Mercedes have endured a torrid start to the season for a second year in a row and looked to be the fourth-fastest team at the Bahrain Grand Prix two weeks ago as Hamilton trailed 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Max Verstappen’s dominant Red Bull by over 50 seconds. 

After lagging almost a full second behind Verstappen during Friday practice for the168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Hamilton - who announced his 1꧂68澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:split from long-time physio Angela Cullen - conceded that Mercedes’ W14 is 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:no better than its troubওled predecesso🌊r.

Team principal Toto Wolff admitted in Bahrain that Mercedes had made a mistake in continuing to pursue their flawed design concept, and accepted his siꦯde have “got it wrong” on Friday. 

Assessing Hamilton’s latest comments, Sky Sports F1 presenter Simon Lazenby said: “He’s trying to put a brave face on it. He’s trying to mask his frust🃏rations but it’s clear when he speaks.” 

Ex-𓆉F1 driver aꦅnd pundit Karun Chandhok added: “They thought ‘if we fix the bouncing we will unlock the potential’.

“The body language is different this year. They’re not talk𝓡ing about one particular issue this year. It’s more of an overall lack of per🎀formance.” 

Meanwhile, 1996 world champion Damon Hill said: “They are scratching their heads. They don’t kꦕnow what to suggest.

“It’s not that thꦏey don’t know wha🦂t to do. There is only so much that they can do.”

Chandhok continued: “George [Russell] said they𝕴 went aggressive last year. Then this year it is conservative. They don’t have the peꦆrformance that they hoped. There is head scratching and the drivers have spoken about it.

“The big thing is, if I♕ was Mercedes, ‘𒈔what do we do for 2024?’

“Because, i💃n the budget cap era, with all the restrictions, it will be very hard to dial this back for this year. 

“Theyꦺ cannot afford to start next year on the backfoot. Whatever t🧔hey do this year, this have to hit next year running.” 

What about Hamilton’s future? 

Wolff stressed he was “absolutely confident” that Hamilton, whose current contract expires at the end of the 🥀year, would commit to signing a new deal at Mercedes. 

But the Austrian also made the startling admission that the 38-year-old Briton would need to168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史: consider his options elsewhere in o♍rder to win a record eighth world title if Mercedes cannot deliver a competitive car in the next year or two. 

Reacting to Wolff’s headline-grabbing remarkওs, Hill commented: “That’s not a pressure🦋 statement. He expects to come to an agreement for next year with Lewis.

“Where else do you go? You don’t want to go somewhere ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚthat’s not as good. So there’s only one team, and that’s Red Bull.” 

Lazenby replied: “It was almost an admission, an acceptance, that they won’t 💯keep him if they stay at this level of performance.” 

Chandhok suspects Wolff and Hamilton are trying to apply pressure to Mercedes’ design𒉰 team. ꦉ;

“They are ramping up the pressure on the design team,” he said. “Divide the team up - there is a team of engineers and designers who design the car - it’s on those people [who are pressurised]. It’s not the 🍃mechanics or drivers who are doing a brilliant job with the tools they are given.

“This shows Toto’s racing brain. He gets that drivers are in it for themselves first. Lewis, as an individual athlete, wants to𓃲 be world champion every yℱear.

“Toto is a realist. He recognises that if an athlete can’t achieve it with h𓆏is team, he’ll look elsewhere. It was pragmati🌸c from Toto.” 

On Hamilton, Hill added: “He is🐬 driven by the performance of the 💛team.

“He wants to race, he wants a competitive car, Mercede♌s can provide 🌱that but they need a new paradigm. So what will happen next?” 

Chandhok concluded: “🦹He wants an eighth championship. He has to be in the right car to do that.”