Red Bull views Lewis Hamilton as a significant part of the Mercedes problem in the underwhelming start to the 2022 season.
In 2022, Mercedes had a tough start to the season. Though they are standing P2 in the table, but are likely to fall behind Red Bull in the next race.
Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion, dominated the F1 grid with Mercedes for years. But in the last race, after several hardships, he could only secure a point from Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, his teammate George Russell had a better performance. With this, Russell certainly seems to be more comfortable with the machinery. But the Red Bull chief Helmut Marko says it’s too early to say that Russell is performing better.
Though, he also claimed that Hamilton made a grave mistake in Bahrain. Since then, according to Marko, Hamilton has been struggling with his setup.
“No, Russell is not at Hamilton’s level yet. Lewis completely screwed up in Bahrain, and since then he’s been struggling with the set-up and getting the tyres into the right temperature window,” the Red Bull advisor explained in a conversation with Österreich.
When Marko asked what could lead Hamilton to don’t figure out his setup, the Austrian replied that he was not sure, but there could be several factors.
“Many things play a role, such as tyre pressure, wear and so on. Of course, the feeling of the drivers is also important. And we know what we have in Max. He is expensive, but he is worth every cent,” Marko concludes.
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Lewis Hamilton aims to bounce back
Mercedes’s first two races don’t indicate that they are ready for the championship challenge. However, the Briton, after his race in Saudi Arabia, vowed that the team would work hard to bounce back.
Lewis Hamilton is not optimistic for the Saudi GP:
“I’ve got the same car as I had in qualifying, so I don’t anticipate moving that far forwards”.
— The Outside Line (@TheOutsideLine_) March 27, 2022
Surely, Mercedes has the right personnel to take care of the issues in hand. Moreover, with around 21 more races to go, things can still be changed on the grid, and the Silver Arrows could once again triumph in the F1 contest this year.
Though, it remains to be seen whether Toto Wolff, under his leadership, manages to pull the strings or not.
Also read: Lewis Hamilton got into trouble with Australian Police for doing a burnout
