Lewis Hamilton has told Toto Wolff what to focus on as Mercedes boss promises big changes | F1 | Sport
Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton has already given team principal Toto Wolff a good idea of where his priorities should lie, with the Silver Arrows plotting a major upgrade in time for this season’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
The woes of 2022 have largely carried over into this season for Mercedes, who have only recently fallen off their perch as the dominant team in F1 after scooping up eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships until Red Bull’s triumph last year.
Not coincidentally, their downfall started with the introduction of ground-effect design regulations. Mercedes’ skinny sidepod design is fairly unique compared to other cars on the grid, and when it became clear earlier this season that they were still not competitive despite sticking to their guns during the off-season, Wolff pledged to scrap the design altogether.
While such a radical change will inevitably take some time to come into effect, the Mercedes boss claims that the first major transformations should be ready in time for the race at Imola in May.
“There are many innovations in the pipeline, the layout of the car will change at Imola and we will see what this step entails,” he explained. Curiously, one of the key things which Hamilton feels has affected his performances this season is the seat position.
“We sit closer to the front wheels than all the other drivers,” pointed out the seven-time world champion. “Our cockpit is too close to the front. When you’re driving, you feel like you’re sitting on the front wheels which is one of the worst feelings to feel when you’re driving a car.
“We sit closer to the front wheels than all the other drivers. Our cockpit is too close to the front. When you’re driving, you feel like you’re sitting on the front wheels which is one of the worst feelings to feel when you’re driving a car. If you were driving your car at home, and you put the wheels right underneath your legs, you would not be happy when you’re approaching the roundabout
“If you were driving your car at home, and you put the wheels right underneath your legs, you would not be happy when you’re approaching the roundabout!
“So, what that does is it just really changes the attitude of the car and how you perceive its movement. And it makes it harder to predict, compared to when you’re further back and you’re sitting closer, more centre. It’s just something I’ve really struggled with.”
Former F1 world champion and Hamilton’s ex-team-mate, Jenson Button, has backed up the 38-year-old’s claims by explaining how the seat position negatively affects his driving style.
“With Lewis, the way he drives, you know, he’s quite aggressive on the throttle, quite aggressive on the brake and he does everything through the steering wheel,” he told Sky Sports.
“So he really needs to feel what’s happening through the rear of the car through his arms. And he’s not getting that, so he doesn’t have that confidence to push the car.”
Despite his difficulties in finding the limit, Hamilton produced Mercedes’ best result of the season last time out by clinching second place, behind Max Verstappen, at the Australian Grand Prix.
