Lewis Hamilton gives crestfallen response after Mercedes star's Saudi training horror show
Lewis Hamilton has admitted Mercedes' new car is "the same" as last year's struggling W13 as the Silver Arrows continued to suffer in Saudi Arabia. The Mercedes star highlighted the new model as a "difficult car to drive" as Hamilton finished outside the top 10 on second practice.
When asked if the car felt better in FP2, Hamilton replied: "Much the same. A second or whatever. For me, I really struggled. J I struggle in most sessions.
"We just keep going into detail trying to improve the balance of the car to make it easy to drive. It's just a hard car to drive. I know everyone is working hard on it. factory, so it's just a matter of time, just be patient.”
When asked if the W14 was an improvement over last year's model, Hamilton simply added, "It's about the same."
READ MOREDamon Hill thinks Lewis Hamilton exit 'could happen' under 'pressure' [LATEST]
Hamilton lapped just under a second slower than Max Verstappen's Red Bull, which is a worrying indicator of the team's struggles over the weekend. The round left the 38-year-old languishing in P11 just ahead of Lando Norris and Yuki Tsunoda.
Although Hamilton was unable to match teammate George Russell, who did slightly better in cooler conditions. The ex-Williams star finished P5 and just four-tenths off Verstappen's time, but still trailed Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin and Esteban Ocon's Alpine.
The 25-year-old stressed that his aim was simply to make the most of what Mercedes had at their disposal in Jeddah.
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However, he also admitted that the team still wondered if the new concept being developed at the factory was the right direction.
He said, "You have to maximize the package you have. Get the setup in a sweet spot. We're not going to find a second one overnight, as much as I'd like to. We have to continue to understand and recognize, is the new direction we are taking the right one?
"It's up to the factory guys to sort out. For me this weekend, you just max out what you have. Small changes this weekend, close to what we had in Bahrain. We had some small things on the car for FP2, but that's only short term."
Lewis Hamilton has admitted Mercedes' new car is "the same" as last year's struggling W13 as the Silver Arrows continued to suffer in Saudi Arabia. The Mercedes star highlighted the new model as a "difficult car to drive" as Hamilton finished outside the top 10 on second practice.
When asked if the car felt better in FP2, Hamilton replied: "Much the same. A second or whatever. For me, I really struggled. J I struggle in most sessions.
"We just keep going into detail trying to improve the balance of the car to make it easy to drive. It's just a hard car to drive. I know everyone is working hard on it. factory, so it's just a matter of time, just be patient.”
When asked if the W14 was an improvement over last year's model, Hamilton simply added, "It's about the same."
READ MOREDamon Hill thinks Lewis Hamilton exit 'could happen' under 'pressure' [LATEST]
Hamilton lapped just under a second slower than Max Verstappen's Red Bull, which is a worrying indicator of the team's struggles over the weekend. The round left the 38-year-old languishing in P11 just ahead of Lando Norris and Yuki Tsunoda.
Although Hamilton was unable to match teammate George Russell, who did slightly better in cooler conditions. The ex-Williams star finished P5 and just four-tenths off Verstappen's time, but still trailed Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin and Esteban Ocon's Alpine.
The 25-year-old stressed that his aim was simply to make the most of what Mercedes had at their disposal in Jeddah.
DON'T MISS Lewis Hamilton to look to leave Mercedes as Toto Wolff sets deadline [LATEST]Pierre Gasly in explosive radio rant as Lewis Hamilton shares concerns [HOW]Hamilton gives up on catching Verstappen just one race into the season from F1 [ANALYSIS]
However, he also admitted that the team still wondered if the new concept being developed at the factory was the right direction.
He said, "You have to maximize the package you have. Get the setup in a sweet spot. We're not going to find a second one overnight, as much as I'd like to. We have to continue to understand and recognize, is the new direction we are taking the right one?
"It's up to the factory guys to sort out. For me this weekend, you just max out what you have. Small changes this weekend, close to what we had in Bahrain. We had some small things on the car for FP2, but that's only short term."
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