The Sao Paulo Grand Prix turned out to be a tough event for Lewis Hamilton, who struggled with his car all weekend. He left Interlagos with just a single point out of the possible 34 available over the weekend, leaving fans to wonder what was wrong with the setup of his car.
In Mercedes’ Race Debrief on YouTube, Andrew Shovlin, the team’s trackside engineering director, was asked why Hamilton seemed to have so much trouble with his W15. He explained that Hamilton couldn’t get the setup he wanted, largely due to the changing weather conditions in Brazil.
Shovlin shared that, generally, Mercedes lets its drivers have freedom with car setup, allowing them to adjust things based on what feels best. However, this wasn’t the case for the Briton in Sao Paulo, where he couldn’t get the rear grip he needed.
The changing weather only added to this challenge, as different sessions had vastly different conditions. “The other factor with the weekend was the conditions were very different,” said Shovlin. “So you didn’t have the session after session to iterate the setup and understand how to get the most out of the car.”
“So again that isn’t the reason for the issue but was certainly something that made it more difficult for him to get the setup that he wanted on for the race,” he concluded.
You just HAVE to see this!
Lewis Hamilton’s flying lap of Interlagos, in Ayrton Senna’s 1990 championship-winning car! #F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/bPhYUIctf2
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 4, 2024
Hamilton’s frustration was clear throughout the weekend having failed to reach Q3 in both qualifying sessions. He also said that his car felt “undrivable” as he managed only a P10 finish in the Grand Prix, and 11th in the sprint race.
The seven-time champion had driven Ayrton Senna’s 1990 championship-winning McLaren before the Grand Prix on Sunday and interestingly, he even said that the old McLaren felt stronger than his W15.
Hamilton is unlikely to finish his Mercedes stint on a high
With only three races left before he makes his big switch to Ferrari for 2025, Hamilton is left frustrated with his unfulfilled goals with Mercedes this season. Mercedes had hoped to give Hamilton a strong finish to his time with them, but after a weekend like this in Brazil, it looks like that may be a challenge.
There were even some rumors of the #44 driver having an early exit from the team. However, the Silver Arrows have confirmed that it isn’t the case and Hamilton is keen on giving it 100% in the last three races of 2024.
With time running out, Hamilton’s chances of ending his Mercedes career on a high note seem slim. The W15 is currently in no man’s land in the pecking order, way off Red Bull and Ferrari’s pace who are fighting for P2, but clear of the likes of Aston Martin, Haas, Williams, and RB.
So, Hamilton fighting for wins or podiums would be extremely circumstantial in the remaining races. The one positive he will take away from 2024 will be his ninth victory at Silverstone which ended the win drought that lasted almost 1000 days.
