Hamilton slates Mercedes W14 - 'This isn't the right car'
Hamilton slates Mercedes W14 - 'This isn't the right car'
Lewis Hamilton has added to his criticism of the Mercedes W14 by claiming the team knows where it is but "this isn't the right car'.
Mercedes endured a difficult 2022 season with Hamilton ending the year without a win for the first time in his F1 career.
Despite facing regular questions over its unique zeropod sidepod concept, Mercedes persisted with this philosophy into the new year, something that team principal Toto Wolff has now conceded was wrong while promising 'radical' changes.
This all comes after Hamilton finished 50 seconds off Max Verstappen at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
Asked if he was concerned that Mercedes has failed to make enough steps forward across the winter, Hamilton said: “Concern wouldn’t be the word.
"There’s nothing that I can say. I don’t really want to say too much.
“We’ve just got to keep working. We know we’re not where we need to be and we know that this isn’t the right car.
“It’s a difficult one but I’ve just got to stay positive. I’ve got to keep my head up and keep pushing the guys, keep trying to be a positive light for them and get the best points I can each weekend.”
Mercedes 'the fourth fastest team'
Mercedes' streak of eight consecutive constructors' titles came to a shuddering halt last term after dominating the standings since 2014.
Last year, the Silver Arrows finished third to Red Bull and Ferrari, but Hamilton fears the team has now also been overtaken by Aston Martin.
“They (Ferrari) were just quicker than us," he added.
"The Ferraris were just quicker than us. We’re the fourth-fastest team.
“It was close for a second but we just couldn’t hold onto him, he just kept going away. I did the best I could.”
Asked if tyre management and degradation had hindered his pace, Hamilton disregarded these reasonings and said bluntly: "It’s not the tyres, it’s just the car.”
READ MORE:
March's key F1 diary datesRelated
Change your timezone:
Latest News
How soon will Newey win the F1 title at his new team?
- 42 minutes ago
Newey submits Red Bull 'resignation' ahead of exit
- Today 14:36
- 1
Red Bull urged to ‘stop crazy TV show’ amid chaos
- 1 hour ago
Upset F1 champion 'scared' to tell Wolff of shock RETIREMENT
- 2 hours ago
F1 announce MAJOR new partnership
- 3 hours ago
F1 News Today: Newey submits Red Bull 'resignation' as Ferrari move given huge boost
- Today 14:26
Related news
Hamilton and Wolff centre stage as F1 shuts down New York for new emoji launch
F1 wonderkid in Imola TEST amid driver replacement reports
Mercedes reveal shock RED livery to celebrate historic milestone
Verstappen 'to meet Mercedes over SHOCK 2025 move as Red Bull exit clause revealed'
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860