Lewis Hamilton secured his first podium of the season at the Spanish Grand Prix, a much-needed boost for the seven-time world champion, who has now finished on the F1 podium for 18 consecutive years. Despite this, 2024 hasn’t been a year to remember for one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time.
His third-place start at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya was only the second time he has out-qualified teammate George Russell in 10 races this season. After securing an important podium, Hamilton discussed his struggles and explained how he aims to improve his qualifying kryptonite throughout the season.
The 103-time Grand Prix winner, who currently sits eighth in the F1 standings, revealed in the post-race press conference the characteristics of his Mercedes W15. “I think our car has generally been quite peaky. And that means that it’s often out of balance. It’s very rare that it’s in balance and it’s nice and smooth through a corner,” explained Hamilton.
‘More performance’ in Mercedes W15, says Hamilton
When asked how he will improve his qualifying results, Hamilton said that the car’s improved drivability will help him maximise Mercedes’ result in the future. “I’ve obviously experimented a lot with the set-up over the last couple of years but the car doesn’t really like any of the set-ups but one, and it’s slowly starting to get just become nicer to drive. And then ultimately, tyres. The tyres have been a huge issue for me. I think we got it half-decent this weekend. If I can make some improvements over the course of the next races I think there’s more performance there.” Concluded Hamilton, who is feeling more and more comfortable in his car.
Mercedes currently sits fourth in the constructors standings with 151 points. The Brackley-based team will be hoping they can continue to fight for race victories and podiums at the Red Bull Ring in Austria this weekend. With sub-70-second lap times expected, it’s bound to be tight at the top in Speilberg.
