Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard says that after a disappointing start to the 2024 season, Lewis Hamilton is on the defensive with the W15 F1 due to “fundamental issues” affecting the machine. He is already at Ferrari, almost a year before his move to the Red team.
Key things to remember:
Since the start of the ground effect era in 2022, Mercedes has struggled to develop a competitive car capable of winning races. The last Mercedes driver to take a win was George Russell in São Paulo that same year.
After two years of battling porpoise in a ‘lagging’ car, the team has been working hard over the winter break to launch its new rival, the W15, for the current season. But with two races of the 24 Grand Prix already contested, the car has shown fewer signs of rivalry at the front.
Hamilton, who has contributed greatly to the car’s progression through his constant feedback to engineers, is in his third season without a Formula 1 victory. The seven-time world champion won six titles with Mercedes from 2013 to 2021, but a sudden pause after 2022 to reconsider his features by signing a deal with Ferrari for 2025 and beyond.
Assessing Hamilton’s recent performances in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, Coulthard hints that he has been at a disadvantage lately, pointing to Russell’s intense efforts that have failed to yield significant results. Conversely, while Ferrari’s drivers are consistently trailing the Red Bulls, Coulthard suggests that Hamilton could simply already mentally align himself with the red team.
Speaking to Channel 4, he said:
“He’s just comfortable with this car.
“And you can say, you know, George is fine-tuning the lap time at the moment and Lewis is behind.
“What we do know is that if he discovers a performance window, then we’ll know he’s going to deliver on his promises.
“But at the moment it looks like his decision is to go to Ferrari, mentally he’s already there.
With F1’s return to Melbourne in about two weeks’ time, Red Bull has already established a lead over Mercedes in fourth place, with a margin of 61 points.