Melbourne’s much-awaited racing week is here. The week started with the very unexpected results from the free practice sessions where Lewis Hamilton had the worst session by finishing in eighteenth place. He says it’s “the least confident” he has ever felt in a Mercedes at the Australian Grand Prix. Let’s dive in to find why he feels so.
ALSO READ: Australian Grand Prix 2024: Weather Forecast, Date, Line Up and More
Lewis Hamilton – Practice Session Takes an Unexpected Turn at Australian GP
The driver with the most world championships, Lewis Hamilton, has fallen behind in the last two years with Mercedes has signed with Ferrari for the 2025 season. He ended up having the most unexpected practice session in Melbourne, leaving the motorsport world in shock.
After the first practice session, Hamilton finished by 9th place. With some changes set up to the car in FP2, he was unable to deliver a clean lap by damaging his car and a disappointing finish of 18th place. While his teammate George Russel finishes at 6th place.
“We had one of the worst sessions I’ve probably had for a long time.” Hamilton says.
“P1 generally felt quite good. The car actually in P1, run 1 felt the best it’s ever felt, and it just got worse and worse.We made some big changes into P2 and it was tough.”
When asked if any elements give him some encouragement for the weekend ahead, he added: “After that session, I feel the least confident I’ve ever felt with this car, but there are positives from that P1 run that we did.”
Wolff stands strong despite Mercedes’ ongoing struggle
Mercedes has struggled in the last two seasons, going from being the most dominant team in F1 to just finishing in the top 10. Despite W15 car making major changes at the start of the season, it has turned with major disappointment.
“We’ve achieved the experiment, but we haven’t unlocked performance.“I think in the second session we’ve gone through a really quite dramatic set-up change on Lewis and that has massively backfired. But this is why we’re having those sessions.” Toto Wolff told Sky Sports F1.
“We have seen performance in this car before and I just don’t want to go back and say we are not good in these regulations because we have everything we need in order to get on top of that – and we will.” he further added.
Let’s at least hope that the race will have good results, given Mercedes’ disappointing performance in the practice sessions.
Fiza is a writer at The Sports Orbit, focusing on F1 coverage. She is currently pursuing her master’s in broadcasting journalism and has a profound love for motorsports. She finds F1 to be the most engaging among others due to its adrenaline rush. She got interested in the sport after watching an F1 race with her brother and uncle, and she’s been hooked ever since. Her favorite team is Mercedes and she is a fan of Lewis Hamilton. Besides her dedication to F1, she enjoys activities like reading, practicing her calligraphy skills, and experimenting with cooking.
