Things get worse before they get better. Lewis Hamilton & Co. at Mercedes would hope this is true because they didn’t have the best start to the Austrian GP weekend. With it being a Sprint weekend, the teams got only one practice session before qualifying for the main race. And in qualifying, Mercedes continued its run of mixed results from the Canadian GP, with Hamilton qualifying in P5 and George Russell in P11. Despite his good starting position, Hamilton wasn’t too thrilled about the result.

The gloomy atmosphere for Lewis got worse on Saturday. Track limits at Turn 9 and 10 proved to be the drivers’ worst enemy, and the Sprint Shootout brought with it more deleted times and tensed teams. Recovering from his less-than-ideal Friday form, Russell started getting used to the track and car conditions, something Hamilton just couldn’t get a grip on. And it showed on track when Lewis failed to qualify for the second part of the shootout. While Russell did reach SQ2, he had hydraulic issues, because of which he couldn’t set a time. Mercedes was in a bad place, starting the Sprint in P18 and P15.

Mercedes’ Sprint performance was a good sign despite Lewis Hamilton’s “weakness”

The 24-lap Sprint started in wet conditions and on intermediate tires. Had it not been for George Russell, it would’ve ended on intermediate tires. Although it was raining at the start of the Sprint, it stopped midway through it, and a dry line started appearing on the track. Russell and Hamilton were both running outside the points when the former took a gamble on Lap 16 to switch to slicks. 

Russell quickly got his tires up to temperature and started gaining positions. Only two laps after he pitted did Hamilton also decide to take the gamble. Hamilton had problems getting temperature into his tires all weekend, which also proved to be the case during the Sprint. While Russell finished P8 (just 9 milliseconds shy of P7) and took the last point, Hamilton finished just outside in P10. And it all came down to those two extra laps Russell had on the soft tires.

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While talking to the media after the race, Hamilton was asked if he would’ve wanted to transition to the slicks earlier. He said, “No, I just didn’t want to gamble. That’s an area that I would say is my main weakness, transitioning always too late. One day I’ll get it right.“ A similar situation left Lewis stranded even during qualifying at the 2021 Russian GP, because of which he missed out on pole position. But he made amends during the race and secured his 100th win in F1. He would hope to make similar amends this weekend too. Given Mercedes’ race pace, it is quite possible.

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Lewis Hamilton is wary of the W14’s race pace

After Friday’s qualifying saw him qualify fifth, Lewis did not doubt that the W14 had good short-run pace. He was more concerned about how it would stack up against the Ferraris and Aston Martins, their primary competitors in the championship. But considering the data he gathered during FP1, Peter Windsor’s analysis might bring him some hope.

According to Windsor, who went through FP1 data, Hamilton had the third-best top speed and the second-best long run lap time. He said, “Lewis Hamilton, if he’s a bit depressed about his grid position, should be delighted with how good that car was on the long run today. The Mercedes seems to be really good with fuel in the car.” All signs point to the Mercedes having good race pace, including Russell’s performance during the Sprint. 

Will Hamiton make it two podiums in a row at the Austrian GP after his P3 finish in Montreal?

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