Mercedes director makes HUMILIATING Hamilton admission ahead of British GP
Mercedes director makes HUMILIATING Hamilton admission ahead of British GP
Mercedes have experienced a very topsy turvy start to the Formula 1 season, with major upgrades introduced at the Monaco Grand Prix helping to thrust the car towards the front of the F1 pack, before the team tailed off at last week’s Austrian Grand Prix.
Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton has been the higher-performing of the two drivers for the team so far this season, sitting in fourth place in the drivers’ championship.
Recent upgrades had helped them to apply pressure on Ferrari at the Canadian Grand Prix, before struggling at the Austrian Grand Prix, where their drivers finished in seventh and eighth place despite post-race track limit penalties.
This weekend’s British Grand Prix is an important one for the Silver Arrows, with more upgrades set to be brought to their car as they bid to return to the forefront of the F1 field.
READ MORE: Hamilton PUNISHED for breaking FIA rule ahead of British GP
Allison: Mercedes made naive assumptions
Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport Mercedes technical director James Allison discussed some of the decisions that Mercedes have made over the last few years, and talked about why Lewis Hamilton may be struggling with the W14.
“Lewis doesn't like the driving behaviour of the car," Allison admitted. "He sits in a different position compared to before. I don't like to judge whether one is related to the other.
“I had some conversations with Lewis about it. I don't think the sitting position is a big factor in the problems he feels with the car."
Going back to the decisions made as early as last season, Allison admits that the team made mistakes when trying to understand their car.
He said: “Last year's model was conceived with the naive assumption that we can drive it as low as possible. Then we realised that this was not possible.
“When we had to go higher, we were a good bit outside the area in which the aerodynamics work optimally.
“This year we have a little better control over how deep we can drive before we get into problems. We are not perfect yet, but we are approaching perfection."
Heading into the British Grand Prix – a race bookmarked by the team as one of their best chances to win all season – the team’s newfound understanding of the car, as well as further upgrades, should help to bring them closer to challenging to become the first non-Red Bull winner in 2023.
READ MORE: F1 Race Engineers: The stars of team radio with Hamilton, Verstappen and co
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Verstappen 'to meet Mercedes over SHOCK 2025 move as Red Bull exit clause revealed'
- 55 minutes ago
F1 champion reveals £100 MILLION contract to keep racing
- 1 hour ago
F1 News Today: Newey 'property hunt' reveals Red Bull exit clues as Hamilton hints at Ferrari swoop
- 2 hours ago
Sky Sports F1 pundit calls for RADICAL change with impressive argument
- 2 hours ago
- 1
Newey TURNED DOWN F1 rivals before Red Bull decision
- 3 hours ago
Newey's wife 'scoping out properties' in MAJOR hint over next move
- Today 14:57
Related news
British Grand Prix fate sealed in MASSIVE F1 announcement
F1 British Grand Prix 2024: Full guide and ticket details for Silverstone spectacular
Brad Pitt's F1 blockbuster film hits SETBACK after British GP filming
Wolff DEMANDS 'no stone unturned' at Mercedes to stop Red Bull dominance
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