Mercedes went largely under the radar in Mexico qualifying. The W15 lacked the pace to fight for Pole Position, even with the upgrades fitted to Lewis Hamilton’s car. Not for the first time in 2024, the 7-time Champion was an unhappy man on Saturday afternoon.
Hamilton: Upgrades are not clear improvement
The last few months have been concerning for Mercedes. Their development trajectory has stagnated, with updates to the W15 failing to yield the expected progress.
After an exceptionally strong European leg of the season, the Silver Arrows find themselves as firmly the fourth-fastest team. Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull are comfortably ahead of the German squad in terms of performance.
Reflecting on another underwhelming qualifying, Lewis Hamilton explained that the W15’s characteristics changed after final practice:
“The car felt good in FP3, [before] qualifying I didn’t change anything, then in qualifying it completely turns on its head.
“It’s definitely a frustrating qualifying session but that’s every qualifying session I’ve had this year.
“It was like it flipped on its head [between FP3 and qualifying]. It’s a very strange thing with the car.
“It will be interesting to get a reading. Because I’m obviously on the upgraded car, which should be quicker – but I don’t think it is.”
The final five rounds of the year will serve as valuable data collection for the Brackley-based outfit.
After eliminating many of their underlying weaknesses from the beginning of 2023, Mercedes have put themselves within touching distance of the front. With that said, these persistent inconsistencies in the W15 must be resolved.
This is an especially important issue in the context of McLaren and Ferrari’s ascent. Both teams, but especially Ferrari, have seen notable gains from their latest upgrades throughout the year.
Because of this, Mercedes cannot afford to enter the winter break with doubts about their package.
