Last weekend in Brazil was tough for Lewis Hamilton, as he only managed to score one point and had several off-track moments. Andrew Shovlin from Mercedes explained what went wrong for him.
Things didn’t improve much on Sunday after a disappointing Saturday where Hamilton got knocked out early in qualifying and ended up finishing 10th.
Challenges with Setup and Conditions
George Russell, meanwhile, started strong from the front row and finished fourth despite a red flag disrupting his race strategy. Shovlin mentioned that drivers can choose different setups, and sometimes they share successful ones. “You let the drivers deviate with the setup,” he said. “When one appears to be going well, you often take elements of that setup.”
Hamilton struggled mainly due to a lack of rear grip, which wasn’t clear from his car’s setup. In the Sprint race, less grip led to oversteer, causing more tire heat and worsening the problem.
Fans might wonder why things didn’t get better for Hamilton on Sunday.
Shovlin continued, explaining that changing weather conditions played a role. The Sprint events were dry and hot, while the main race was wet. This shift made it hard to adjust the car’s setup perfectly for each session.
Looking ahead, Hamilton will tackle his last few races with Mercedes before moving to Ferrari next season. Toto Wolff hopes to end their partnership on a high note.
The team is diving deep into data analysis to solve these issues before heading to Vegas. What do you think about Hamilton’s chances in the upcoming races?
