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Lewis Hamilton expressed his disappointment with the recurring issues that plagued Mercedes in Saudi Arabia, despite acknowledging the potential of his 2024 Formula 1 car. Throughout the weekend at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Hamilton faced difficulties, unable to achieve a position better than eighth in all three practice sessions. He attributed his struggles to lack of rear grip and tried a rear wing option with more downforce during the final practice hour. However, reverting to a lower downforce setup did not solve the issue, as the “bouncing” became a major obstacle, resulting in his eighth place finish. Hamilton explained that the “bouncing” hindered his performance in the first sector, causing a slow pace 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 the car’s ride height. When asked about the frustration of dealing with this issue over the past two years, Hamilton responded resignedly, stating: “It is what it is… and it’s been three years already…” However, he emphasized that Mercedes has managed to create a more flexible base with its revamped W15 car, noting that it has surpassed last year’s model in several aspects. Nevertheless, the “bouncing” issue remains a significant obstacle. Hamilton acknowledged that they were closer to their competitors in the second and third sectors, but faced difficulties in the first sector, reflecting their performance from the previous year. Although his eighth place finish in Jeddah was an improvement from his performance in Bahrain the week before, Hamilton admitted that his single lap pace was below expectations. As a result, his focus for the next race was to score as many points as possible, as he recognized 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 compromise the team’s points. However, if a suitable opportunity arose, he would take advantage of it.
