Despite immense talk about his crestfallen demeanor after the Sao Paulo GP, Lewis Hamilton started the Las Vegas GP on a good note. Mercedes have shown good pace in Sin City so far and the seven-time world champion topped the timesheets in both FP1 and FP2. Apparently, the last time he did so — 2021 Saudi Arabian GP — he won the race.
F1 analyst Daniel Valente posted about the same on Twitter (now X). Now, it might be wishful thinking that Hamilton and Mercedes would suddenly power into winning contention, given their roller coaster of a form in 2024.
The Brackley outfit have been very volatile in performance due to the W15’s issues worsening the car’s pace at different circuits. On top of that, Mercedes have developed a tendency in the ground-effect era to have a good Friday practice performance while other teams have bounced back to overtake them in qualifying and the Grand Prix over the weekend.
Thursdays in Vegas belong to Lewis Hamilton
Topping both practice sessions tonight pic.twitter.com/EcTylR1mZC
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) November 22, 2024
Hamilton‘s promising Thursday practice showing could also be another dawn of false hope for Mercedes. Nevertheless, given how they have surprisingly won three Grands Prix this season, and Las Vegas being an outlier of a track, could possibly throw in a silver-colored surprise on Sunday’s podium.
Hamilton has experienced such flawless Grand Prix weekends in the past, including the inaugural Saudi Arabian GP. In 2021, the Briton was in an intense title battle against Max Verstappen and was trailing him in the drivers’ standings with the Jeddah weekend being the penultimate round of the season.
But the Mercedes W12 had developed to become an extremely fast machinery by then, and Hamilton showed his dominance to edge past Verstappen throughout the weekend. Except for FP3, he topped all sessions heading into the race which produced a lot of skirmishes with the Dutchman.
The 2019 Hungarian GP was also a similar affair where Hamilton topped FP1 and FP3, and while he did not get pole position, it turned out to be a memorable win with Mercedes pulling off a strategic masterclass against Verstappen.
Can Hamilton produce a repeat of his 2021 Saudi Arabia heroics?
Hamilton’s 2024 season has had several ups and downs. While he started the year on a frustrating note, the Briton broke his win drought of 945 days in Silverstone. Apparently, his win before the 2024 British GP came in Saudi Arabia in 2021.
As mentioned earlier, the situation back in 2021 was way different for him with a championship fight on hand and Mercedes being one of the fastest cars on the grid. Cut to 2024, Hamilton is racing in his final season at Mercedes with his upcoming move to Ferrari for 2025.
Moreover, the 39-year-old also doesn’t have any championship pressure this season due to the Silver Arrows being in no man’s land in the pecking order — in fourth place, behind the top three teams but way clear of the midfield teams. So, Hamilton has nothing to lose in terms of going for the race win in Las Vegas, if he can.
That would be a good redemption after a bad run of form in the recent races since the European leg of the season concluded. It is unlikely that Mercedes could actually challenge McLaren and Ferrari as a genuine contender for the win, but nothing can be ruled out owing to their unpredictable form this season.
Have Mercedes turned a corner again or is their Las Vegas pace track-specific?
Hamilton’s times in Thursday’s practice seemed promising from a standalone perspective. In comparison to the likes of Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc, both he and George Russell were producing good sector times, particularly in FP1.
️ Lewis Hamilton: “That’s the first time that I’ve had a day like that this year. We’ll see whether the car is still the same tomorrow.”
A VERY good start in Vegas after a miserable Brazilian GP weekend for Hamilton – he’s hoping he’ll have the same feeling in qualifying… pic.twitter.com/QROoT2GIXy
— The Race (@wearetherace) November 22, 2024
While Norris came close to the ultimate pace in FP2, Hamilton still managed to eke out a faster time toward the end of the session to top the charts. Now, this could be due to the W15 performing well in the outlier conditions in Las Vegas — with colder ambient temperatures and low grip track surface.
Hence, there is a chance that Mercedes can try to figure out a plan to get both of its drivers in the mix at the front in Las Vegas. A lot will depend on whether their car can maintain this level of performance on Friday and Saturday as well. If they manage their tire strategy well and execute a good race, they could still yield a great result in Sin City.
