Hamilton Disappointed as Mercedes Upgrades Cause Slower Performance in Mexico Q3
He said, “P3 felt decent. It felt like we were on the right track. But then we put the bigger wing on and just went slower. I had no rear. It was like it flipped on its head. It’s a very strange thing with the car.”
Lewis Hamilton doubts Mercedes' new parts helped his car after qualifying behind teammate George Russell in Mexico. He aims for a strong finish in the race.
Lewis Hamilton is worried about his car's speed after some new parts were added by Mercedes. He finished behind his teammate, George Russell, during qualifying in Mexico.
Hamilton ended up sixth in Q3, almost three-tenths of a second slower than Russell, who was using older car parts. This made Hamilton anxious because he wanted the new parts to make his car faster.
Earlier in the day, Hamilton felt good after a strong practice session, called P3. He thought the team was improving. To make the car better, Mercedes added a bigger rear wing to help it go faster.
But this change didn’t work. Instead of going faster, Hamilton’s car slowed down.
He said, “P3 felt decent. It felt like we were on the right track. But then we put the bigger wing on and just went slower. I had no rear. It was like it flipped on its head. It’s a very strange thing with the car.”
Hamilton also talked about a problem he has called “three-wheeling.” This issue started after he spun out in Austin. He explained that the car’s height changes without warning, making it hard to control. “We have three-wheeling, and the ride height is moving 15mm up and down. When it does that, it s***s the bed, basically,” he said. This problem happens often for Hamilton, and he thinks the new parts might be making it worse.
There is also some disagreement between Hamilton and Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff about the new parts.
Wolff thinks the upgrades are fine and doesn’t see any big problems. But Hamilton believes the changes didn’t help at all. He is worried that Mercedes will have a tough time against other teams like Ferrari, Red Bull, and McLaren in the next race. “I don’t think we can compete with the guys ahead. They are just too far,” Hamilton said.
Even with these challenges, Hamilton is still focused. He knows having one car with new parts and another without is important for understanding how to make the cars better.
As the race day gets closer, Hamilton has a simple goal: “I just want to get to the end of the race this time, at least.” He hopes to finish strong while Mercedes tries to solve its problems.