At Suzuka, Mercedes F1 faces a crucial test with their W15, aiming for consistent performance in a season of highs and lows.
Is Lewis Hamilton, who was very frustrated after Melbourne due to the ongoing performance ups and downs, optimistic? Can the potential finally be unlocked?
“I am more optimistic about this car, yes. In the first few races, we had brief moments where the car was good, we had pace, and then it would vanish. There is performance; we just need to work on making the car more consistent and easier to drive.”
Hamilton admits to taking time off to disconnect between Australia and Japan.
“If you dwell on the hard times, you’re only heading in one direction. I think it’s good to be able to switch off, reset, and reassess your goals to move forward. I have other things on my mind, but what keeps me awake at night is what I can do to win.”
“What can I do differently? How can I perform better in the car? How can I improve in qualifying? What can I do better for the team? What different settings can we try? But we remain united, everyone is working very hard, and we will continue.”
With the W15’s performance fluctuating from one race to another, sometimes from one session to another, how confident is his teammate, George Russell, at Suzuka?
“It’s obviously still early in the season. I think there’s a clear trend where we understand our strengths and weaknesses in the car. I’m definitely stronger in the low-speed corners, struggling in the high-speed ones. And there are more at Jeddah, more at Melbourne, more at Suzuka, you know, these are the fastest circuits of the season. There’s still a lot to understand. So, as I said, we know we’re not yet where we want to be, but everyone is working very hard to improve the correlation, get a bit closer to what we see in the factory, in the simulator, and regain our performance.”
Russell is one of the few drivers who returned to Europe and worked in the simulator after Melbourne. Has he made any breakthroughs with his team?
“Every time you come back from a race, you understand more. There will never be a magic solution for any team. You want to find big breakthroughs. You want to find significant gains. But it’s rare these days in Formula 1. The level is so high. Everyone is advancing, but we’re confident we’re moving in the right direction. Whether that will be enough is another question, but as we’ve said, it’s only the start of the season.”
Hamilton, Russell Confident in W15’s Untapped Potential. Hamilton, Russell Confident in W15’s Untapped Potential.
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