Last Updated on October 21 2024, 12:14 pm
Hamilton blames Mercedes for the United States Grand Prix disaster – Lewis Hamilton has never been one to mince his words and, following his early retirement from the United States Grand Prix, the seven-time Formula One World Champion has voiced his concerns about Mercedes’ latest upgrades.
He pointed the finger at the aerodynamic issues introduced by the team’s new W15 package, which he felt contributed to a poor weekend of performance, culminating in his spin and subsequent retirement on just the third lap of the Austin race.
A weekend to forget: Struggles begin early
Hamilton’s weekend at the Circuit of the Americas was fraught with difficulty from the outset. Throughout practice, qualifying and the race itself, the Mercedes driver struggled with handling and stability. The most telling moment came in the main race when Hamilton spun off the track at Turn 19, burying his car in the gravel and forcing an early exit.
Hamilton later explained that the problem seemed to stem from the car’s handling under the new upgrades, which caused excessive bouncing or “porpoising”, a phenomenon the Mercedes team have previously struggled with under the new ground effect regulations.
The bouncing, Hamilton said, mainly affected the left front axle and made it almost impossible to control the car in the corners.
“I had a great start and felt really good, moving up to 12th place. It was probably one of my best starts for a long time. I wasn’t even pushing hard, I was just working on getting the tyres up to temperature,” said Hamilton.
“But the car just started to bounce a lot, especially the left front. Then suddenly the rear lost grip and I spun. It was the same problem George [Russell] had yesterday.”
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Teammate Russell also struggling
Hamilton’s team-mate George Russell experienced similar problems throughout the weekend, highlighting the issues with the W15’s new upgrade package. During qualifying, Russell spun off the track, a rare mistake for the young driver, adding to the growing list of incidents Mercedes had to contend with at the Austin circuit.
Russell’s spin in qualifying prompted the team to switch back to an older specification of the car due to a lack of spare parts, and notably the car seemed to perform better after the change. This led to speculation that the new upgrades may have done more harm than good.
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Hamilton: New package was ‘frustrating’
Most worryingly for Mercedes, the troublesome bouncing – thought to have been largely eradicated for the 2024 season – appeared to have returned with the new package in Austin. The problem of bouncing, which plagued Mercedes’ 2022 campaign, is caused by the aerodynamic design of the car.
The bounce is caused by the car’s low ride height, which creates a suction effect as it speeds down the straights, pulling the car closer to the ground before bouncing back upwards in a violent oscillation.
Hamilton was open about the difficulties, noting that the upgrade seemed to make the car undriveable at times.
“If the spin didn’t happen on that lap, it would have happened later because there was definitely something wrong with the car. The new package was problematic all weekend and it’s frustrating.”
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Toto Wolff: “Something wrong with the car”
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was quick to back Hamilton’s assessment, admitting that the car’s behaviour in Austin was far from normal. Always a steady hand in a crisis, Wolff admitted that there was clearly something wrong with the car’s balance and set-up.
“Lewis doesn’t lose a Formula One car like that, not when he’s not even pushing,” said Wolff.
“He took responsibility for it, that’s what makes him the great driver that he is, but it wasn’t his fault. There’s definitely something wrong with the car.”
Wolff also suggested that external conditions such as wind and turbulence could have played a role, but was adamant that the car’s set-up was the main problem.
“There was wind, maybe some turbulence from the car in front, but that’s not enough to explain why we went off like that. We need to find out what’s going on with our car in different wind conditions, especially how the ride height affects the performance”.
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Expert opinion: A systematic problem?
Philipp Brändle, a former Mercedes aerodynamicist and current ServusTV analyst, echoed Wolff’s concerns and suggested that the problem could be systematic. Brändle theorised that Mercedes may have set the car’s rear height too low in an attempt to generate more downforce, but this could have caused the car to scrape the ground and destabilise.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if this was a systematic problem,” said Brändle.
“If you set the rear height too low to get more downforce, you run the risk of the car scraping the ground, and that could easily explain why the car became so unstable.”
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Can Mercedes bounce back?
Hamilton’s incident wasn’t the only sign that Mercedes’ improvements might be flawed. Russell’s improved performance after reverting to the old specification raised the question of whether the new package was more trouble than it was worth.
Asked about the possibility of reverting to the old specification for the upcoming Mexican Grand Prix, Hamilton remained open to the possibility, stressing the need for thorough analysis.
“We have to look at all the data. If the new package is causing these problems, we may have to go back to the old one for Mexico. We’ll decide after we’ve had a proper look at the data…”
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A weekend of frustration
The weekend in Austin began promisingly for Hamilton, who looked strong in the early sessions. His pace in sprint qualifying suggested he could challenge for a top spot on the grid, but a yellow flag thwarted those ambitions. Suspension problems in the sprint race then ended his hopes of scoring points on Saturday, adding to a string of misfortunes that were compounded by his early exit from the main race.
Hamilton’s struggles in main qualifying saw him fail to make it out of Q1, finishing 19th on the timesheet and starting the race from 17th due to penalties for other drivers. Despite an impressive opening lap that saw him make up five positions, the race would end in disappointment.
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Is Hamilton losing focus? Wolff unconcerned
The debacle in Austin comes amid swirling rumours about Hamilton’s future in F1. Speculation continues to grow that Hamilton could leave Mercedes at the end of the 2024 season to begin a new chapter with Ferrari. Some pundits have questioned whether the British driver is still fully invested in the Mercedes project in what could be his final year with the team.
However, Wolff has dismissed such concerns, insisting that Hamilton’s commitment to Mercedes remains as strong as ever.
“His attitude is the same as it’s always been,” said Wolff.
“His relationships within the team are fantastic. We still want to finish the season on a high and I’m confident we will.”
Moving forward: Mexican GP beckons
As Mercedes prepare for their next race in Mexico, questions about the future direction of the team and the effectiveness of their recent upgrades loom large.
Hamilton’s performance in Austin highlighted Mercedes’ ongoing struggles to master the technical regulations introduced in 2022, and the Mexican Grand Prix will be a critical moment to assess whether the team can correct course before the end of the season.
Whether Mercedes decide to revert to the old specification or continue to refine the W15 upgrade, the team will need to dig deep to resolve their technical issues and give their drivers a car capable of challenging at the front once again.
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Hamilton’s shock Q1 exit at the US Grand Prix: suspension problems to blame as Mercedes driver struggles after sprint race damage compromises performance – Lewis Hamilton’s Formula One struggles continued at the 2024 United States Grand Prix as the seven-time world champion suffered a shock early exit in the first qualifying session (Q1).
The Mercedes driver was eliminated after an uncharacteristically slow performance, leaving him 19th on the grid for Sunday’s race. The incident marked his worst qualifying result of the season and was due to complications from a damaged front suspension, a problem Hamilton first encountered in the sprint race earlier in the weekend…READ MORE ON THIS STORY
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