Lewis Hamilton has described the experience of sitting behind the wheel of the W14 as “one of the worst feelings” after Mercedes failed to keep pace with its rivals in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
2022 saw Lewis Hamilton suffer his first winless season since entering Formula One, with the British driving having hoped for greater success this season.
However, the opening two races of the season have seen Hamilton record back-to-back fifth place finishes, far behind his Red Bull rivals.
Around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Mercedes were, on some laps, a second per lap slower than the Red Bulls, seeing Max Verstappen easily glide past both Hamilton and George Russell as he cruised from 15th to second.
READ: Toto Wolff says he ‘wouldn’t be ashamed’ to leave Mercedes
“I struggled with the car in the high-speed particularly,” Hamilton told Sky Sports after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
“But just don’t feel the car beneath me. I don’t feel connected to this car and I can’t get it, so I don’t really know what I’m doing to do about that. It’s miserable. It’s tough.”
Ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, Hamilton has revealed that his main problem with the car comes down to how he sits in the W14, finding himself “too close” to the front wheels.
“Looking at the past I’ve always enjoyed an oversteering car,” Hamilton told reporters. “I think we sit closer to the front wheels, our car is too close to the front.”
“When you’re driving, you feel like you sit on the front wheels which is one of the worst feelings if you’re driving a car.
“If you’re driving your car at home and all the wheels were around your legs you would not be happy.”
Mercedes is bringing minor improvements to its car in Australia, although the team is not expecting that make the Silver Arrows as competitive as Red Bull.
It might not be until Imola in mid-May before Mercedes makes the necessary changes to fight for pole in qualifying or victory in the race, according to Russell.
READ: Lewis Hamilton hints at new Mercedes contract despite stalling talks
“Maybe they will come to Imola,” Russell told reporters. “Maybe it can be done a little earlier, but I think you are always a little cautious about taking things to a street track.”
“We just have to weigh up the options. With the mistakes we’ve made, we’re not going to rush things unless we’re absolutely 120% sure it’s the right one.
“And obviously, the longer you wait, the greater the impact you can have because of the slope of development, so we have to weigh up the pros and cons.”