Mercedes arrived in Melbourne ahead of the 2024 F1 Australian Grand Prix, hoping to close the gap with Red Bull and Ferrari ahead of them.
After Saturday night, the team is still looking for answers.
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were both in the top 10 in Friday’s first practice session, but Hamilton’s “experiment” with the W15 meant he struggled in the second session. These struggles have left team principal Toto Wolff “frustrated”, with Hamilton admitting he lacks confidence in the W15’s current set-up.
In the second practice session, Russell finished 6th, while Hamilton lagged behind in 18th.
“I didn’t feel very good today. We started the day with a head start and the car felt good overall in FP1. In fact, the first run was the best the car felt so far this year. Learning We made some big changes to FP2 to keep things going, but unfortunately they made the car worse,” Hamilton said in the team’s post-practice report. “It was tough, but there were positives to take from the first session. We will work all night to improve for tomorrow.”
“We had a good FP1 session. The changes we made after Saudi Arabia to improve high-speed cornering performance and reduce bounce seem to have been a good step in the right direction,” said trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin. said. “Overall the car felt pretty good. Unfortunately, FP2 wasn’t that strong. Lewis felt our changes had gone in the wrong direction. Frustratingly, they He had to endure it throughout the session because he couldn’t relax right away.”
Dialogue with the mediaWolff outlined his grievances.
“Well, we accomplished the experiment, but we weren’t able to unlock the performance,” Wolff said. Sky Sports F1.
“I think in the second session we made a pretty drastic set-up change for Lewis, and it backfired hugely,” added the Mercedes team principal.
The Mercedes president continued.
“If I said I wasn’t frustrated, that wouldn’t be true,” Wolff added.
“Indeed, we are working in all directions and it seems that we have not yet found the silver bullet that will lead us in the right direction.
“But we have to keep trying.”
Hamilton also detailed his frustrations and current lack of confidence in the W15. when talking to the media.
“I’m clearly not feeling well.” started hamilton. “Probably one of the worst sessions I’ve had in a long time. FP1 felt very good overall – FP1, the car in the first run was actually the best it’s ever felt. – But it got worse and worse.”
“We made some big changes to FP2 and it was tough. After that session I feel the least confident I’ve ever felt in this car,” added Hamilton. “But there are positives as well.” [like] This is the FP1 run we did. ”
On the other side of the garage, things looked a little more positive as Russell found himself in the top 10 in both sessions. Russell might have finished even higher on the timesheet if not for a sudden snap late in FP2.
“Today we were pushing the limits so we had a little bit of leeway. But in the end it was all under control. In the first session it was very tight, but in FP2 it spread out a bit more,” said Mercedes. the driver said. “In the final push on the soft tyres, I was setting a very good lap, but in the last two corners I went wide and sustained some light damage to my front wing. If it hadn’t been for that, I think I would have finished session P3. Masu.”
Mercedes will have one more practice session to find the right balance for Hamilton ahead of qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix. The result comes as the team enters the weekend in fourth place in the constructors’ championship standings, two points behind third-placed McLaren and 61 points behind Red Bull.
And, of course, there is a larger underlying story, and that is Hamilton’s impending departure from Ferrari at the end of the season.
No matter how well the W15 performs for Hamilton, this story won’t go away any time soon.
