‘He doesn’t like the driving behavior of the car,’ James Allison exposes Lewis Hamilton’s challenging encounter with the upgraded W14

James Allison talks about Lewis Hamilton’s challenging encounter with the Mercedes.

‘He doesn’t like the driving behavior of the car,’ James Allison exposes Lewis Hamilton’s challenging encounter with the upgraded W14

James Allison (Image credit: PlanetF1) and Lewis Hamilton (Image credit: Sky Sports)

After getting rid of its zero-pod design, Mercedes finally opted for more conventional side pods at the Monaco GP. Since then, the Silver Arrows are putting in commendable results every weekend. Particularly Lewis Hamilton, who has already clinched an impressive three podium finishes in 2023. However, Mercedes technical director James Allison, reckons Lewis Hamilton disapproves the handling of the car on the track.

In an interview with Auto Motor Und Sport, James Allison revealed that Lewis Hamilton expressed his dissatisfaction with the driving behavior of the car. Additionally, he mentioned that Hamilton occupies a different position compared to before. James Allison refrained from making any judgments about the possible connection between these two factors. He further stated that he had engaged in discussions with Lewis regarding this matter.

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“Lewis doesn’t like the driving behavior of the car. And he sits in a different position compared to before,” Allison stated. “I don’t like to judge whether one is related to the other. I had some conversations with Lewis about it,” he said.

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Also read: James Allison insists that the zero sidepods concept was not the reason for Mercedes’ downfall despite an upturn in form after ditching it

James Allison affirms Mercedes’ determination to pursue Red Bull as the season unfolds

Mercedes technical director (Image credit: F1)

Red Bull has emerged victorious in all races of the 2023 season, establishing their dominance. Meanwhile, Mercedes has made notable strides following their recent upgrade, yielding improved results. Despite these advancements, Mercedes still falls short of posing a threat to the Red Bull powerhouse. Nonetheless, James Allison, the technical director of Mercedes is confident in the team’s ability to close the gap to Red Bull.

In the same interview, James Allison expressed that he believed there was no reason for the Red Bull catch-up not to occur this season. However, provided they were capable of continuously enhancing their car. He acknowledged that the challenge lay in achieving that while simultaneously acquiring sufficient knowledge to execute it right from the start of next year.

“There’s no reason it shouldn’t happen this season as long as we’re able to keep improving our car,” he said. “The challenge is to do that and at the same time build up enough knowledge so that we can do it from the start next season,” Allison concluded.

After jumping rivals Aston Martin in the standings Mercedes is now P2 in the constructors’ standings with 167 points. After 3 podiums this year, Lewis Hamilton sits in 4th place in the driver’s standings behind Fernando Alonso. While teammate George Russell is placed P6 with 65 points.

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