Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes AMG F1 team is not hiding its pace. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who set the fifth fastest time in Bahrain on Friday, said it was not an easy day in the W13 during testing.
On Friday, the penultimate day of winter testing, temperatures were very hot with 36 degrees in the air, while gusty winds plagued all the drivers throughout the day, bringing sand on the track all the time. Hamilton for his part insisted that he had a less easy day than it looked on track.
Formula1.com reports: “It was quite difficult, it was windy and there was a lot of sand. The wind kept turning, so in general it was quite difficult,
“The car is not quite where we want it to be at the moment, but we are trying to get to grips with it. It’s definitely different to last week [in Barcelona], but I think it’s more the tyre operation that’s different here with these temperatures. I don’t think it’s the change we’ve made [zero pod], because I think a lot of work has been done to bring this update.” said Lewis Hamilton on Friday evening in Bahrain to the assembled press.
“But these are just obstacles that we all face with these new cars, everyone faces them. I have confidence in the team here and in the factory, and we’ll find out [what’s wrong], but it won’t be an easy road.”
As for suggestions that Mercedes have been hiding their game since the start of winter testing, Hamilton replied: “We would be really good if we had all this oversteer just to hide our pace. But that’s not the case, we’re trying to work it all out, but like I said, others are struggling too.”
The truth will come out next week in qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix, the first round of the 2022 season, when no one will be able to hide their game.
If he says they are not hiding anything, it is an admission that they are indeed hiding it. Past masters at the political and obfuscation game, they will use every trick in the book and ones not in it.
We will soon see!
Masters at political and obfuscation game, what a joke says who blind ass worshipers of the cult at sissybull and betamax who rigged the chmapionship pathetically while lewis and mercedes fought hard and honestly. Keep sucking and worshipping the same rotten agenda that because your so called favourite team can’t innovate and work hard and your favourite betamax driver can’t battle wheel to wheel without crashing his opponent means lewis and mercedes must be cheating. Don’t worry 9th title would be coming soon
can we look to remove a certain word from your name pls, or you’ll be barred
It’s is quite common for teams to hide their pace in testing as no one wants to give much away before the season starts. Mercedes have been sandbagging in testing for over five years but in Bahrain, wind and sand do not work well with racing cars so it would have been difficult. From what I hear, the new W13 engine has shown a great increase in pace and possibly a second a lap difference but as with any new engine there are some rough edges to smooth out. Ferrari also have far more pace from their new engine and could be Mercedes main rival. You can never count out Red Bull as Horner is a crafty and devious bugger, he may be nasty unpleasant piece of work but he knows his stuff. Their launch was nothing like the car in testing so they could also be bluffing and we all know how good Horner is at keeping secrets!
Next season promises to be as exciting as last season and testing wont tell us a lot but everyone except Red Bull will appreciate Masi’s departure and hopefully we will have much fairer racing and let the drivers decided the outcome.
Fairer racing? We’ll see. Certain is that it will be more inconsistent with now two (!) racedirectors taking turns. What one will allow, the other will punish in the next race.
Surely that’s better than a race director on the Red Bull payroll! Have you heard the recording from Wheatley to Masi which they tried to hide, until a true racing fan leaked it? It sounded just like Masi was doing as he was told.
Notice the only team complaining about Masi’s sacking was Red Bull and Horner saying he wanted to stand up to bullying made me laugh out loud, just what do you call what he was doing in those final laps! People sympathise with Masi as do I but he did have to go.
There are many sports where they have more than one official controller and they manage okay and at least they are honest and fair and it’s stewards (plural) that decide punishment. The Race Director/s decide action to either stop a race, as what should have happened in Abu Dhabi, or use the SC but they still have to abide by the rules, which Masi didn’t, twice.
Both Mercedes’ and Hamiltons behaviour are consistent with all years before. Downplaying, sandbahgging and pushing others in the favorites role. So… no conclusions can be drawn until after Q3 in Bahrain.
Quite true Duckey, Mercedes have been sandbagging for years but then so do all the other teams. Look at Horner, releasing a car that looked nothing like the car in testing. There is a reason for this and it’s quite simple, like in most sports, teams don’t like to give away their line up or surprises until the season starts, so as you say testing reveals nothing other than maybe livery.
As usual you fail to mention that Red Bull could be at fault or do the same as Mercedes in any way. Have you watched the Netflix drama? Max may have a face for radio but Horner would make an excellent Pantomime bad guy 😂
Your obsession with Horner is worrying. And Masi on payroll RB? Thats on the same level as chemtrails, Bill Gates implanting chips in people and Covid vaccinations are meant to control the masses. Do you wear a tinfoil head too? 😂
I think he may have been talking metaphorically, rather than literally…
My first reaction too but given his repeated insistence, I’m not so sure anymore
Oh come on Duckey I thought you were brighter than that. I didn’t mean on the payroll literally it was a metaphor meaning he acted like he was being paid, everyone else got it. Although Masi is culpable I have sympathy for him but although he failed at his job and deserved to go Horner and Red Bull are at fault here and got away with it.
My obsession, really! You use that after I accused you of being obsessed with me, it’s sad and I think you should go and see that Psychiatrist friend of yours, you need help. Yes, I really don’t like Horner after what he did to F1 last year, a sport I’ve loved since I was a kid. Although he is a poisonous Hobbit, he does know his stuff and isn’t going anywhere and doesn’t occupy my thoughts any more than anything else. As much as you like to pretend nothing happened in Abu Dhabi and Max is a worthy champion, everyone else see it as it was a disgusting betrayal of F1 fans and making Max no more a champion than you are, so suck it up.
Sure.