F1 News: Lewis Hamilton Finds Confidence Boost - 'Really Enjoyed Driving The Car'

After the qualifying session at this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton has disclosed a newfound confidence in the Mercedes W15, marking a pivotal moment in his understanding of the car for the F1 2024 season. This comes after a challenging start, with Hamilton experiencing his lowest performance outset in 2024.

Key Takeaways:

• Hamilton has identified a clear direction for the Mercedes W15's development, following a tough start to the 2024 season.
• Despite a series of underwhelming results and an engine failure in Melbourne, Hamilton's performance in Japan has seen a notable improvement.
• A focused approach to the car's setup this weekend has allowed Hamilton to better understand its weaknesses and enjoy driving significantly more.

Lewis Hamilton's journey through the 2024 F1 season so far has been fraught with difficulties, culminating in a series of disappointing finishes and a particularly low moment with an engine failure in Melbourne - this ICE was since written off. However, the latest qualifying session at the Japanese Grand Prix has served as a silver lining, with Hamilton expressing a renewed sense of optimism and a deeper understanding of the Mercedes W15.

This weekend in Japan, the seven-time World Champion showcased an uptick in his performance, consistently ranking in the top five during practice sessions and ultimately securing a seventh-place start in the qualifying round. This achievement not only marked his best position of the season but also saw him outperforming his teammate, George Russell, for the first time this year. Hamilton's lap, just six tenths behind Max Verstappen's leading pace, represents a significant improvement from his previous attempt at Suzuka, where he lagged over a second behind.

Speaking candidly to Sky Sports F1, Hamilton revealed a strategic shift in his approach to the car's setup, opting for stability over experimentation.

"I was giving it everything," Hamilton stated, praising the team's efforts in refining the car's setup. “The team did a really great job this past week understanding – or making adjustments to – our setup.

“It’s actually the first weekend I’ve not gone crazy with setup and testing a bunch of things, so I’m back to being a bit more normal and I think we’ve got the car into a much nicer working window. Every lap, it’s been really enjoyable driving, it’s just the guys ahead are just a little bit faster.

“We were just over a second off the Red Bull last year and seven (sic) tenths is better. I think, if we’d done something a little bit different, maybe we could have been another tenth faster. Maybe. But other than that, that was everything.

“I think what it’s given us is that I know exactly where the car is not strong enough.
I can feel it in the car and I know now to be able to like tell them: ‘Push in this particular area.’

“I’m hoping the race will be stronger and I’ve really enjoyed driving the car this weekend.”

The driver was further asked about whether Mercedes has reached a point where they understand the future of the W15's development: “I personally believe so," he answered.

“What we’ve noticed is from track to track it’s been really, really hard to get the setup right and it’s been so far out each time.

“In some places you just felt like nothing we could do gets the car in a sweet spot, but this weekend it’s much more in a sweet spot. So I hope that continues in the following races and then we’ve just got to add performance.”

Hamilton's revelations point to a crucial development phase for Mercedes, suggesting a more optimistic outlook for the remainder of the season. The adjustments made in Japan could potentially serve as a blueprint for future races, aiming to consistently hit the car's "sweet spot" and gradually introduce meaningful upgrades.