F1 News: Lewis Hamilton Reveals Mercedes "Nervous Of Making Too Big A Change" For 2024 Season

Lewis Hamilton has highlighted Mercedes' cautious approach towards significant changes in their F1 car design

Lewis Hamilton has shared his thoughts on the Mercedes team's cautious stance towards substantial changes in their car design for next season. Despite understanding the team's apprehension about radical alterations, he acknowledges the necessity for continual performance enhancements.

Key Takeaways:

• Mercedes realised early in the season that their W14 car required a concept overhaul, initiating changes by the Monaco Grand Prix. Further significant modifications are planned for the 2024 car.
• Hamilton noted the team's extensive efforts to understand the correct development direction, implying that learning during the campaign was vital. He highlighted the challenges faced by Aston Martin, which attempted to mimic Red Bull's design with varying success.
• Reflecting on his performance at the United States Grand Prix, Hamilton observed the superiority of Max Verstappen's Red Bull RB19. He admired its stability and efficiency, acknowledging Red Bull's exceptional performance throughout 2023.

Lewis Hamilton has shed light on Mercedes' strategic approach this F1 season. The team realised early on that their W14 car was not competitive, prompting them to start a concept overhaul as early as the Monaco Grand Prix. Despite these efforts, Hamilton revealed that a more substantial overhaul is on the cards for the 2024 car, expected to be named the W15.

The 2023 season for Mercedes was heavily focussed on understanding and developing the right path forward, and whether they should look at taking on a similar concept to that of the ever-dominant Red Bull RB19.

“The thing is, with the timeline you have, and the limited resources you have, you can’t just throw it away and start from scratch. You can’t copy a car and start from that," he said via Motorsport.com.

Drawing comparisons to Aston Martin, who took on a very similar shape to that of the MIlton Keynes outfit this 2023 season, the 7-time champion highlighted how difficult it could be to start from the very beginning, chasing another team's idea. 

"It is not as easy as that. You have to try and take the good parts and through trial and error just try to add other parts."

He further added:

“But you can imagine they are also nervous of making too big a change and it being the wrong one.

"We need to be consistently week on week adding performance, and we have higher targets than ever before because we have a massive gap to catch. That makes it really tricky.”

Hamilton also reflected on his strong performance at the United States Grand Prix, where he closely followed world champion Max Verstappen despite being disqualified for excessive plank wear alongside Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Hamilton finished second in Austin, and while this result was removed, the car was showing good pace. But even on their best day, Mercedes couldn't play dice with the potent Max Verstappen and his Red Bull. 

“Ultimately, they have done an amazing job and deserve it. Whereas for us, we were chasing, chasing.”