Lewis Hamilton is washed up: a phrase we sadly heard too typically in the course of the 2024 Components 1 championship. Scuderia Ferrari welcomes him after having heard this “sporting malice” on a number of events. This notion is predicated solely on outcomes in comparison with his Mercedes teammate George Russell, who typically and willingly was forward of the seven-time Components 1 world champion within the final season. First, we should make a vital clarification. Even in crucial motorsport sequence, identical to in life, when motivation wanes, efficiency naturally declines. That is physiological as a result of the psychological side is simply too vital and it’s one thing we additionally bear in mind very properly from Sebastian Vettel‘s final yr with Ferrari, when the German driver was already conscious that he wouldn’t proceed with the Maranello crew and his efficiency in 2020 was considerably inferior as in comparison with his Ferrari teammate.
Racing for a crew in a divided atmosphere is without doubt one of the most difficult conditions a Components 1 driver can face. And even Lewis Hamilton suffered from this situation, though his huge expertise stored it from changing into too burdensome. Furthermore, the crew’s focus was rightly and undoubtedly completely on George Russell, the inheritor to Lewis Hamilton’s standing as main driver. This implies the German crew adopted George Russell’s suggestions concerning growth course. The Mercedes W15 single-seater was a very good automobile however actually not top-tier, as many flaws and inconsistent efficiency needed to be managed by the crew led by Toto Wolff.
One of many vital factors was the rear finish. From the very first phases of 2024, referring to pre-season testing session on the Bahrain Worldwide circuit, it turned clear that the brand new pull-rod rear suspension setup was difficult to calibrate. It took a number of months to grasp tips on how to absolutely exploit this new configuration. Overheating was at all times lurking, and managing the tires proved very troublesome. Then, slowly and progressively, the automobile dynamics crew discovered the keys to raised handle the rear of Brackley’s automobile.
Varied ground updates supplied extra downforce and stability, and in the summertime, the W15 carried out its greatest when temperatures had been decrease than anticipated. This attribute was maximized by the crew within the second half of the 2024 Components 1 championship, leveraging this key tire administration side to attain outcomes past the automobile’s precise competitiveness. Lewis Hamilton gave his greatest at any time when the automobile allowed him to. Nonetheless, usually, whether or not it was chilly or scorching, he at all times struggled greater than vital in qualifying on single-lap tempo.
Explaining why efficiency falls in need of expectations is commonly not easy. In Mercedes’ case, it’s maybe much more complicated. Take into account that even the drivers, on a number of events, in addition to technicians and engineers, had been unable to supply believable explanations for the outcomes achieved, whether or not they had been distinctive, subpar, or disappointing, if we will put it that means. We all know that each F1 driver is aware of their very own traits very properly and, as is true, seeks a setup that may improve them. This occurs in all groups.
By intently following Ferrari, for instance, we had been in a position to observe the variations between the Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Components that, in sure circumstances, favored one driver over the opposite. As an example, consider the Mexican Grand Prix, a race weekend the place the Monegasque driver suffered an excessive amount of within the second sector. Whereas it’s true that the quick, sequential corners didn’t swimsuit the SF-24 automobile and even Carlos Sainz knew that, exactly for that reason, the Spaniard was superb at taming the automobile on this part of the monitor, utilizing his driving type on entry to attenuate the boundaries of the crimson automobile. No marvel he received that Grand Prix.
However let’s get again to Lewis Hamilton. The British driver is a good winner, however like all champions, he’s a perfectionist behind the wheel, identical to Max Verstappen, who, throughout free apply on any given Components 1 race weekend, goes all out to seek out the setup of the automobile greatest suited to his distinctive traits when he tightens the steering wheel. The British driver confirmed a whole lot of issue in braking. We’ve got seen this since his early experiences with McLaren: the Brit used the brakes in a specific means. The seven-time Components 1 world champion, regardless of micro-lockups on the entrance finish, was at all times aggressive.
We’re speaking about a facet of his braking type that, in 2024, penalized him considerably in relation to the W15’s qualities. This side took away his rhythm on single-lap tempo. One other vital subject got here from the dearth of rotation, which Lewis Hamilton doesn’t notably like. Quite the opposite, he suffers from it so much. The setup window was typically decreased, and the 2 Mercedes drivers might solely adapt. George Russell did this significantly better, as his driving type was extra suited to the automobile’s traits. Considering of the long run with Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, might this issue weigh in?
The query is just not simply resolved. Nonetheless, we will say that at Maranello, the motivations will likely be very completely different, and the automobile that may come from the 2025 undertaking will, as a elementary attribute, preserve a sure tendency to oversteer, a characteristic that the British champion likes and might handle with no points. Furthermore, the brand new progressive ground, primarily based on the experimental one launched in Las Vegas, goals to widen the operational window of the automobile to offer drivers all of the instruments wanted to achieve confidence with the automobile. So, no alarms for Lewis Hamilton forward of the subsequent Components 1 world championship.
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