging to push in the first sector, causing their slow performance in that area. Mercedes has been particularly affected by the porpoising issue that has plagued ground effect cars since 2022. George Russell also attributed the bouncing to his inability to improve, suggesting that Mercedes may need to compromise on ground clearance. When asked about the frustration of the issue affecting their competitiveness for the past two seasons, Hamilton responded with resignation, stating, “It is what it is… and it’s three years…” Nevertheless, he maintained that Mercedes had succeeded in creating a more compliant base with their revamped W15 car, noting that it outperformed last year’s model in various aspects. However, the bouncing problem remains a significant obstacle. Hamilton acknowledged that they were closer to their competitors in the second and third sectors but struggled in the first sector, which mirrored their performance from the previous year. While his eighth-place finish in Jeddah was an improvement from his performance in Bahrain the previous week, Hamilton admitted that his one-lap form had been subpar. As a result, his focus for the upcoming race was to score as many points as possible, as he acknowledged that Mercedes was not in contention for the top positions. He stated that he would not take unnecessary risks during the race to gain positions, as he did not want to jeopardize the team’s point tally. However, if a suitable opportunity arose, he would seize it.
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