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

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.

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
Hungarian GP Lewis Hamilton Mercedes

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

Don’t miss these