“That’s where you get to see the other cars” - Lewis Hamilton ‘really excited’ for 2024 F1 Bahrain pre-season testing

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton shared his excitement about pre-season testing in Bahrain ahead of the 2024 F1 season.

The 2024 F1 season is around the corner with less than a week to go for pre-season testing in Bahrain. These sessions are crucial for teams to test their cars and collect fresh data regarding performance, aerodynamics and to work on proper setups. It also helps the drivers to gain traction back after a long winter break.

Lewis Hamilton shared his enthusiasm ahead of the testing sessions. He said (via Mercedes) that it provides the opportunity to analyze other teams and the innovations they have brought in their cars, and overall it is an exciting period.

"Next week, I'm really excited. We get to Bahrain, two weeks before the first race. That's where you get to see all the other cars come out of the garage and you get to see and compare and look at the detailing between different cars."

The 2024 season will mark Lewis Hamilton's final run with Mercedes as he will be moving to Ferrari post that in a major move. Racing with the team for over a decade, he won six championships and set multiple records.

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Lewis Hamilton hoping to get back on top in final season with Mercedes

Mercedes has not been relatively competitive enough in the new aerodynamic era of F1. Moreover, Lewis Hamilton has not won a single race since the Saudi Arabian GP in 2021. The W14 was expected to be an improvement on the 2022 challenger, but it had only a marginal advancement.

The team did work on the sidepod design, giving up the earlier 'zero-pod' design mid-season. This was analyzed to be one of the reasons they took the runners-up spot in the championship, missing out on victory in a season dominated by Red Bull.

Looking ahead to his final season with Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton is hoping to end it on a high. RacingNews365 quoted him as saying:

"I feel the most motivated and focused I've ever been. I genuinely feel like I've put more work, time and focus into preparation this year. I never thought that at this point in my life that I would have hunger like I do right now. To finish on the high with this team, it would be a dream."

Both Lewis Hamilton and his teammate George Russell briefly hit the wet track at Silverstone in the new W15, their 2024 challenger, after unveiling the car publicly. The car has been worked around to fix the unpredictable nature which was a major barrier in the 2023 season, revealed Technical Director James Allison.

The car is expected to be a step closer to chasing Red Bull at the top of the grid.