Lewis Hamilton has been consistent with his complaints from the W14, especially after the practice sessions before almost every race. However, when the main race starts, Hamilton often has a strong outing, with six podiums exemplifying the same. The case was the same in Mexico as Hamilton was unhappy with his car’s pace throughout all practice sessions, but when the race ended, Hamilton crossed the line in P2 with the fastest lap time to his name.
Given the same, F1 expert Alex Brundle deemed the seven-time world champion a pessimist while addressing Hamilton’s performance on Spotify’s F1: Chequered Flag Podcast.
“Sometimes Lewis [Hamilton] is very pessimistic about the way that the car is operating through Free Practice,” said Brundle.
Ahead of the race in Mexico, Hamilton was wary of his car not performing at the optimum level. He said the car had been a nightmare to drive and also thought the tires would overheat during the race. However, the Briton was calculated in his approach and used all of his experience to ensure a strong finish while driving a car worthy of taking the challenge to Red Bull in the upcoming season.
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have a new outlook for the 2024 season
Following the race in Suzuka, Hamilton had little hope of a Mercedes resurgence in the 2024 season. Seeing the impressive progress of McLaren and Ferrari, the Briton felt his team had fallen further behind in the development race and that they needed to catch up with them before they could challenge Red Bull for the title. However, given their pace in the last two races and the P2 finish in Mexico, Hamilton has his faith in Mercedes refreshed.
Fastest lap on 42 lap old mediums 🤯
Sir Lewis Hamilton 🐐 pic.twitter.com/a0GNzLMIkE
— Mercedes-AMG F1 News (@MercedesNewsUK) October 29, 2023
Speaking to the F1 media, Hamilton said he knows his team can build a great car, which is something they could not to do in the last two years. He added they need to be strategic in their approach as the team is aware Red Bull’s progress.
The recent upgrades to the W14 have been beyond impressive as Hamilton finished P2 in Austin (although it did not stand) and Mexico, filling him with confidence as he chases Sergio Perez for P2 in the driver’s standings. With only three races left in the season, Mercedes will look to make the most of their latest and potentially the last upgrades to the W14.
