Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain in motion in the course of the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix at Sakhir circuit, Sunday, March 5, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP
Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes “didn’t listen” when he raised issues in regards to the growth of this season’s Formula One car.
The seven-time world champion completed fifth on the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday, March 5, 2023.
Hamilton informed BBC Radio 5 Live’s Chequered Flag podcast on Wednesday that final 12 months “there were things I told them” concerning points with the car.
“I’ve driven so many cars in my life. I know what a car needs. I know what a car doesn’t need. I think it’s really about accountability,” he stated. “It’s about owning up and saying, Yeah, you know what? We didn’t listen to you. It’s not where it needs to be and we’ve got to work.’”
The 38-year-old Hamilton finished nearly 51 seconds behind race winner Max Verstappen in Bahrain.
“We’re still (multiple) world champions, you know? Just haven’t got it right this time,” Hamilton said. “Didn’t get it proper final 12 months. But that does not imply we will not get it proper shifting forwards.”
Last 12 months was troublesome for Hamilton because the Mercedes design badly missed the mark. It was each uncompetitive and bodily troublesome to drive, and it developed a bouncing phenomenon dubbed “porpoising” that left each Hamilton and teammate George Russell bruised and battered after each drive.
