Lewis Hamilton, the British driver for Mercedes AMG F1, caused sparks to fly during the Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying session for the 2024 Formula 1 season. Despite his previous strong performance in practice, Hamilton’s ninth place on the grid can be attributed to a setup change that prioritized race pace. While he topped the second practice session on Thursday, this speed did not carry over to Friday’s running. In the Q3 top-10 shootout, Hamilton secured the second-to-last spot, finishing 0.531s behind polesitter Max Verstappen. In contrast, his teammate George Russell achieved third place. Hamilton acknowledged the difference in performance, attributing it to a change in car setup. However, he expressed satisfaction with his W15 machine. Hamilton and Russell had initially shared identical car setups, but they diverged in their approaches. Hamilton hopes that his setup change will improve his race pace, as tire degradation is a significant factor in this circuit. He also recognizes that position on the grid is important. Russell’s qualifying performance was impressive, as he finished just 0.306s behind the pole position and less than a tenth behind second-placed Charles Leclerc. The competition among the drivers behind the reigning World Champion was fierce during Friday’s qualifying session.
Hamilton attributed Russell’s impressive performance to the efforts of the Mercedes team members in Brackley, who have successfully turned things around from last year’s W14. He also emphasized that his change in set-up direction prevented him from showcasing the improvements in one-lap pace achieved in the W15.
“The position George is in is a testament to the hard work of everyone at the factory, who have finally provided us with a competitive car,” Hamilton stated.
“Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take advantage of that today when I made the set-up change. I introduced something to the car that we haven’t used in the past two years, hoping it would work out. I decided to stick with it, but it didn’t provide a pleasant driving experience.”
Despite the set-up changes, Hamilton firmly believes that the W15, which will be his final Mercedes Formula 1 car before he switches to Ferrari in 2025, is a significant improvement over its predecessor.
“The car is truly fantastic, representing a substantial leap forward from previous years,” he remarked.
“It’s more stable and enjoyable to drive, but there is still work to be done, as evident from our performance. However, George being only three-tenths behind Max Verstappen is incredible. It demonstrates what is possible, and we must continue to strive for better performance. If this is our starting point, we can make progress throughout the rest of the season.”
Ultimately, qualifying did not go in Hamilton’s favor, but the seven-time World Champion remains hopeful that the Mercedes team has a strong foundation for their 2024 campaign. He aims to end his two consecutive winless seasons and believes they have a competitive package.
“It was a disappointing first qualifying session, considering the amount of preparation that went into it. However, that’s just how racing goes,” Hamilton acknowledged.
“But looking at the season as a whole, it’s satisfying to know that we have a package that could potentially allow us to compete.