'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Lewis Hamilton believes the car setup was the reason behind his struggles in the 2024 Chinese GP. Speaking to media including Sportskeeda, the Mercedes champion felt that his radio rants were related to some of the difficulties he faced during the race with tire management.
Starting 19th on the grid, the 39-year-old finished ninth in the race. However, his race was filled with complaints about his car on the radio to his engineer Peter Bonnington. He felt that there was something broken on his car as he struggled with understeer in the middle of the race. In the first nine laps of the race, Hamilton was also heard complaining about struggling on the soft tire, which he changed after nine laps. He claimed the softs were the ‘worst’ tire to use in the race, but it was the only choice to help surge through the grid at the start.
On being asked by Sportskeeda about his radio complaints regarding something being broken in his car, Hamilton explained:
“I thought maybe at the beginning I tapped someone because I mean I've never had so much understeer in my life. So I was turning on the low speed and just waiting waiting waiting waiting and so I thought maybe that I damaged something like some of the others. Because it was debris going everywhere at one point, but it was just set up that I chose.”
Asked about the soft tire rant on his radio, Hamilton said:
“Oh my god it was I was the only one I think on the soft and it fell apart after lap one. It was very difficult."
Summarising the difficult race, Hamilton added:
“Definitely wasn’t better than expected but yeah we expected to be somewhere around there today.”
Lewis Hamilton highlights issues that hampered the Chinese GP
Most drivers complained about the track surfaces, but Lewis Hamilton brought up an interesting point where he felt that the tire pressures at the circuit were at their highest. Pirelli had changed the tire pressures before the race, making them difficult to manage. According to the British champion, better setup decisions will help him match George Russell in the upcoming races.
On being asked after the race if the track surface affected a lot of drivers and their pace and tire management, Hamilton said:
“I think one of this one of it is that the tire pressures are so high. These are the worst that I think we've had.”
Asked where he can improve in future performances given his current result, Hamilton said:
“I mean it's the worst one so far as I mentioned in the last race. But we had a second. Obviously yesterday in the sprint with some better decisions on set up, we will be around where George is but we just have to keep fighting.”
Hamilton has currently had three ninth-place finishes, one seventh-place, and a second-place in a sprint in the five races so far. He is currently ninth in the standings with a total of 19 points, whereas his teammate has 33 points and is seventh in the standings. Mercedes are 99 points behind Ferrari and 44 points behind their customer team McLaren.
After Zhou Guanyu, the seven-time world champion was one of the few drivers to have the maximum number of fans in the grandstands supporting him. With China being one of Mercedes' biggest markets, the team was unable to deliver the strong performance they would have wished for, as the struggles with their car continued.
