Mercedes Investigates Lewis Hamilton’s W15 Setup Issues
Mercedes-AMG Petronas is probing Lewis Hamilton’s car setup after his dismal performance at the Brazilian Grand Prix, where he finished 10th due to rear grip issues ¹. The seven-time world champion struggled with the handling of his W15, failing to make it into Q3 in both qualifying sessions. In contrast, his teammate George Russell qualified on the front row of the grid and led the first portion of the race.
*Setup Struggles*
Hamilton’s engineering crew will work closely with him to resolve the issue, which was exacerbated by varying weather conditions in Brazil ¹. The team’s trackside engineering chief, Andrew Shovlin, noted that Hamilton’s setup wasn’t obviously flawed, making it challenging to identify the root cause.
“The conditions were very different,” Shovlin explained. “Sprint qualy, Sprint race, that was in the dry, it was very hot, and then the main qualy and the Grand Prix were in the wet. We didn’t have the session-after-session flow to iterate the setup and understand how to get the most out of the car.” ¹
*Comparison with Russell’s Performance*
Russell’s strong performance in Brazil highlighted the disparity between the two Mercedes drivers. Had the team followed Russell’s strategy suggestion, he could have potentially won the race.
*Path Forward*
Mercedes is determined to “get to the bottom” of Hamilton’s struggles ². The team will conduct a thorough technical review to improve its competitiveness against rival teams like Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren. Hamilton has expressed his confidence in the team’s ability to push forward and develop the W15 ³.
With the Las Vegas Grand Prix on the horizon, Mercedes will aim to resolve Hamilton’s setup issues and regain their competitive edge.
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