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Lewis Hamilton complains about ‘weird’ Mercedes at Qatar Grand Prix as he battles ‘darkest demons’

Posted on by Josh L
Lewis Hamilton complains about ‘weird’ Mercedes at Qatar Grand Prix as he battles ‘darkest demons’

Lewis Hamilton will be delighted to see the back of the Mercedes W15 a week after the Qatar Grand Prix. He struggled with the car throughout the 2024 season.

Mercedes struggled to really understand all three of their cars during F1’s ground-effect era. They dominated the previous set of rules, winning eight consecutive constructors’ titles, but they have yet to find a solution to the current aerodynamic conundrum.

What made this year especially disappointing is that the car has the potential to win races. Mercedes won just one less race than McLaren Ferrari and yet they trail them by almost 160 points in the standings.

Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes during a test drive ahead of the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix on November 29, 2024 in Lusail, Qatar. Qatar Grand Prix, 2...
Photo by Ayman Yakub/Anadolu via Getty Images

This is because their machine has a relatively small operating window. It would be acceptable if they could find it consistently or expand on it, but it’s not possible.

Hamilton he is facing the lowest league result of his career. A teammate George Russell recently passed him and dropped him to seventh.

There are only nine points separating the two drivers ahead Grand Prix of Qatar. But Russell has all the momentum now.

Lewis Hamilton complained about Mercedes oversteer at the Qatar Grand Prix

Speaking on the team radio during the only practice session in Qatar, Hamilton told his team he had “no stability”. This indicates that the rear end of his car was swaying due to cornering.

BBC Sport’s Andrew Benson said it was “weird” to hear Hamilton complaining about the problem. It used to be “known” for handling excessive maneuverability.

But this year, the seven-time world champion has somewhat lost his racing identity. Benson says he will wonder if he is to blame for his poor season.

Hamilton surprisingly failed to “adapt” to the current generation of cars. But Mercedes admits the W15 presents a unique challenge.

“His darkest demons will be asking ‘is it me?’, because he won’t really know right now,” Benson said on the Checkered Flag podcast. “It’s a wonder why Hamilton couldn’t adapt. He was always famous for his adaptability.

“The other oddity is that his main complaint this year is rear end stability, whereas in the past he’s always been known for his ability to handle oversteer well. These two things are somewhat paradoxical.”

The biggest reason why Lewis Hamilton could lose the 2025 world title to Ferrari

Hamilton took seventh place in the Qatar Grand Prix sprint, five places and four tenths behind Russell. His one-lap struggles are a major concern ahead of 2025, when he faces top qualifier Charles Leclerc.

Hamilton could not believe in losing to Lando Norrispossible polesitter, on friday night. If the weekend goes according to the typical pattern of 2024, he will gain the advantage in the race, but will regret his low starting position.

The form of his new Ferrari team will be inspiring. While McLaren are perennial favorites to win, the Scuderia are clearly on the verge of ending their drought.

however, Helmut Marko noted one problem for Hamilton approaching 2025. Unlike Max Verstappen, he will be up against a teammate who is bound to steal points from him throughout the year, which will hurt him in the drivers’ standings.

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