Lewis Hamilton will be “happy” to no longer drive the W14

She had improved in the last two races. Finally, in Brazil, Lewis Hamilton’s W14 struggled a lot. After obtaining the 5th time in the sprint qualification, the British driver eventually finished 7th in the first race. Charles Leclerc and Yuki Tsunoda passed him at the end of the 24 laps. His teammate George Russell had a bit more luck, finishing 4th.

At the end of the 24 laps, Lewis Hamilton finished +34.726 seconds behind Max Verstappen. For the main race on Sunday, the Mercedes driver will also start from the 5th position on the grid.

An unpredictable car

After two 2nd places in Austin and Mexico, the seven-time world champion seemed very motivated. At the end of each race, he eagerly awaited the next one, thanks to enormous progress. However, the challenging start to his weekend on a circuit that he particularly likes does not leave him indifferent.

“« In the last two races, we were excited to see that we were making progress, and it was really positive to see,” Hamilton said. “« And then, you arrive at another circuit and you have the worst tire wear that you have experienced in a long time. So, it’s like you don’t know what to expect. But there are only a few races left with this car and it’s over, and I will be happy! This year, we are counting the days, trying to enjoy as much as possible.”

Issues encountered on the track

During his outings on the track from Friday onwards, Lewis Hamilton noticed a few problems, including the balancing and tire wear on his car. With the Parc Fermé rule in place for the sprint weekend, the settings couldn’t be adjusted for Saturday. « It was a very difficult race », conceded the 38-year-old driver. « I think we started well, and then… the balance. We tried to get the right balance with the wing, but there was a lot of oversteer, abrupt understeer. The rear tires also deteriorated quickly, and in the intermediate sector, I had a huge understeer. We probably set up the car wrong, but that’s how it is. »

Interviewed after the sprint race about a possible advantage for Mercedes in cooler conditions, the Briton remained skeptical. “I don’t think that’s going to help,” he said. “This is one of those circuits that really tests the tires. It’s the worst tire wear I think I’ve ever experienced here. I can’t remember the last time I had such bad wear in Brazil.”

The reasons for hope

The Mercedes has generally performed better on Sundays than on Saturdays. In the past two years, the German team has only obtained two pole positions. Although they have only won one Grand Prix during this period, the team has often made comebacks in the rankings on Sundays. Lewis Hamilton has frequently started on the third row this season, but on Sundays, the British driver has achieved numerous podium finishes thanks to a strong race pace.

Last season, to everyone’s surprise, Mercedes achieved a one-two finish in Brazil. George Russell won the race, closely followed by the 2020 World Champion. The conditions in Brazil are very unpredictable, making strategy crucial. The German team can stand out in this regard, as they did in Singapore and Mexico.

Before Sunday’s race, Lewis Hamilton is currently in 3rd place in the drivers’ standings, with a 24-point gap behind Sergio Perez in 2nd place.