Lewis Hamilton Confident Mercedes Has “Cracked” Formula 1 Qualifying Struggles
Seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton believes he and Mercedes have finally made a crucial breakthrough in addressing his qualifying struggles, thanks to significant progress made at the recent Spanish Grand Prix. Hamilton’s W15 has often proven nervous on the edge, resulting in a pace drop relative to rivals during qualifying.
Speaking ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, Hamilton expressed optimism about their discoveries, pinpointing tyres as the primary culprit behind their struggles. > “There has been a huge amount of analysis, and requests of a lot of information from the team, on how we can improve where we are lacking,” he said. “It is simply with tyres, and so just continuing to improve on our processes from session to session.”
The Mercedes driver emphasized that minor adjustments to tyre preparation prior to qualifying laps could make all the difference. “The car aerodynamically, is more on a knife edge. It’s not as easy to balance with the mechanical side and the aero balance from high to low speed. Getting that configuration is difficult,” he explained. “But tyre temp and also then how you do your out laps is key, which every single team is trying to sort.”
Hamilton cited the example of Ferrari’s struggles in Montreal, where they failed to progress beyond Q2, highlighting the fragility of tyre temperature management. “It’s easy to not have the tyres working. It’s easy to overwork the tyres. They’re definitely more sensitive, I think, than any other season that I remember being in.”
Following his first podium finish of the season at the Spanish Grand Prix, Hamilton welcomed the intense battles and excitement that came with it. “It feels good to have races like that,” he enthused. “Sometimes you don’t get to have a race like that – where you get to get your elbows out and have some really fun and challenging overtakes. But that was a really good, fun one for me.”
The Formula 1 World Champion acknowledged that a strong showing at Barcelona, a circuit where he’s traditionally excelled, was a much-needed confidence booster. “Barcelona always puts up a good race, and it’s been a strong one for me for many years. We all need good days like that in our lives, just to remind us that it’s still there and just the fire is definitely there. [We] just need to continue to supply it and keep in blazing.”
As the Formula 1 season unfolds, Hamilton’s reinvigorated confidence in the team’s qualifying capabilities will surely be a crucial factor in their bid to reassert their dominance in the championship fight. With tyres now at the forefront of their attention, Mercedes will seek to capitalize on their breakthrough and reassert their pace in the highly competitive Formula 1 field.
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