Formula One F1 – Australian Grand Prix – Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne, Australia – April 7, 2022 Mercedes Lewis Hamilton REUTERS / Martin Keep during practice
On Friday, a frustrated Lewis Hamilton said his poor performance was nothing to do with Mercedes after finishing just 13th in the second practice at the Australian Grand Prix.
The British seven-time world champion has had a tough time so far this season, with his car worryingly moving away from pace-setter Red Bull and Ferrari.
The German manufacturer’s problem with porpoising – high-speed bouncing – is still a problem and he is frustrated.
“It’s nothing that makes a difference right now when we change cars,” he said, about two seconds behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who was at the top of the timesheet.
“It simply came to our notice then. You are becoming very optimistic, and then you will change, and then it does not seem to want to improve.
“We went to P2 and made some changes. P1 was good. P2 is getting a little tough for me. So I don’t know, it’s just a clever car. “
Hamilton, who finished third in Bahrain’s season-opening race then 10th in Jeddah, said he had resigned this weekend for not competing around the renovated Albert Park Circuit.
“It’s frustrating because you’re pushing and shoving, and even when you’re pulling on a good lap, you look at time and we’re down more than a second,” he said.
“We have a lot of work to do to close the void.”
His teammate George Russell finished 11th, not playing very well.
“We’re not in the position we want to be, we have several midfield cars in front of us and we’re clearly far from moving forward,” he said.
“We have to work hard tonight and understand the limitations.”
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