Lewis Hamilton is hopeful that Mercedes’ latest upgrade, introduced ahead of this weekend’s 2024 United States Grand Prix, will help the team resolve the performance struggles that have plagued their recent races. Despite some strong mid-season performances, Mercedes has struggled to maintain their form, and Hamilton is cautiously optimistic that the recent break has allowed the team to diagnose and address their issues.
Mercedes enjoyed a successful stretch earlier in the year, winning three out of four races in June and July, with George Russell claiming victory in Austria and Hamilton taking top honors in Britain and Belgium. However, that momentum has waned in the latter part of the season, with only one podium finish in the last four races.
Speaking to select media, including Total-Motosport.com, Hamilton said the recent time off gave Mercedes the opportunity to reassess their approach and bring crucial updates to the car, but he acknowledged that the Sprint format at the Circuit of the Americas complicates matters.
“The team has had more time to analyse and think about where we’ve gone wrong,” Hamilton explained. “We’ve been out of sync compared to other teams. They’ve brought upgrades at times when we haven’t, so we’re bringing one here. Some teams brought small pieces earlier at Zandvoort and Monza, but we’ve just been a bit off in terms of timing.”
Hamilton admitted that Mercedes had lost their way with the car’s setup in recent races and pointed to aging components, like the car’s floor, as contributing to the performance decline. “We understand where we’ve veered off,” he said, adding that the team now has a clearer idea of where things have gone wrong.
However, with the US Grand Prix being a Sprint weekend, Hamilton is concerned that the team won’t have enough track time to properly dial in the upgrades before qualifying and the race. Sprint weekends only allow for one hour of practice before Sprint Qualifying, which limits the ability to make major setup adjustments.
“It’s pretty impossible, unless you’re just lucky and it works from the get-go,” Hamilton said of integrating an upgrade during a Sprint weekend. “Nine times out of 10, that’s not the case. It’s difficult, but everyone is in the same boat. We’ve made more than enough mistakes, and hopefully, we’ve learned from them so we can start from a better platform.”
Hamilton admitted that Mercedes’ simulations have not been ideal over the past year, which has made it harder to hit the ground running on race weekends. Nonetheless, the seven-time world champion remains hopeful that the team’s hard work will pay off in Austin, as they look to close the gap to their rivals in the final races of the season.
With championship points at stake in both the Sprint and the main race, Mercedes will be aiming to maximize the potential of their latest updates to regain momentum in the crucial final stretch of the season.
