From hope to despair. After a summer crowned by two victories (Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps) and clearly improved performances, Lewis Hamilton is experiencing an eventful second part of the season to say the least. Since the restart in Austin a fortnight ago, the Englishman appears to be in real difficulty. As if he no longer really understood how to manage his Mercedes.
The problems started in Texas where the weekend turned into drama with an elimination in Q1 before retiring on the third lap of the race after losing control of his W15. A little more in the game in Mexico but very far from the leading roles, the seven-time world champion did not succeed in his debut at Interlagos.
From the first laps on Friday morning, Lewis Hamilton complained of bad driving sensations, pointing in particular to the incessant bouncing of his car. A speech similar to that of his teammate George Russell, also in trouble. A trend confirmed a few hours later when the future Ferrari driver could not do better than 11th during Sprint qualifying. Further proof that he is not comfortable with this W15 which is still so difficult to adjust.
« Pretty badreplied the person concerned when it was time to make an initial assessment. It's the same as all the qualifications for me. I'm not happy. I just don't have confidence in the car, which is a big problem for me.
FP1 was like coming back to Baku in 2022. I was bouncing so much on the straight that we had to raise the [hauteur de] box. It was a little better because she wasn't hitting the track as hard anymore, so I wasn't in pain or anything like that. [Mais] the car jumps in every corner, making it very difficult to drive. »
As for the rest of the weekend and his ambitions, Lewis Hamilton did not hide his pessimism. If he can come back during the Sprint Race this Saturday (3:00 p.m.) so much the better, otherwise… “ It is what it is, it will be what it will behe continues. It doesn't really bother me. To be honest, I think if I can get back to the sprint, it's perfect. I will try my luck again during the second qualification (19h00). I'll make some modifications to the car and see what we can do. » Looking forward to the end of the season…
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