As the 2023 season kicked off, Lewis Hamilton was open about feeling disconnected with the car, even claiming it was “miserable” to drive after a difficult qualifying session around Jeddah left him in 16th.
“I’m here as late as I can be every day, I’m preparing the best we can, and I get in the car and I just can’t connect with it. I don’t really know what to say about it,” he explained.
Hamilton later identified the seating position in the car as causing him the biggest problem, as he felt like he was sat right on the front tyres.
“I don’t know if people know. We sit closer to the front wheels than all the other drivers. Our cockpit is too close to the front,” Hamilton told reporters.
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“When you’re driving, you feel like you’re sitting on the front wheels which is one of the worst feelings to feel when you’re driving a car.
“If you were driving your car at home, and you put the wheels right underneath your legs, you would not be happy when you’re approaching the roundabout.
“So, what that does is it just really changes the attitude of the car and how you perceive its movement. And it makes it harder to predict, compared to when you’re further back and you’re sitting closer, more centre,” he added.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has revealed that they are finally listening to the seven-time world champion.
“We’re dealing with the big concept of driver position,” Wolff said.
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“Obviously that’s one of the most important things… where the driver has the best feeling in the car.
“That’s something that Lewis expresses very clearly. And when a seven-time World Champion has an opinion, it’s important to listen to it,” Wolf said.
After three rounds, Mercedes finds itself in third place in the Constructors’ Championship, chasing after Aston Martin in P2.