Sir Lewis Hamilton has warned that Mercedes may not have gone in the right direction with their car design for the 2022 Formula 1 season as the reigning Constructors Champions struggled to make headway in the Emilia Romagna GP Sprint race.
Hamilton will start Sunday’s full-length race from 14th with teammate George Russell in 11th after both drivers endured a tough F1 Sprint on Saturday, with neither car able to find a way through the pack as the car once more suffered from intense porpoising.
Mercedes have secured podiums for both Hamilton and Russell this year, but the pair have warned that the car is not where they need it to be, and the seven-time world champion said in an interview with Sky Sports F1 after the sprint race that the team had missed the mark so far in 2022.
“A lot of work is going on in the background, but it is what it is, it’s what we have and ultimately we haven’t got it right this year,” Hamilton stated.
“But everyone is working as hard as they can to correct it.”
Mercedes have previous
Hamilton rejected the suggestion that Mercedes had not faced a tough situation like this in his time with the team, pointing to a difficult season in 2013, but admitted that the team was not in a position to fight for the championship.
“We stick together, we try to motivate everyone and this is the situation we are faced with,” Hamilton continued.
“But everyone has got their heads down, everyone is working as hard as they can. We are obviously not fighting for the championship, but we are fighting to understand the car and improve through the year, that’s all we can hope for right now.”
Tough Qualifying session
After a difficult qualifying session yesterday in which both Hamilton and Russell struggled to make it out of Q1, the former champion bemoaned the team’s lack of pace.
“How far off are we, man? This is crazy,” Hamilton asked over his team radio.
The tension in the garage appeared to rear its head yesterday after TV cameras picked up what looked like an abrupt exchange between Hamilton and team principal Toto Wolff, which the driver declined to elaborate on.
“It was all internal stuff,” said Hamilton. “I do not want to share what was said.”
