“Belief in the game controls that keeps us in a box of fear”. That is, believing in game controls that keep us in a box of fear. The verse contained in Faithful, the flagship song of Pearl Jam's Album Yield released in 1998, captures very well the situation that grips Lewis Hamilton in Jeddah, venue of the second round of the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship.
What worries the 7-time world champion is the lack of confidence in the rear end of the W15 which, on a track like that of Saudi Arabia, equates to only one thing: going slowly. Or, in any case, much less strong than one would like.
During the first two free practice sessions, Hamilton found himself distant from the best in the standings and also from his teammate, George Russell, evidently more at ease behind the wheel of the W15 and with a set-up already closer to his driving preferences. guide than it is to those of Lewis.
Returning to the verse of Faithful by Pearl Jam, Hamilton is not believing in his toy, the W15, and for this reason he finds himself in the fear box. Not trusting your car on a fast track like the Saudi one is a significant problem, recognized by the British driver himself who will be married to Ferrari in 2025.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
“Difficult day. I lacked confidence in the rear of the car. We worked on the set-up from session to session, changing it quite a bit, but it highlighted a problem with the rear that put me in difficulty, so I had a couple really difficult moments. These are high-speed areas, you have to have full confidence in the rear of the car, and I haven't had that yet”, admitted Lewis at the end of the day yesterday.
During the two sessions on Friday, Hamilton and Russell exchanged setups to try to find the best solution in view of qualifying and the race, but also to get to know the W15 even better. The result, however, has always seen Russell among the leaders and Hamilton in pursuit, 3 and 4 tenths behind his teammate respectively in the two sessions held so far.
A constant that rings alarm bells at Hamilton, who has called for a more stable rear to try to express himself at his best and in turn begin to bring out the potential of the W15, seen in his hands until now only in spurts.
“George is obviously much happier with his car. Today we went in different directions, we're all trying different things to try to find the right solution for the car. All I want is a stable rear and then I'll be happy! So it's on This is what I'm working on.”
#Hamilton #confidence #W15 #rear #unstable
