Lewis Hamilton issues ‘not possible’ verdict on Mercedes’ pace improvement

The 2024 Qatar Grand Prix represents Lewis Hamilton’s penultimate race with the Mercedes F1 team, the team that gave him six World Championships and launched him into the history books. Sadly, the British rider will leave the team on a much less triumphant note.

After struggling through another qualifying session in which he fell behind his younger team-mate, Hamilton has admitted that he does not foresee an improvement in the pace of his Mercedes machine.

Lewis Hamilton: “I’m slow in general”

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Since Formula 1 introduced its new set of rules in 2022, Mercedes has been on the defensive. The Brackley team attempted to develop an innovative “zero sidepod” car concept which led them down the wrong development path.

The team attempted to make the concept work for several seasons, but it was only after abandoning the idea that Mercedes began to return to the front of the field, where they were able to secure four wins after a year-long drought.

Still, not everything is perfect.

The Mercedes W15 that debuted in 2024 seems to suit George Russell better than Hamilton; The younger driver has been able to achieve wins, poles and points finishes more easily than Hamilton, and time is running out to solve the problem.

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Mercedes looked fast in qualifying ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix, but the drivers eventually split the lineup. An impressive George Russell will line up alongside pole sitter Max Verstappen on the front row of the grid, while Lewis Hamilton will start from sixth place.

It’s not the worst starting position in the world, but it’s miles from where it should be.

Speaking to the media, including PlanetF1.com, after qualifying, Hamilton admitted that “I’m generally slow”, noting that he has been “within half a second of my team-mate in the same car”.

The problem has persisted all year, Hamilton says.

Of course, that also ignores the seven-time champion’s race performances. In Las Vegas, for example, a simple error in qualifying left Hamilton starting from tenth place. During the race, he powered through the field to finish second behind his teammate.

Speaking about his race performance, Hamilton admitted that “I still have it. I definitely know I still have it.

“But I’m looking forward to the end.”

The puzzling problem has left Lewis Hamilton without an answer. How can the team improve? How can you find that half-second deficit you talk about? Hamilton doesn’t know.

Worse still, he added: “It is not possible to change it.”

This late in the season, it’s rare to see a team make significant improvements or attempt to fix an ongoing problem. The focus of development is firmly placed on next season, a season in which Hamilton will compete for a different team.

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