Lewis Hamilton says he needed to “yank” the steering wheel to beat crippling steadiness points along with his Mercedes in System 1’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Hamilton certified seventh on Saturday after a troublesome qualifying session, explaining Mercedes had discovered one in every of its automotive elements was “not accurately constructed” and led him up the improper set-up course.
His lowly qualifying place prompted Mercedes’ choice to suit him with a brand new energy unit for the race. Following a suspension set-up change, Hamilton began from the pitlane and managed to climb to ninth on the end, however solely after a late conflict between Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz and a late transfer on Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg.
Regardless of the comeback, the seven-time world champion endured a irritating afternoon through which he was seen preventing the Mercedes to get across the Baku road circuit’s tight 90-degree bends.
On the staff radio Hamilton talked about his unorthodox driving type, saying: “Do you see how I am driving this factor?”
It was a reference to his enormous dealing with points, which appeared regardless of solely making small automotive modifications after a extra constructive Friday.
“It was most likely the worst steadiness I’ve ever had,” Hamilton mentioned. “I had a lot entrance finish and no rear.
“I needed to yank the steering to interrupt the traction on the entrance and slide it via each nook. It was the weirdest solution to drive.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15
Picture by: Dom Romney / Motorsport Photographs
“I knew we might not have the ability to overtake as we speak. It’s a type of tracks. I don’t know why our tempo was so dangerous from our facet from Saturday.”
After dropping an engine in Australia, Hamilton was due an engine penalty at some stage this season, and Mercedes chief Toto Wolff explains that the staff determined to take it in Baku as a result of it’s much more troublesome to go in Singapore, and the staff has excessive hopes for the next spherical in Austin.
“We determined to do the engine change right here and we knew that it was going to be a race of distress, as a result of it is so troublesome to overhaul in Baku,” Wolff mentioned.
“And that is what it was. The second you come nearer, you overheat the tyres and you then go backwards.
“There have been two totally different philosophies and we mentioned it at size. You simply swallow the capsule right here, as a result of ranging from P7 we did not know the place that will have gone, otherwise you do it in Austin. However we really feel that Austin is a chance, in order that was the choice. Proper or improper I do not know. It was a detailed name.”
Toto Wolff, Crew Principal and CEO, Mercedes-AMG F1 Crew
Picture by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Photographs
Mercedes is pinning its Austin hopes on a brand new ground it’s planning to introduce, though its choice to revert to an older ground mannequin in Azerbaijan hasn’t produced conclusive outcomes simply but.
“The monitor is an outlier, however however, it isn’t like this was night time and day. We nonetheless suffered from the identical steadiness efficiency that we had on the brand new ground. So in Singapore, we’ve the identical one which’s going to shift over and we have to race that. However from Austin onwards, we’ll most likely go to a brand new specification.”
Mercedes’ puzzling, knife-edge efficiency window was additionally highlighted by George Russell, who struggled within the first stint on mediums however delivered a way more aggressive hard-tyre stint that noticed him earn a podium.
“A troublesome drive originally, I feel it is tough if you’re in a practice and also you’re preventing for place, however clearly our automotive is just not adequate,” Wolff defined. “The steadiness was not adequate to be actually in a position to sustain, and we suffered from that.
“And the second stint was actually wonderful. Troublesome originally, however as soon as the automotive discovered its steadiness as a result of George drove it in the best way it should be pushed, then we have been at occasions the quickest automotive.
He added: “As a matter of reality that is about who’s getting the steadiness nearly as good as doable, who’s having the tyres in the fitting window and what sort of aero idea works effectively at a given monitor.”
