Lewis Hamilton, the British driver of Mercedes AMG F1, caused sparks during the qualifying session of the Bahrain Grand Prix for the 2024 Formula 1 season. Despite his strong performance in practice, Hamilton’s ninth place on the grid can be attributed to a change in setup that prioritized race pace. Although he led the second practice session on Thursday, that speed did not carry over to Friday’s practice. In Q3, Hamilton secured the penultimate position, finishing 0.531s behind pole position Max Verstappen. In contrast, his teammate George Russell claimed third place. Hamilton acknowledged the performance difference, attributing it to a change in car setup. However, he expressed satisfaction with his W15 machine. Hamilton and Russell initially shared identical car setups but diverged in their approaches. Hamilton hopes that his change in setup will improve his race pace as tire degradation is a significant factor on this circuit. He also recognizes the importance of grid position. 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 managed to turn things around from last year’s W14. He also emphasized that his change in setup 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 said.
“Unfortunately, I couldn’t take advantage of it today when I made the change in setup. I introduced something to the car that we haven’t used in the past two years, hoping it would work. I decided to stick with it, but it didn’t provide a pleasant driving experience.”
Despite the changes in setup, Hamilton firmly believes that the W15, which will be his last Formula 1 car for Mercedes before switching to Ferrari in 2025, is a significant improvement over its predecessor.
“The car is truly fantastic, representing a substantial leap from previous years,” he commented.
“It’s more stable and enjoyable to drive, but there is still work to be done, as evidenced by 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 progress throughout the rest of the season.”
In the end, the qualifying didn’t favor Hamilton, but the seven-time world champion remains hopeful that the Mercedes team has a solid 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 initial qualifying session, considering the amount of preparation that was done. However, that’s 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 allow us to compete.
© 2024
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