Is the grass greener on the other side? Lewis Hamilton seems to be thinking in that direction already. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was a nightmare for Mercedes in terms of their performance in the high-speed corners (Sector 1) of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. After keeping Oscar Piastri held up behind him for a better part of the race, Hamilton was not able to make any impression whatsoever on the McLaren of Lando Norris. On the other hand, George Russell can extract more from the car. And according to Red Bull Brand Ambassador David Coulthard, it’s a result of Lewis Hamilton already focusing on his next season with Ferrari.

In a debrief to the Saudi Arabian GP, Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin said that the team is facing issues with the setup of their cars. He mentioned that both cars started the weekend with similar setups, but underwent adjustments based on driver feedback throughout the weekend. Despite these adjustments, both drivers complained about the cars bouncing, indicating a lack of stability, which slowed down the W15 in the fast-flowing sections of the track.

Lewis Hamilton hasn’t adapted to the new car, says David Coulthard

Shovlin elaborated on the efforts made to address these issues, mentioning adjustments to ride heights and stiffness to improve performance. However, he noted that the balance of the cars during the race weekend wasn’t as ideal as in the practice sessions. Despite running with different setups, both cars faced similar problems, suggesting underlying issues that require deeper investigation.

David Coulthard recently shared his insights on Hamilton’s performance, noting that he hasn’t quite adapted to the new W15 car yet. According to a recent report from FormulaPassion, the Brit said, “You can see how George Russell is gradually improving lap times, while it’s evident that Lewis is struggling.” Lewis Hamilton himself has expressed disappointment with the performance of the new car, acknowledging that it’s been difficult to see Mercedes trailing behind both Red Bull and Ferrari.

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Coulthard offered further analysis, suggesting that he will likely perform better once Hamilton finds the right setup for the W15. However, he also speculated that Hamilton may already be mentally considering a move to Ferrari. “At the moment it seems that he is mentally already thinking about his next transfer to Ferrari,“ said DC.

What is the next course of action for Mercedes to get on top of the setup and bouncing-related issues?

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Andrew Shovlin didn’t only highlight the problem, he also spoke about what the team is doing to fix it. He explained that they’re not just relying on recent race data but also delving into insights from past tests and races. As the team prepares for the Australian Grand Prix, a track with similar fast-flowing corners to Jeddah, they’re focusing on improving grip and understanding the car’s limitations. Interestingly, despite Lewis Hamilton and George Russell exploring different setup directions, they encountered similar issues, indicating a more fundamental problem that needs to be addressed.

“There’s a lot of work going on within the aerodynamics department, vehicle dynamics department. We’re trying to design some experiments there that will hopefully give us a direction that’s good for performance,” Shovlin was quoted by Sports Illustrated.

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Can Mercedes find a fix for their cornering speed in Melbourne? Share your thoughts in the comments down below.