Despite completing a clean lap around the Albert Park Circuit on Friday, Lewis Hamilton couldn’t help but be frustrated after finishing over a second off the pace, as a tough 2022 Australian GP looms.
After both Mercedes cars finished in the top 10 in FP1, neither were able to improve in FP2. George Russell ended the session as the faster of the two cars in 11th, while Hamilton had to settle for the 13th best time.
More frustrating for Hamilton is the fact he was over a second and a half slower than pace-setter Charles Leclerc, with the seven-time World Champion adding that none of the changes made to the W13 improved performance.
“Nothing you change on the car makes a difference at the moment, so that’s the difficult thing,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1.
“You know, you get in [the car] very optimistic and then you make changes, and then it doesn’t seem to be wanting to improve.
“We made some changes going into P2, but P1 was better and P2 ended up being a bit harder for me. So, I don’t know, it’s just a tricky car.”
No upgrades for Mercedes in Australia
Mercedes had initially hoped to bring upgrades to Australia after a disappointing showing in Saudi Arabia, however they are now expected to arrive once Formula 1 lands in Europe for the next race.
With the team finishing as the seventh-best team on paper after Friday’s action, Hamilton isn’t hopeful of turning things around this weekend.
“I don’t think it’s going to be tricky to find our way back, there’s just not a lot we can do,” Hamilton continued.
“This is the way it is, and so we just have to drive with it. So, that’s just the frustrating thing because you’re trying to push, you’re trying to catch, and even when you do a decent lap, it’s 1.2s down. You know, it’s just difficult.”
