Lewis Hamilton explains Mercedes’ struggles following the Bahrain testing and why it will take them four races before they run the show.
During the Bahrain testing, Mercedes complained about excessive porpoising on their car. The Brackley-based team officials even claim that it is affecting their development.
The current F1 champions feel that they are not at their top level this season, and if a race happens tomorrow, Ferrari and Red Bull would be ahead.
Lewis Hamilton also joins their voices and talks about the problems in his car. He now claims that the car could take up to four races to be tamed.
“It’s crazy because, years ago, we used to have a lot of test days, and now we only have, literally, three days (sic) in the car altogether? So it’s not a lot of laps.
“When we go into this race this week, we’re still learning about the car – we probably will be for the first four races at least. We’ve got a lot of problems. As you have seen, everyone’s bouncing up and down.
“It’s interesting, because I was worried that, you know, I’m 37 now, so I’m racing against George [Russell], he’s only 24, right? But he had problems and he was feeling it in his back. So it’s not just an age thing!”
Lewis Hamilton is known for contributing to Mercedes sandbagging
Even if Mercedes claims thousands of times that they are struggling, nobody would believe it. And it is valid, as they have for long sandbagged about their capabilities.
They often say that this year is not their year, but in the end, they annihilate their whole opposition only to win that year’s championship. That has been the story of the entire turbo-hybrid era.
Not falling for it this year @MercedesAMGF1 pic.twitter.com/mXfxXO6Vkq
— Mattia 🅱️inotto 👹 (@BigBadBinotto) March 13, 2022
So, it wouldn’t be surprising if Mercedes went on and won races and were the title challenger from this situation. The Brackley based team under this engine era will always remain the favourites.
Therefore, nobody believes them, and until their word doesn’t reflect on the track during the Grand Prix races, one shouldn’t.
Also read: Alpha Tauri boss explains why they won’t be able to copy the Mercedes sidepod design