Lewis Hamilton claims Mercedes 'didn't listen' to his concerns over Formula One car design for new season
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Published 08/03/2023 at 21:39 GMT
Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes team-mate George Russell struggled to match the Red Bull and Ferrari teams last season, and at Bahrain last weekend they were again uncompetitive, seemingly only the fourth-quickest team. Speaking after the season opener, Hamilton said he felt he had not been listened to by Mercedes when it came to the issue of designing the car.
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Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton said that his team “didn’t listen” to him regarding the design of the 2023 season car.
Hamilton, who has seven world championships to his name, finished fifth in the season-opening Grand Prix in Bahrain, suggesting that the major problems suffered by the German team last year have yet to be resolved, and Hamilton appeared to suggest his team had failed to heed his advice.
"Last year, there were things I told them. I said the issues that are with the car," Hamilton said.
"I've driven so many cars in my life. I know what a car needs. I know what a car doesn't need. I think it's really about accountability."
Hamilton continued: "It's about owning up and saying, 'Yeah, you know what? We didn't listen to you. It's not where it needs to be and we've got to work'.
"We've got to look into the balance through the corners, look at all the weak points, and just huddle up as a team. That's what we do.
"We're still [multiple] world champions, you know? Just haven't got it right this time. Didn't get it right last year. But that doesn't mean we can't get it right moving forwards."
While many cars now attempt to emulate the Red Bull team’s design, which helped Max Verstappen to his second consecutive championship last season, Mercedes continue with their own distinctive design.
However, team principal Toto Wolff appears to be willing to make changes.
He said: "This is not a matter of finding 0.3secs and polishing the car up. This is a matter of serious performance we need to find to put us back in a position to fight for race wins and championships.
"We have lost a year in development. In order to have a steeper development curve, you just need to take these decisions.
"Aston Martin took that decision and they came back strong. If we start from our base, maybe we can come back strong and chase the Red Bulls. That's the ambition."
Wolff added that he wanted to keep Hamilton in the team, despite recent struggles.
"Lewis is an integral part of the team, picking the team up and we are all sticking together and I don't think that is going to change just because we had a start that was really bad," Wolff said.
"We have won eight constructors' championships and six drivers' championships with him and that relationship holds.
"It would be much too easy to lose a driver and throw in the white towel. We are not doing that.
"On the contrary, we just need to really dig deep and deeper than we have ever done and provide both drivers with a car they are able to fight with.
"They are doing everything they can with the car but if the thing just slides through the corners and they have to correct, you just almost feel for them."
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