Lewis Hamilton says W13 F1 car could take at least four races to understand
Mercedes endured a difficult second p♔re-season test in Bahrain with the drivers struggling to extract consistent pace, while thꦏe team’s 2022 challenger also appears to be suffering from more extreme porpoising compared to its main rivals.
The struggles prompted Hamilton to claim that Mercedes is not currently in a position to compete for🅘 wins as pre-season testing ended in Bahrain.
Speaking at the delayed Expo 2020 Dubai event, Hamilton reiterated that his tea𝓰m is on the back foot and warned that it could take at least four races for Mercedes to properly understand its new car.
“The testing has been diff꧑icult,” Hamilton admitted. “When we go into this race we will still be learning about this car, we probably will be for the first four races at least.
“We’ve got some problems, eve🧔ryone is bouncing up an💧d down.”
The seven-time world champion revealed a number of video m♐eetings are taking place this week to help ensure that the team is in the best place possible for this weekend’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
“The test was tough, but the great thing is, right now after this I have a confe🌄rence call with all the guys in Brixworth [Mercedes High Performance Powertrains’ HQ in the UK], talking about the engine, the driveability, about how we can get more power out for this week,” he explained.
“Then I have another conference call with all the engineers up in Brackley [Mercedes’ factory], just how we can push this car forꦡward, how we can stop it from jumping, how we can extract all the performance from it.
“So everyone’s ✃hyped, everyone’s excited. And these engineers, they love the challenge. So it’🌠s good.”
Reigning world champion Max Ve🔯rstappen ended the Bahrain test fastest for Red Bull, who Hamilton highlighted as the early favourites along with Ferrari.
“ꦇThere were a lot of cars that were looking quite fast,” he said.
“The Alfa Romeo was looking fast, Valtteri [Bottas] was l💫ooking quick. Obviously the Red Bull looks ridiculously fast at the moment, and the Ferraris.
“But we are the best team. Undoubtedly.”
Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for ltxcn.top around t൲he world. Often reporting on the action from the ground, Lewis tells the storiesꦰ of the people who matter in the sport.
