Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes would really like nothing greater than to finish their 12 years collectively on a excessive.
Nevertheless, based mostly on current kind, there’s a very actual threat that their time could end not with a bang, however with a whimper.
If issues proceed like they did in Brazil final weekend, the place Hamilton certified 14th and completed tenth whereas team-mate George Russell began on the entrance row and fought for the win, then there won’t be a lot to smile about when the curtain comes down in Abu Dhabi.
Hamilton’s personal verdict after the Brazilian Grand Prix was fairly damning, as he labelled the race as “crap” on Sunday evening.
He added: “Yesterday [Saturday] was horrible. Right now [Sunday] was horrible. Yesterday was unhealthy. Qualifying was unhealthy. Dash race was unhealthy. The automobile’s simply been unhealthy all weekend.”
He additional fuelled intrigue concerning the scale of the struggles enveloping him as he delivered a cryptic message over the radio straight after the chequered flag.
“That was a catastrophe of a weekend, guys,” he stated on the cooldown lap. “That’s the worst the automobile has ever been. However thanks for contributing to strive, and nice job to all the blokes on the pitstop.
“If that is the final time I get to carry out it was a disgrace it wasn’t nice – however grateful for you.”
Some interpreted these feedback as a revelation that Brazil was going to be Hamilton’s final race, though that’s definitely vast of the mark.
And, though it isn’t clear precisely what he was referring to, his comment concerning the pit crew on a day after they weren’t really known as into motion, was extra probably a reference to the truth that some personnel had been having their final race look of 2024 in Brazil as a result of shuffling round of workers to deal with the extreme schedule for triple headers.
The basis of the issue
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15
Photograph by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Photos
Whereas the present performances on the monitor are usually not nice, what is probably the most important subject proper now could be that neither Mercedes nor Hamilton had a right away reply after Brazil for what had gone flawed, regardless of there being some clear signs.
What’s at play is a repeat of what he has been battling for the reason that summer season break, when his kind took a giant dip from that spell in July when he took two wins from three races.
Primarily, the issue seems to be about Hamilton having a insecurity within the automobile, particularly its rear finish.
The present era of floor impact equipment are fairly brutal machines – working tremendous stiff and tremendous near the bottom – and they don’t seem to be very forgiving when driving on the sting.
Some drivers are higher suited to beat an unpredictable stability, however Hamilton is discovering himself put a bit extra on the again foot by it.
And sometimes, when a driver loses religion within the rear finish, it slides extra – and that then compounds tyre temperature points.
So what begins out as a small subject can rapidly present itself into one thing greater and may make two practically an identical automobiles vastly totally different in how they develop over a race stint.
As Mercedes head of trackside engineering Andrew Shovlin defined this week: “It’s truthful to say Lewis was struggling predominantly with an absence of rear grip.
“If we take a look at how he had arrange his automobile, it isn’t apparent the place that was coming from.
“However within the dash race, as quickly as you’ve got much less grip and you’re getting the snaps of oversteer on exit, you generate extra temperature. That in itself will lengthen the issue.
“As with every race, we spend numerous time digging into the information, attempting to grasp it, and Lewis’ engineering crew might be working with him on this subject, attempting to ensure we resolve it earlier than Vegas.”
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG F1 Workforce
Photograph by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Photos
Hamilton’s struggles to find a set-up he feels comfy with have additionally not been helped a lot by Mercedes’ newest improve that arrived at the US Grand Prix.
Whereas it seems to have ticked all of the packing containers in terms of ship additional efficiency on monitor, there are some questions on it additionally including some behavioural instability as effectively – as was witnessed by Hamilton’s race exit in Austin a day after George Russell’s qualifying crash.
And a selected weak point the automobile has, in coping with successive low-speed corners, is one thing that has not been improved with the most recent modifications.
Shovlin added: “We’ve got not had such good efficiency within the dry, however the points that we’re fighting with this replace are the identical as those we had been fighting earlier than.
“The place we are typically weak, it’s within the gradual velocity corners, notably those the place you’ve got one nook following into one other. There may be numerous turning of the automobile, and that could be a weak point that we have to work on.”
With sector two of Interlagos being just about all about interconnected gradual corners, it was apparent that the Brazil occasion was going to probably be tougher than regular for the workforce.
Engaged on an answer
The one constructive for Hamilton proper now could be that not less than Russell’s performances present what is feasible with the automobile.
And a few forthcoming high-speed venues, particularly Qatar, may assist higher expose the strengths of the W15 package deal relatively than its weaknesses.
Hamilton has admitted that issues are usually not simple proper now, however there was no different possibility than to dig deeper together with his workforce to attempt to discover a means out of it earlier than Abu Dhabi.
“Clearly, it is devastating to have these unhealthy races within the second half of the season,” he stated. “However all I can say is, we’re attempting.
“Nevertheless it’s undoubtedly not acceptable. It is undoubtedly not adequate. And we have now to take accountability. I’ve to take accountability. However I’m driving.; I’m doing the perfect with what I’ve acquired.
“The automobile has been the worst this weekend, and I do not know what it’s. We’ll have to search out out what it’s.”
That work started for Hamilton this week with some intense work on the manufacturing unit to take a seat down with the engineers, and spend time within the simulator yesterday, to attempt to get some solutions as to what’s occurring.
Las Vegas will inform us simply how a lot these efforts have paid off.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15
Photograph by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Photos