Lewis Hamilton News: Hamilton offers candid verdict on Mercedes' Imola GP upgrades

lewis hamilton, mercedes, chinese grand prix, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Superstars

Hamilton offers candid verdict on Mercedes' Imola GP upgrades

The seven-time F1 world champion has struggled to get his W15 in the groove

Originally written by Sam Cook. This version is a translation.

Tuesday 21 May 2024 19:00

Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton has once again bemoaned his W15 machinery, despite upgrades brought to the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix weekend by the team.

Hamilton has had a poor 2024, only achieving one top-six finish so far, last time out at the Miami GP.

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He sits in ninth in the drivers' championship, ten points behind team-mate George Russell in what is his last season with the Brackley-based squad before heading to Ferrari in 2025.

Mercedes have an upgraded package in Imola, and had been expecting to close the gap to McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull, who have all also brought upgrades to the track.

Lewis Hamilton has struggled so far in 2024

Max Verstappen claimed pole position at Imola

Hamilton's Mercedes misery continues

"It's been a harder day than yesterday but I still enjoyed it," the seven-time champion told Sky Sports. "I love qualifying. Saturday is always a fun day but it's been a struggle on Saturdays for me.

"If the balance is like that, I don't know [how the race will go].

"Our car is on a knife edge. We are making the smallest changes from session to session, trying not to do the big changes we have done in the past.

"It felt really good yesterday, the upgrades felt great on track. For us in general, coming into today, it felt like a lack of rear end then when we got into qualifying the rear was a lot more loose than it was in previous sessions.

"All you can do is try and combat it when you are out there.

"But the rear temperatures end up getting hotter through the lap, so the car was sliding more and once you get to the last corner, the car feels a lot different."

Red Bull Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Mercedes McLaren