Lewis Hamilton believes that he and the Mercedes team have finally identified and addressed the issues behind his Formula 1 qualifying struggles, thanks to a positive development at the Spanish Grand Prix. Throughout the year, Hamilton has been seeking answers to why, despite showing good pace during practice sessions, the performance of his Mercedes W15 has dropped off during qualifying. This issue has made the car feel unstable at its limits, and Hamilton has found it particularly challenging to manage, even more so than his teammate George Russell.
However, after observing notable improvements in the car’s overall performance, Hamilton is confident that the team has pinpointed the core problems. Contrary to initial thoughts that the qualifying difficulties were inherent to the W15’s design, Hamilton now believes that the main issue lies with the tyres.
Reflecting on his progress following a third-place qualifying finish in Spain, Hamilton conveyed optimism about their current understanding of the problem. He mentioned the extensive analysis and information requests from the team aimed at identifying areas for improvement. The key, according to Hamilton, is related to tyre management and refining their processes from one session to the next.
Hamilton explained that conditions change significantly during qualifying, with the car becoming lighter and the increased use of DRS. He remains cautiously optimistic, stating that while time will reveal the full extent of their progress, he feels they have made a breakthrough and are now focused on building upon it. As they head into the Austrian Grand Prix, Hamilton’s remarks reflect a sense of optimism and a renewed focus on optimizing tyre performance to enhance their qualifying results.
