Lewis Hamilton was unable to surpass Oscar Piastri from McLaren in Jeddah, as Mercedes’ struggles at the start of the 2024 season were evident. Hamilton had a less impressive performance in the Saudi Arabian GP. Mercedes struggled to keep up with McLaren in Jeddah, with both Hamilton and his teammate qualifying in seventh and eighth place, respectively, behind the two Woking cars. The seven-time world champion failed to make any significant progress during the race and ended up finishing in ninth place. Now, Hamilton has expressed his dissatisfaction at only bringing a few points to the team.
According to Hamilton, the weekend in Saudi Arabia was far from pleasant for the British driver. The seven-time world champion emphasized that he had to fight hard to secure ninth place in the race. Lewis Hamilton was certainly not thrilled to race for just two points, especially considering his status as the most successful driver in Formula 1 history.
On the other hand, Hamilton mentioned that he found some pleasure in competing against his rivals. The British driver believed he pushed himself to the limit during the race, trying to gain as much ground as possible. With the streets of Jeddah as the backdrop, the seven-time world champion was on the edge, extracting every ounce of performance from the Mercedes W15.
Hamilton revealed that the Mercedes W15 performed well in low-speed corners. Additionally, the Silver Arrows seemed to be on par with McLaren in medium-speed corners. However, Hamilton admitted that the team still had a lot of work to do to match the competition in high-speed sections of the track.
Furthermore, Hamilton confessed that he felt like he was competing in a different category at the Saudi Arabian GP. The seven-time world champion highlighted the significant performance difference between Mercedes and its competitors in high-speed corners as the main reason for this feeling. It is clear that the Silver Arrows are lacking in this aspect.
Previously, Hamilton acknowledged that Mercedes needed to make improvements with updates during the season for the W15. The team has not been able to keep up with Red Bull and Ferrari so far. However, it remains to be seen if Hamilton and his teammate George Russell can potentially challenge for podiums in the upcoming races.
