Lewis Hamilton Needs More From Mercedes 'To Compete With These Guys'

Lewis Hamilton is pushing Mercedes for significant technical advancements to bridge the gap with leading teams following a distant third-place finish in the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton’s ongoing struggle with the performance of his Mercedes Formula 1 car was brought into stark relief after the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix, where he finished a distant third, 17.8 seconds behind race winner Max Verstappen from Red Bull. This marked Hamilton’s best finish of the season and his first return to the podium since the 2023 Mexican Grand Prix. Despite the improved result, Hamilton underscored the need for significant technical advancements to bridge the gap with leaders.

“We’re slowly getting closer. Last year, we were very fast here, so you have to take it with a pinch of salt, but obviously, the last couple of races we’ve been relatively competitive. So, I think we have closed the gap a little bit, but we still have a good couple of tenths to try and find. We just have to have all hands on deck and keep pushing,” Hamilton explained after the race.

Hamilton provided insight into the constraints of the current car setup, calling it “peaky”. Despite recent updates to the W15, which included a new front wing concept and a lighter floor aimed at pushing the boundaries of the car’s performance, Hamilton expressed concerns about the car’s capacity to improve further under the existing configuration.

“No, I think that’s the maximum it’s got at the moment. But we’re always fine-tuning it with subtle changes that we make. So, we are always fine-tuning it, and we continue to tune it through the year. But we need to bolt some stuff on, some extra bits to be able to compete with these guys,” he stated.

Throughout the season, the 7-time champion has wrestled with issues of car balance and tire management, noting that unless the setup is precisely adjusted, the car becomes difficult to handle.