Lewis Hamilton has said both Mercedes and team principal Toto Wolff have a “huge amount” of pressure on them to make the 2024 car perform.
2023 was the first winless season for the Brackley team since 2011. With hopes the W15 can turn their fortunes, Hamilton believes they have to get it right to avoid falling further behind.
In an interview with selected media, Hamilton said the team knows this is a critical winter.
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Speaking on Wolff, Hamilton said: “Ultimately, as a boss like Toto, you have to start leaning on people more rather than backing off on them. And how you do that is not easy, as people break at a certain point.
“So how do you do it in a constructive way, in a way that’s inspiring them to continue?
“For me, hopefully some of the race results and drives that I’ve been able to put in, I like to think that sparks inspiration for the guys: like ‘oh we’re almost there’, and that trickles down through the whole system.”
Despite believing that the W14 would be the ailment to their struggles, the team achieved seven less podiums than in 2022.
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While one could argue George Russell’s admittedly poor year didn’t help this, the team is aware it moving backwards not forwards.
Hamilton acknowledged the team’s struggle to find direction with the car. The British driver suggested that it came down to a lack of clear development direction.
“I do believe we have a North Star now, which I don’t think we’ve had for two years”
He said: “We didn’t have a North Star necessarily at the beginning of the year, knowing exactly where we needed to work towards.
“And it’s been kind of a zigzag line trying to frickin’ get to where we need to be. Every now and then something positive happens, you’re like, ‘Okay, that’s it.’ And then it shifts, so the goalpost is always moving, which is typical.”
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Despite Hamilton confirming what was believed, the team has shown an awareness of these issues.
With Mike Elliott leaving the after a short appointment as chief technical officer, James Allison returned to frontline duties in search of the relic of their old performance.
Hamilton continued: “Yes, I do believe we have a North Star now, which I don’t think we’ve had for two years, but still getting there is not a straight line.
“There were just certain things, decisions that have been made, that just left you blocked at the end of a road, and you can’t do anything, because of the cost cap and all these different things.”
Hamilton did show hope towards the end of the interview however. Speaking on what they now know, Hamilton was clear he believes the team does understand what to do.
He said: “I think we understand the car so much better now. We have developed great tools in the background.
“I’m hopeful. But I’m not going to hold my breath.”
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