'%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)
After a poor race at the 2023 F1 Brazilian GP, Lewis Hamilton was quite dejected by Mercedes W14's performance and claimed that Red Bull could be ahead of the curve for the next few years. Despite aiming to bounce back and fight for the championship in 2024, Hamilton was not happy with the race at Interlagos.
Speaking to the media, he said the car was slow on the straights and difficult to handle in corners. It was the same for Saturday, during the sprint shootout and race. Lewis Hamilton said:
“I knew that we would have a difficult day. Nothing changed in the car from yesterday to today, so I knew it would be tough. The tyres were overheating, the car was slow on the straights, no grip in corners.
Hamilton said he will simply try to be optimistic, but he also claimed that the Red Bull are so far ahead that they will be clear of any competition for the next few years. He concluded:
“Ultimately, all I can do is try and remain optimistic. The Red Bull, I think, is so far away – I think they’re probably going to be very clear for the next couple of years.”
Lewis Hamilton currently has 226 points in the drivers' championship and is trying to chase down Sergio Perez, who is in second place with 258 points.
Lewis Hamilton guesses the area where Mercedes W14 is struggling
Since Lewis Hamilton has been racing in F1 for quite some time, he knows quite a lot about how F1 cars work and where problems could arise. When it comes to his current car, the Mercedes W14, he recently guessed that the issue could stem from its floor.
He claims that the floor might not be sucking the car to the ground, which is causing the issue. As quoted by PlanetF1, Hamilton said:
"My guess is that the floor is not working. The floor is not sucking it down so that pushed us to go to a higher wing, and then we’re just massively draggy on the straights."
He added:
"And we’re losing so much time on the straights, there’s nothing I can do about it, and then we’re just sliding through the corners. So we have to look into why that is the case on this rough circuit."
Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton will be trying their best to gather as many points as possible in the last two races in 2023 before fully shifting their focus to 2024.
