Mercedes “in the dark” over Hamilton’s struggles at F1 Styrian GP
Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff admits the team is “a bit in the dark” over why Lewis Hamilto🌜n struggled for pace during practice for the Styrian Grand Prix.
Hamilton could only post the sixth-fastest tim🌠e in second practice at the Red Bull Ring on Friday as he ended up꧃ over six-tenths behind pacesetter Max Verstappen and Mercedes teammate and current championship leader Valtteri Bottas.
The six-times world champion had multiple attempts to improve his 𝔍time but failed to string together a competiti🐠ve lap despite strapping on a new set of Soft tyres.
Speaking to Austrian broadcaster ORF, Wolff revealed🌜 there was a problem with Hamilton’s car which caused it to be “all over the place” throughout FP2.
"We discussed it for a long time, but in the end we went into the sessionꩲ a bit half pregnant," Wolff said. "Not using the full power, but also not cruising very slowly.
"It wasn't full attack, but it wasn't half attack either - we already added a little bit more. Let's say, we drove on a performance le🌱vel that we normally don't drive ꦆon Friday.
"We are a bit in t🅘he dark, especially with Lew🎐is' time,” he added. “There's a problem with the car.
"At the moment we don'🉐t know. The car is just all over the place in the slow and medium fast corners.
"But we have data channels for eve🦩rything, and you have to take your time to look a🎉t that.”
Asked how much performance Mercedes has left to extract in time for qualifyꦉing on Saturday in order to turn things around, Wolfꦫf replied: “Not so much anymore.
“Compared tജo last ꧃week, Verstappen has improved, and especially the Racing Points have really improved.
"Everyone else is slower, just like us. But there is a lot of thinking and da🐬ta𒐪 to collect to see where the performance is.”
After his difficult day, Hamilton said he will do a “dry dance” with heavy rain forecast for Saturday, conditions which๊ could lead to a qualifying wash-out.
If final practice and qualifying cannot ꦺtake place as scheduled on Saturday, or on Sunday morning, then the grid for Sunday’s race will be determined by th🍨e results of FP2 - meaning Hamilton would be locked into a sixth-place start.
Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for mahbx.com around the world. ꦐOften reporting on the a🐠ction from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
