Lewis Hamilton finished the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix down in ninth place as Mercedes struggled against their main rivals on the fast, flowing Jeddah Corniche Circuit
Lewis Hamilton said he was “not having fun” as he struggled and finished only ninth at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Though the seven-time world champion has praised his new W15 car, he struggled for pace in the fast corners of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. That, plus a Mercedes strategy gamble which didn’t pay off, meant he finished 47 seconds down the road from winner Max Verstappen.
As a result, Hamilton was left feeling like he was behind the wheel of a car from a “different category”. Team principal Toto Wolff said there was a “fundamental” problem with the W15 which means that it is far too slow in those quicker turns.
And Hamilton is bracing for his tough start to the new season to continue with the issue likely to take some time to resolve. He said: “I think all the high-speed circuits we are going to be at a disadvantage with the package we currently have.
“But we’re good in the low-speed, and some of the medium-speed, we’re not so bad. It’s just really the high-speed, so we just have to add performance. It was like I was in a different category when I was going through the high speed with the other guys around me.”
Asked about his race, the Briton added: “I wouldn’t say I’m having fun. I’m racing for ninth, so I definitely can’t say that. Finishing ninth is definitely not fun. But I am enjoying the actual racing part. And I was hunting and I was pushing as hard as I could, I was maximising everything I had with the car, I was right on the edge.
“It was just unfortunately really lacking performance in the high-speed, where they were walking all over us. But there are positives. The car is good in low speed. We have to add a lot of load in the high-speed. I think if we were able to do that then I think it puts us in the fight. But we’ve got some work to do.”