Lewis Hamilton pinpoints characteristics of the 2023 F1 challenger which is holding Mercedes back

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have already moved on from W14 and are now focussed on the 2024 car.

Lewis Hamilton pinpoints characteristics of the 2023 F1 challenger which is holding Mercedes back

Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff (Credits: PlanetF1)

Mercedes’ current position in F1 is not one they would be happy with occupying. The 2022 and 2023 regulation changes have hit the Brackley-based team hard, being 208 points behind first-place Red Bull in Constructor Standings. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton talked about how the new regulations have affected the car and how Mercedes plans to deal with it.

While upgrades to their W14 in Monaco, which included redesigning the floor, front suspension, and sidepods, have paid off, everyone in Mercedes is aware it is not enough to challenge for the first place. Hamilton talked about the various complex airflows which are in action on the car and how the team needed time to understand it with the limited resources at hand.

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“The thing we can’t see is the airflow throughout the car. There’s simulations with the new rules that we have, and all the new tools we have had to create and understand the flow structures underneath the car. All those vortices would blow your mind if you saw what’s happening underneath the car, which is a lot different to the previous generations of cars. Working through that just takes time,” Hamilton told Autosport.

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Lewis Hamilton admits to Mercedes’ upcoming upgrades not being at par with McLaren

Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton (Credits: PlanetF1)

McLaren’s upgrades to their car resulted in a massive improvement in their results in a very short time. Lando Norris successfully fended off Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone and bagged P2. While Mercedes are working on upgrading their car as well, Hamilton has acknowledged ahead of the Hungarian GP that their upgrades won’t be as fast-paced as McLaren’s.

Hamilton mentioned that both he and his teammate George Russell were recently in a meeting with Mercedes’ key technical figures. He said the meeting was encouraging, and everyone was on the same page about moving ahead. The British driver also reaffirmed his faith in Mercedes’ technical director James Allison.

“We had a great meeting just the other day where we had all the heads of departments within the room, George and I, and just making sure we’re on the same page. James is great. We’ve got a really good relationship. There was great communication and we have 100% faith in them. I think, just as a group, we will get to where we need to be. It is just going to take some time,” said Hamilton.

As things stand for the Mercedes duo, Lewis Hamilton stands in fourth position with 121 points and Russell at sixth with 82 points. Seeing McLaren’s dramatic upgrades in the last race, Mercedes will surely aim to retain their place on the podium in the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix.

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