"That's the worst the car's ever been," reckoned Hamilton after Sao Paulo
On the back of a challenging Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Ferrari-bound seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton reckoned that Mercedes' 2024 F1 car, the W15 has felt the worst in the last race considering the entire season.
Lewis Hamilton endured a very difficult opening stint last time out at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, having complained about bouncing. The Briton ran wide at Juncao twice before enjoying a more successful second stint after the restart to end up tenth.
The seven-time world champion was heard complaining about the behaviour and the ride of his car all through the race weekend, claiming that Mercedes was forced to give up performance by lifting his car in order to achieve a more comfortable feeling.
Reflecting on his car after taking the chequered flag in 10th place, Hamilton added: "“That was a disaster weekend, guys. That’s the worst the car’s ever been.”
“But thank you for continuing to try, great job. To all the guys that are p*ssed off, if this is the last time that I get to perform, it’s a shame it wasn’t great, but grateful to you.”
Speaking to Sky F1, the seven-time world champion, who is approaching the final leg of his career at Mercedes, said: "We were just slow, it was really, really tough.
“But I do really want to say a big thank you to the guys in the garage. They turned up super early this morning and still did a great job throughout the weekend.”
“I know everyone back in the factory will be feeling the pain. The team could have won, also, today [with Russell]. At least one car was behaving.”
Pushed on to explain what has led to the difficult behaviour of his car, Hamilton blamed the bumpy nature of the Interlagos track which has been fully resurfaced for this year.
“It’s like a plank of wood. There’s no suspension. It’s just bouncing on the tyres, everywhere. Can’t get on the power anywhere.
“The worst ride definitely that we’ve ever had, particularly through corners. Just so stiff. Hopefully we won’t have any more bumpy tracks. I think the last three aren’t so bouncy, but yeah, I could happily go take a holiday.”
