Lewis Hamilton’s recent performance at the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix stands out in a sport where every millisecond counts. It’s not just that he qualified third, which is his best position this season; it also highlighted the problems that his Mercedes team faced. Hamilton claimed that despite this accomplishment, he felt that his Mercedes W15 had unrealized potential and that he was frequently outperformed when he tried to push for a little bit more performance.
In third and fourth place, respectively, the seven-time champion outqualified his teammate George Russell, who had cleverly placed both Mercedes drivers on the second row. This was just the second time this season that Hamilton triumphed over Russell in qualifying. Still, he lagged behind McLaren’s Lando Norris, the pole sitter, and Red Bull’s Max
Verstappen, demonstrating a pace that is competitive but not overwhelming.
He told the Spanish press, “I still feel like I lost performance going into qualifying.” “Perspective is everything, so perhaps they simply proceeded forward. However, I really believe that there was a little bit more. But the car doesn’t like it when you start to push it. In actuality, the car feels really well when you leave a little margin. However, that’s when we truly struggle—when you start to rely too much on it in an attempt to squeeze out that extra lap time.” Hamilton claims that the first incident involving the tire warmers in FP1 cost him a great deal. He was “seven-tenths down,” a drawback caused by a problem with the bedding.
fixed in subsequent meetings, but it had already gotten off to a less-than-ideal start. Thinking back on the setback, Hamilton said, “I think it’s all in the tires,” “You noticed that I was seven tenths down in P1 because of a blanket problem. Although it puts you a little on the defensive, we have it resolved for the upcoming sessions.” “But the car doesn’t like it when you start to push it. In actuality, the car feels really well when you leave a little margin. However, that’s when we truly struggle—when you start to rely too much on it in an attempt to squeeze out that extra lap time.”
“Tomorrow’s degradation and how we treat the tires are the most important factors. Thus, we won’t
know up till that initial run,” he clarified.
Hamilton again highlighted the Ferraris’ serious threat, pointing out that they had recently undergone improvements and had shown excellent long-run practice sessions.
“I think their long run pace looked quite strong, so I think it’s more working together as a team and try and hold position at least,” he stated.In the end, Hamilton summarized his position and preparedness by expressing a combination of resolve and reality on the impending difficulties. It’s game on if we manage to maintain more of a pace and manage to hold onto these guys. However, it won’t be clear until tomorrow, and in this case, degradation is usually crucial.”
With tactics developing and tires meeting the pavement, all eyes will be onTo see if Mercedes and Hamilton can convert their qualifying positions into podium finishes.
