SUMMARY
- Mercedes' hope for the W15 in Saudi Arabia dashed despite Bahrain engine cooling worries.
- Struggles evident in high-speed corners impacted overall performance at Jeddah.
Mercedes went into the Saudi Arabia weekend full of hope for the revamped W15, despite worries over engine cooling in Bahrain previously. Nevertheless, their performance did not live up to expectations as they qualified in the fourth row and finished sixth and ninth in the race. Silver Arrows struggled particularly in the high-speed direction changes of the Jeddah circuit, impacting their overall performance.
This glitch became apparent all through the race when Lewis Hamilton lost time in the technical sections, which kept him from utilizing his advantage in straight-line speed to its fullest. The Brackley-based team has suffered greatly in the opening races of the extensive 2024 schedule. During the race weekend at Sakhir, George Russell managed to nab the fifth spot ahead of Hamilton who landed P7.
Lewis Hamilton disappointed at Mercedes’ performance concerns
The 7x champion voiced his displeasure with Mercedes’ performance in Saudi Arabia. Hamilton has highlighted issues from the previous season despite considering the potential of their 2024 challenger. The driver faced difficulties throughout the weekend at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Since the newest ground-effect cars were introduced in 2022, the team has been impacted by the bouncing issue.
🎙| Lewis: “In the high speed we are miles off, it’s like we were in a different category” 😅😆#SaudiArabianGP 🇸🇦pic.twitter.com/7nQFiYZ9up
— Hamilton Insights (@LH44_insights) March 9, 2024
While echoing his concerns for the W15, Hamilton said, “I think all the high-speed circuits we are going to be at a disadvantage with the package we currently have…It was like I was in a different category when I was going through the high speed with the other guys around me… Finishing ninth is definitely not fun. I was maximizing everything I had with the car, I was right on the edge.”
The Briton went on to add, “The car is good in low speed. We have to add a lot of load in the high-speed. I think if we were able to do that then I think it puts us in the fight. But we’ve got some work to do.” He described feeling like he was in a different league while battling competitors during the race. This year marks Hamilton’s final year with Silver Arrows before his scandalous move to Ferrari in 2025.
Mercedes reportedly slower than Alpine and Williams
The once dominant Mercedes sought to balance the W15 configuration by analyzing tire compounds, but there is still a lot of work to be done. They fared well in low-fuel runs but miserably in longer distances; Bahrain observed this pattern but in the other direction. Because of the warmer weather in Bahrain, both W15s had a more open cooling setup during free practice.
🚨 | Mercedes were the second worst team in Jeddah’s high speed sections – slower than Alpine and Williams on race day.
The Silver Arrows have a lot of work to do before Australia.
[@SmilexTech] pic.twitter.com/kv8qrfCAN4
— formularacers (@formularacers_) March 11, 2024
After being hindered by traffic during his qualifying simulation, Hamilton finished ninth on the first day of free practice at Jeddah, while Russell secured the fourth spot for the team. During the race on Saturday, Hamilton found himself overpowered by 18-year-old Oliver Bearman. The rookie nabbed P7 out of the hands of the British sensation.
As a result, Mercedes currently sits in fourth place in the standings with 26 points, falling short of pre-season expectations.