Cracks Form Between Lewis Hamilton And Mercedes As Driver Blames Them For Car Issues

Lewis Hamilton has criticised the team for not listening to his feedback.

Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton has recently voiced his concerns about Mercedes' car issues and has criticised the team for not taking his advice seriously, despite his experience and expertise in the sport.

Mercedes, the dominant team in Formula One in recent years, faced its first year without a world title in 2022, as the sport introduced a new set of technical regulations. While most teams adapted by running a mix of the concepts initially introduced by Red Bull and Ferrari, Mercedes continued to stick to its zero-pod philosophy, which ultimately proved to be ineffective.

Hamilton expressed his concerns about the car's design to the team, but he felt that his warnings were ignored. He highlighted the need for a "radical" rethink to address the issues, which could have been addressed earlier if the team had listened to him.

The British driver's comments came after a disappointing qualifying performance in the opening race of the season, where he finished 50 seconds behind race-winner Max Verstappen. Hamilton's performance raised questions about the team's competitiveness in the upcoming races.

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⚠️Lewis Hamilton needs more "accountability" within Mercedes as W14 disappoints:

"Last year, I told them the issues that are with the car. I've driven so many cars in my life, so I know what a car needs, I know what a car doesn't need...#f1 #lewishamilton #mercedes pic.twitter.com/WrAZGEvljU

— F1FAll (@F1fAllOfficial) March 8, 2023

The British driver explained to the BBC:

"Last year, I told them the issues that are with the car. I've driven so many cars in my life, so I know what a car needs, I know what a car doesn't need.

"And I think it's really about accountability, 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'.

"We've got to look into the balance through the corners, look at all the weak points and just huddle up as a team, that's what we do.

"We're still multi-World Champions, it's just they haven’t got it right this time, they didn’t get it right last year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get it right moving forwards.”