Lewis Hamilton Wants to Be Optimistic for Chinese GP Despite Admitting ”Nothing Has Changed” in Mercedes’ Fortune

Lewis Hamilton Wants to Be Optimistic for Chinese GP Despite Admitting ”Nothing Has Changed” in Mercedes’ Fortune

In his last year with Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton has had one of his worst starts to a season in his career. There hasn’t been a lot of improvement in terms of performances, even four races into the campaign. Still, Hamilton is optimistic about his chances at the 2024 Chinese GP.

The W15’s inherent characteristics that make it so weak, remain unchanged. However, Hamilton is hopeful that the lessons learned can help the team optimize the car, and maximize its performance at the Shanghai International Circuit.

Crediting hindsight and experience, Hamilton said (as reported by Junaid Samodien on X, “Nothing has changed about our car, it will be the same, but we understand it a little more. In the last grand prix, we made some improvements and we bring some of these lessons here.”

The Shanghai International Circuit has been re-surfaced ahead of F1’s return to China after five seasons. Tire-wear and aerodynamics will be essential for the race, which are two areas Mercedes has comprehensively struggled in so far this season. Hamilton’s optimism, as a result, may be unfounded.

The Brackley-based outfit hasn’t brought in any major upgrades either. Hence, their performance isn’t expected to be much better than it was in Suzuka two weeks ago, where Hamilton finished P7.

Moreover, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff explained that the W15 struggled to deal with the track temperatures during the Japanese GP. Conditions are not expected to be very different for the race in Shanghai, which is why Mercedes is likely to compete in the midfield again.

Grim reality overshadows Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes’ final season together

Currently, in terms of pure pace, the W15 seems to be the fifth-fastest car – and not consistently. From what was apparent at the Suzuka International Circuit, even its customer team Aston Martin has the legs on them.

Furthermore, Mercedes’ gap to the top three teams (Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren) is huge. Its main fight lies with Aston Martin, whom the Silver Arrows will aim to outperform at the Chinese GP.

An official announcement on when Mercedes plans to introduce upgrades on the W15 is not available as yet. However, given how fundamentally flawed its design philosophy has been since 2022, an upgrade package turning its fortunes around completely seems unlikely.

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
Chinese 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.

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