Lewis Hamilton has claimed Mercedes “did not listen” to him over the development of their underperforming Formula One car.
The seven-time world champion finished fifth in the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday, over 50 seconds behind the race winner, Max Verstappen. With Red Bull dominant again, Hamilton also found himself outpaced by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz at the Sakhir circuit.
It was a sobering weekend for Hamilton, who complained before the season-opening race that Mercedes were on the “wrong track”. Having added after the result that their 2023 model was “not the right car”, he renewed his public criticism of the team’s recent strategy on Wednesday.
[ Mercedes will not lose Lewis Hamilton, insists Toto Wolff after Bahrain miseryOpens in new window ]
“Last year, there were things I told them. I said the issues that are with the car,” Hamilton told the BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast. “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,” the 38-year-old added. “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,” Hamilton added. “We’re still [multiple] world champions … 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.”
Hamilton’s team principal, Toto Wolff, admitted in Bahrain that the Silver Arrows, who won eight consecutive constructors’ championships prior to last season, will have to abandon their controversial “zero-sidepod” concept in order to challenge again.
Most of the grid have followed the design philosophy pioneered by Red Bull last year when Verstappen dominated – and Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate George Russell has predicted that the Dutchman’s team could win all 23 races this year.
“We have lost a year in development,” Wolff said. “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.” The Formula One season resumes in Jeddah next weekend, with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix taking place on Sunday, March 19th, before the Australian GP in Melbourne on April 2nd.
