After going winless in 2022, Lewis Hamilton would have hoped to have been back with a bang this year, challenging for podiums and race wins from the very start of the season.
Mercedes struggled with their W13 design last season, which led to a major porpoising issue and general lack of performance.
Heading into the 2023 season, the design of the W14 does appear to have solved the violent bouncing issue but the lack of performance still remains compares to the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull.
The team have decided to stick with their zero sidepod approach despite last season’s failures and after qualifying in seventh place ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton has suggesting that this is the best his team can currently achieve.
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The 38-year-old has been very vocal about his disappointment in Mercedes performance so far this year, with the Silver Arrows even being bettered by Aston Martin up to this point.
Sky Sports pundit Ted Kravitz has explained that it is Aston Martin’s performance that will be annoying the 38-year-old, as Fernando Alonso’s team are an engine customer of Mercedes.
“They were third and fourth in Q2 but ended up behind Alonso, with the same power unit,” Kravitz told Sky.
“This is the key, this is the key!
“Lewis said after practice: ‘This is the most we can achieve with our concept and we can’t have a Plan B under the cost cap because we can’t afford it.’
“When you look at Mercedes’ power unit tunning a different concept of car at Aston Martin? And Aston Martin are ahead?
“I can see, you can probably see, why Lewis is asking questions.
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“Toto Wolff very firmly said that Lewis is singing from the same hymn sheet and is just being hyper-critical, as he always it.”
Fernando Alonso will start the Bahrain Grand Prix from P5, ahead of both the Mercedes which may prove that Aston Martin have a better car design than Mercedes.
Lewis Hamilton was also out qualified by his teammate George Russell, getting the seven-time world champions off to the worst possible start in 2023.