Lewis Hamilton, the British driver of Mercedes AMG F1, addressed the difficulties faced by his team at the Bahrain Grand Prix of Formula 1. He emphasized that he is not discouraged by the performance and instead sees it as a starting point for improvements in the next 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 the drivers during winter testing, the team failed to deliver the desired results in the season opener. Hamilton finished in seventh place, behind Max Verstappen of Red Bull who claimed the victory. The 46.7-second gap to Verstappen surprised 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 on this foundation and improve their performance in the future. Although 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 car setup was not ideal in the Bahrain Grand Prix and expressed confidence that with a better position in qualifying, he could have finished higher. Despite the challenges, Hamilton recognized that Mercedes is still the third fastest team on the grid.
Hamilton’s ninth-place qualifying position proved to be a hindrance, as both Mercedes drivers faced issues with engine cooling. Hamilton described how his battery was drained, causing him to lose ground to the McLarens. After fixing the issue, he encountered further challenges with brake overheating, resulting in a weak overall performance.
Ferrari also faced extensive brake issues, with Charles Leclerc dealing with a significant temperature difference in the front brakes. Hamilton acknowledged that Mercedes’ problems were worse than expected, further impacting his race.
Hamilton expressed frustration at being on the wrong side of narrow margins during qualifying, which ultimately left him at a significant disadvantage to overcome during the race. However, he managed to overtake Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin and took advantage of a pit stop to pass McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
Although Hamilton enjoyed battling with Piastri at Turn 1, he admitted that the gap was too large to fully recover from his earlier setbacks.
