Lewis Hamilton, whose contract with Mercedes expires at the end of the 2023 season, is desperate for wins. After their underwhelming campaign last year, many expected them to bounce back this year but so far, they haven’t been able to do so. According to F1 journalist Tom Clarkson, however, Mercedes is desperate right now, and they are ready to rush their development.
At the 2023 Imola GP, Mercedes and Hamilton were set to receive a strong upgrade package. It was expected to bolster their performance considerably, but the race got canceled due to the horrific weather conditions in the Emilia-Romagna region. The next race, Monaco, is one where teams usually like to play it safe.
The streets of Monaco aren’t easy for drivers to overtake. As a result, having an upgrade package come in for the Monaco GP doesn’t make much sense. Mercedes, however, desperately wants Hamilton and George Russell to start getting in results, which is why they may be forced to rush their decision.
Why else would Mercedes want their upgrades rushed?
In a Twitter post, Simon Dau reports how Clarkson feels Mercedes’ decision to bring upgrades to Monaco isn’t convincing. While there is a pessimistic opinion about the team wanting to rush their upgrades, Clarkson also thinks that Mercedes found promising results on the simulator.
#F1 press conference host Tom Clarkson thinks there can be only 2 reasons why Mercs are bringing their big upgrades to Monaco, rather than delaying it by a week to Spain, a la Ferrari: either simulator data was too impressive to make it worth the risk, or it’s out of desperation. pic.twitter.com/5PhXXMZDv3
— Simon Dau (@there_is_no_if) May 23, 2023
If Mercedes’ upgrades show good improvement in one-lap pace, Monaco could be a good place for them to bounce back. Since it’s a track where overtaking is difficult, qualifying and track position becomes vital. If Hamilton and Russell put in good qualifying laps, they could leave the principality with some strong points and maybe even a couple of podiums.
Other than that, the only other reason they could be bringing in upgrades to Monte Carlo is out of desperation.
Lewis Hamilton aims for second podium of the season
After an underwhelming 2022 season, Mercedes was expected to bounce back this campaign. So far, they haven’t had the pace to come anywhere close to winning a race. On top of that, Red Bull is miles ahead of the rest of the field at the moment.
Time to hit the streets. 💎 pic.twitter.com/R8mrqJIrqT
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) May 23, 2023
Even if Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes find pace, it is very unlikely that they will catch the Red Bull drivers. The best they can hope for realistically, is a spot in the podium places. That is, if they manage to outperform both Aston Martin and Ferrari this weekend.
