Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes may face final season misery after sorry admission
Lewis Hamilton has been warned he may face another season of misery in his final season with Mercedes.
The Brit has won six of his seven world championships with the Silver Arrows, but has endured a difficult time since controversially losing out to Max Verstappen in the final race of 2021.
Hamilton has not won a single Grand Prix in the two seasons since and has frequently hit out at the quality of his Mercedes car. His frustrations led to him signing a contract with Ferrari from the 2025 season, meaning this will be his last year at the German team.
And fellow Mercedes star George Russell has hinted it could be another season of struggles. Russell was in the car for the first day of pre-season testing in Bahrain, with Verstappen dominating.
"They're having great momentum at the moment, they started these new regulations on the front foot. And they came here and have been solid ever since. They're definitely the favourites,'' Russell said of the day's action.
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"They're definitely a step ahead of everybody else here in Bahrain. So, they've had an impressive winter, no doubt. But that was to be expected. Such an impressive team and outfit. We need to see where we fall out in the coming races."
Russell ended up 12th after the first day of running with a fastest time of 1.34.509 after completing 122 laps. That left him a mammoth three seconds adrift of Verstappen, though little can be read into those times.
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George Russell has admitted that Red Bull remain ahead of Mercedes (YouTube/Formula 1)Hamilton was in the car for day two, which was disrupted when a drain cover came lose, damaging his vehicle. While the Brit has been critical of Mercedes' designs in recent years, Russell is pleased with the car they have produced this season.
“It was great to drive the W15 for the first time in anger today. From hitting the ground, it felt like we had a good foundation to start from. We completed lots of laps and have plenty of data to go through tonight," he added.
"We ended the day in a reasonably good spot, and we can build from here over the next two days. We will be focused on maximising mileage for learning rather than chasing an optimum sweet spot with the car.
“Overall, the W15 does feel nicer to drive than last year’s car. We know that it’s not about the feeling, but the speed. Nevertheless, today was about learning and not about chasing performance.
“We’re focused on ourselves at this test, and it will only be next week where we see where we stack up against the others. It was a positive first day and I'm looking forward to being back in the car on Friday.”
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