Source:REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
[Saba Sports News] In mid-February, the
Mercedes-AMG F1 Team unveiled their 2024 car, the W15E. As the pre-season test
matches in Bahrain took place, the performance of the W15E started to become
apparent. During a recent media interview, George Russell, the second driver
for Mercedes-AMG, discussed the W15E and revealed that it was designed by
Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton’s preferences in mind. The cockpit has been
positioned further back compared to last year’s car, and the new vehicle
features sidepods reminiscent of Red Bull Racing’s design, as well as some
slight modifications to the steering mechanism. Russell mentioned that Hamilton
had put in significant effort starting from the middle of last season to guide
the team in the desired direction. Some fans speculated that Russell’s comments
implied that the team’s underperformance this year was due to Hamilton. In the
editor’s opinion, the previous car, the W14, faced handling issues with its
zero-sidepod design, resulting in inconsistent qualifying performances for both
drivers. In order to overcome the challenges posed by the ground effect rules
in the past two years, Mercedes-AMG eventually compromised and took Hamilton’s
suggestions into account. Unfortunately, the response from the Mercedes-AMG
team came too late, as Hamilton has already decided to switch to Ferrari at the
end of this season.