Lewis Hamilton has made himself perfectly clear on Mercedes in light of Nico Rosberg’s remarks.
Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are back on the collision course – this time away from the track – as the pair share their differing views on Mercedes’ chances of closing the gap on Red Bull. The former team-mates became accustomed to clashing with each other as they fought for the title, but with Hamilton still racing and Rosberg now working as a pundit, they are still likely to disagree on the German manufacturer’s chances of success in the near future.
Red Bull star Max Verstappen has won 18 of the 22 races this season so far and some by a long distance, while only Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz has found a way to stop Red Bull from taking a clean sweep in every 2023 race. Hamilton has taken only 42 points from his last five races,
Mercedes, meanwhile, have mustered three second-place finishes with Hamilton, while George Russell has registered only one podium finish all season. But Rosberg, who won the world championship in 2016, believes there are signs that the team are making vast improvements.
“We’ve seen flashes of brilliance from the Mercedes team just recently. They lack consistency. But look at Austin. They were challenging for the win there and actually had the fastest car over the weekend,” Rosberg told the Daily Mail.
“So we’ve seen that they’re starting to understand the car, and they just have the problem that you still lack consistency. They still lack in straight line performance, but they are starting to understand all that.”
When assessing Mercedes’ hopes of knocking Red Bull off their perch after back-to-back Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles, the former F1 champion is confident the Silver Arrows could have their say in the title battle.
“I believe in Mercedes’ ability because I was there. I know how strong they are. It’s always still the same people,” said Rosberg. “So certainly there is a chance that Hamilton could once again fight for the championship next year.”
Lewis Hamilton would likely beg to differ. Whether or not it is an attempt to conceal Mercedes’ pace after visiting the factory a few months ago, in public, Hamilton has remained cautious when referring to their chances of closing the gap on Red Bull next year.
In Suzuka, Hamilton said Mercedes were nowhere near to catching Red Bull after watching the W14 flop again. “I have no idea where the car’s going to be next year but we’re a long, long way away,” he said in Japan. The next six months has to be the greatest six months of development we’ve ever, ever had, to close that gap and be banging on the door.”
It it safe to say his view hadn’t changed by the time they reached the Brazilian Grand Prix in early November.
The seven-time world champion was downcast after watching the Silver Arrows finish eighth at Interlagos in Brazil, a track they had dominated at in 2022 with a 1-2 finish led home by George Russell. A year later, Mercedes were nearly a lap down on Verstappen – and Hamilton admitted they had only a slim chance of bridging the gap in 2024.
“All I can do is try to remain optimistic. But the Red Bull is so far away, they’re probably going to be very clear for the next couple of years. I knew it [the race] would be a tough one. In the moment, it is a setback. But as a team, we will just come together and try to push forward.”
Hamilton will finish the season in third place in the Drivers’ Championship as the best of the rest behind Verstappen and Sergio Perez. But with a 317-point gap between himself and the three-time world champion, Hamilton has every right to feel pessimistic about getting his hands on a record-breaking eighth crown next year as the season draws to a close in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
