Lewis Hamilton suspects Mercedes’ recent upgrades may have slowed his car down, as he qualified behind teammate George Russell in Mexico despite using new-spec components. Hamilton, who placed sixth in Q3, found himself almost three-tenths adrift of Russell, who was running the older car specification, adding to Hamilton’s concerns that the latest updates haven’t improved performance as expected.
After a solid P3 session that seemed to be a step forward, Hamilton and Mercedes made final changes to increase downforce by adding a larger rear wing. However, the change backfired, unraveling the progress Hamilton had felt in the morning. “P3 felt decent. It felt like we were on the right track,” Hamilton explained. “But then we put the bigger wing on, and just went slower. I had no rear. It was like it flipped on its head. It’s a very strange thing with the car.”
The seven-time world champion also recounted the “three-wheeling” issue that has plagued him since his spin in Austin, describing how the ride height unpredictably shifts, destabilizing the car’s balance. “We have three-wheeling, and the ride height is moving 15mm up and down,” he explained. “When it does that, it s***s the bed, basically.” This instability has become a recurring issue for Hamilton, who suspects it’s amplified by the new components.
Hamilton and team principal Toto Wolff disagree on the upgrades’ impact. While Wolff sees no glaring issue, Hamilton is convinced the changes haven’t delivered the hoped-for gains, anticipating Mercedes will struggle to keep pace with Ferrari, Red Bull, and McLaren in Sunday’s race. “I don’t think we can compete with the guys ahead. They are just too far,” Hamilton admitted. Nonetheless, he remains focused on data collection, as having one car with upgrades and one without provides a valuable comparison.
As the race approaches, Hamilton has a straightforward goal: “I just want to get to the end of the race this time, at least.” His sights are set on finishing strong while Mercedes continues to seek answers for its ongoing setup challenges.
