IT’S SLOW TORTURE
Hamilton fears tweaks to car won’t end woe
LEWIS HAMILTON admits any Mercedes optimism ahead of tomorrow’s Australian Grand Prix has been crushed.
The seven-time world champion was hoping the performance of his car would improve after finishing a distant 10th in Saudi Arabia two weeks ago but he already knows that he is facing a grim struggle in Melbourne.
After his first couple of spins around the Albert Park circuit, Hamilton said: “You get very optimistic and then you make changes and then it doesn’t seem to want to improve.
“It’s just that nothing you change on the car makes a difference. That is the frustrating thing.
“There is not a lot we can do. You are trying to push, you are trying to catch up but even when you pull off a good lap, you look at the times and it is more than a second down.
“It’s just a tricky car to get working. We’ve got lots of work to do to close the gap.”
Hamilton’s frustration is shared by his British teammate George Russell, who finished fifth behind the Red
Bulls and Ferraris in Jeddah.
And the 24-year-old, right, believes he will have his work cut out to finish as high as that in Melbourne, saying: “We’re not in position where we want to be.
“There are quite a few midfield cars ahead of us and we’re obviously a long way off the pace from the front.”
Anything other than a battle in Melbourne tomorrow between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, in the Ferraris, and the Red Bulls of Sergio Perez and world champion Max Verstappen would be a surprise, and the gap between Hamilton and whoever leads the drivers’ championship after round three will surely increase.
But while Hamilton is becoming exasperated with his car, he remains in good spirits away from the track.
Niels Wittich, one of the two new Formula One race directors this season, is clamping down on drivers wearing jewellery in the cars.
It has been forbidden since 2004 but Hamilton smiled as he said: “I have certain piercings that I can’t just take out and that not many people know of. I’m kidding.
“Since I’ve been here in F1, it’s been the rule, so there’s nothing new. I’m just going to come up with more jewellery next week.”
The British driver was also asked about the introduction of Las Vegas to the Formula One calendar, giving the United States three races, with the others in Miami and Austin.
There will be a night grand prix that goes down the Vegas strip in November next year and Hamilton said it will be “an awesome edition”.
But he added: “The one I really want to see – the one I really want to hear about next – is South Africa.”