Mercedes is desperately working to find a solution to the problems that have been impacting the team’s performance since new technical regulations were introduced last season.
After the Bahrain Grand Prix saw Lewis Hamilton finish over 50 seconds behind race winner Max Verstappen, the British driver blasted the team for not listening to him when designing their 2023 contender.
“I’m one of those people that always likes to be right, but I’m not always right, but, in this scenario, I was right,” Hamilton said.
“So it was good, it was like – ‘I told you’. It’s a team collaboration. At the end of the day I’m the driver not the designer, but I’m the gateway to the car’s performance.”
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“We’re just working on continuously trusting each other in what we try to give back,” he continued. “They do listen to me, I mean look at the success we’ve had over time, so we listen to each other. We’ve had our disagreements and that’s inevitable in relationships.”
“What’s important is just owning up to it – ‘ok, I was wrong’ or ‘you were wrong’ or whatever it is, and then just huddle up – ‘we’re a team, so how can we fix it?’,” Hamilton added.
“’What are we going to do? How much energy are you going to put into it?”
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With Bahrain and Jeddah proving tough outings for the Silver Arrows, the team has had to re-evaluate its aims for 2023.
Hamilton’s teammate George Russell has stated that Mercedes have to “be realistic” about their ability to compete against their Red Bull rivals this season.
“We know we didn’t make the right decisions over the winter and I think we can regain some of that performance quicker than you would do ordinarily, so everything’s not all lost,” Russell said, echoing his teammate’s concerns.