It was a forgettable weekend for Hamilton as Mercedes’ struggles with their 2024 Formula 1 car, the W15, continue to hinder their performance this season.
Mercedes seems to be struggling to understand what makes their car fast and what doesn’t. Team boss Toto Wolff even admitted that they took the wrong direction with Hamilton’s car setup at one point.
Despite a slight improvement in the final practice session, Hamilton failed to qualify for Q3, while his teammate George Russell, who seems to have a better grasp of the W15, qualified in seventh place.
In the race, Hamilton showed some early progress by starting on the Soft tires instead of the more common Mediums. However, his race came to an end on Lap 17 due to a power unit failure.
In a statement released by Mercedes after the race, Hamilton expressed his disappointment: “My race was going okay until we suffered the Power Unit failure. It’s difficult to overtake here, but we had gained some positions early on with the Soft tire. It’s unfortunate that we had to retire because there was still a long way to go. I was starting to push, but the Power Unit just stopped. These things happen, and I know we will bounce back.”
Despite the challenges with their car this season, Hamilton remains optimistic that the situation will improve: “We will also make improvements to the car as the season progresses. We have done so in the past, and I am confident we will do so again. It’s tough that we’re not as competitive as we would like at the moment, but we will keep working hard. I am focused on doing that with the team. In the short term, I expect it will still be difficult for us to challenge higher up the field, but we will see what we can do in the medium term.”
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff described the race as disappointing: “After making the bold decision to start on the Soft tire, Lewis made good progress initially. Unfortunately, his race came to an end shortly after. We will send the Power Unit back for investigation. Nobody feels positive about our current situation, but we are determined to turn things around. It’s tough to accept, but we will remain calm and composed. We have seen other teams recover quickly when they get things right, and that’s what we’re aiming to do.”
Mercedes currently sits in fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship with 26 points as they head to the next grand prix in Japan.