Lewis Hamilton Spills Secret on Mercedes’ Weakness Amid Threat to Mercedes’ Win Streak

After a slow start to the 2024 season, Mercedes finally returned to winning ways with two back-to-back victories in Austria and Britain. However, this winning streak was put under threat when Lewis Hamilton and George Russell suffered a disastrous Qualifying session in Hungary.

Russell, because of an interrupted session, got knocked out of Q1 and will start the race from P17. Hamilton, meanwhile, looked strong in the initial stages but his pace dropped towards the end, which is why he was limited to a P5 result.

After Qualifying, Hamilton told Sky Sports F1 why Mercedes struggled.

“We got the car in a relatively decent place, but when it gets hot we’re just not particularly fast. When the session started it was much cooler and we were rapid. As soon as the temperature picked up, others got faster and we got slower – or didn’t get any faster at least.”

In the past, Mercedes showed weakness to heat sensitivity. As Hamilton explained, by the time Q3 arrived, the car was thrown out of its ideal operating window.

Regardless, Hamilton fared better than Russell. From P5 on the grid, Hamilton can launch a charge for the podium (or maybe a win) on Sunday. Russell, however, will have to work hard to even get into the points.

Mercedes’ strategy error cost Russell in Hungary

Team Principal Toto Wolff was furious with Mercedes after Qualifying at the Hungaroring. He admitted that Russell’s premature elimination was majorly the team’s fault.

“Then the other one was we put a lap of fuel too little in, but it was a different run plan. It was a fast-slow-fast and he decided to do three fast laps. Overall it’s 70 percent the team’s mistake on not fueling one lap more.”

Russell’s exit came following a red flag caused by Sergio Perez’s Q1 crash. Rain affected the session and track times were getting slower. This is why the Briton wanted more fuel in his car to continue with his run without wasting time in the pits. Unfortunately, as Wolff pointed out, they fell short in that department.

A win is still on the cards for Hamilton in Sunday’s Grand Prix. However, experts including two-time World Champion Mika Hakkinen predict that it seems like a long shot for the 39-year-old.