Lewis Hamilton expressed his disappointment following another challenging performance at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix over the weekend.
Lewis Hamilton expressed the need for significant changes within the Mercedes team, following his disappointing finish of P9 at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, despite being a seven-time world champion.
Hamilton had anticipated improving his performance in Jeddah after a disappointing start in Bahrain, but a risky decision on strategy complicated his race. When Lance Stroll crashed early in the race, the safety car was deployed.
Mercedes chose not to bring Lewis Hamilton into the pits during this period.
As a result, when the cars reshuffled on track, Hamilton found himself in third place, behind Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, who also did not pit.
“No additional safety cars were deployed, so Norris and Hamilton decided to extend their stints in order to gain an advantage with their tires towards the end of the race.
Unfortunately, this tactic did not work, and the seven-time world champion finished in ninth place.”
During an interview with Sky Sports F1, Hamilton discussed his performance in the race, noting that the car excels in low-speed corners, performs adequately in medium-speed corners, but encounters challenges in high-speed corners.
When I was racing at high speeds among the other competitors, I felt like I was in a separate league, which made it frustrating to consistently finish in the same position for three years in a row. “It’s going to be challenging, but we will remain focused and continue our efforts.
I am aware that all the employees at the factory are putting in maximum effort, but significant changes are necessary.” Perhaps we haven’t implemented significant changes.
When comparing our team to the three teams ahead of us, it is evident that they still have different approaches in certain areas. Therefore, we need to improve our performance without a doubt.
Hamilton had anticipated finishing his 12-year tenure with Mercedes on a high note in 2024, but after two races, it seems that the Silver Arrows have the fourth-quickest car, trailing behind Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren.
The seven-time world champion is currently in ninth place in the Drivers’ Championship standings, with Mercedes leading by only two points over McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship.