With Mercedes’ Technical Director James Allison back in the role, Lewis Hamilton’s wish is set to be fulfilled, as he is ready to receive the 2024 W15 F1 car tailored to his specifications.
Hamilton’s request for a modified cockpit position appears to have been granted, and the British driver is eager to get behind the wheel of the new car. He has expressed his enthusiasm about moving on from the W14 at the end of the previous season.
The seven-time world champion had requested that the cockpit position be moved further back in the upcoming W15. According to Motorsport.com Italia, this request has been met. This development follows James Allison’s mid-season return to the role of technical director last year, while Mike Elliott took on the role of Chief Technical Officer before later leaving the team.
Lewis Hamilton has revealed that he does not like to participate in F1 tests. The seven-time champion has gone even further in exposing his particular phobia to the classic tests to improve the Mercedes.
During an event in Brackley, Toto Wolff, Mick Schumacher (reserve of the star squad) and Hamilton himself appeared before the assembled crowd and at that moment everyone wondered where the absent George Russell was. The excuse was given that the young British talent was ill… when he was not.
Afterwards, ’44’ took advantage of the juncture to make a surprising confession. “When Toto said on our visit to the factory that George was ill, something came into my head that had to do with me. That’s something I’ve done in the past to miss test days, as it’s not something I like. So when I heard that, I thought, ‘He’s outdone me, he’s gone to another level,'” Lewis said in a statement reported by RaceFans.
Lewis’ win drought
The fact is that the 38-year-old competitor needs to get his act together if he wants to return to past glories. He has not won a race for two years (his last triumph dates back to 2021, when he won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix) and needs Mercedes to get it right once and for all with the new single-seater. Incidentally, the 2024 W15 will be unveiled on Tuesday, February 14 next year.
Precisely, Valentine’s Day is also the date chosen by McLaren for the unveiling of the car to be driven by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will be desperate for Mercedes to improve next season.
Toto Wolff wants Lewis Hamilton and George Russell to set the right expectations next year (Image: MERCEDES)
Toto Wolff has insisted that Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will need to manage their expectations in order to help Mercedes close the gap to Red Bull next year. The Silver Arrows have lagged well behind their rivals over the last two seasons, with Red Bull simply in a league of their own as things stand.
Mercedes ended up finishing 451 points adrift of Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship standings last season after failing to win a single Grand Prix all year long. They will be desperate to perform better at the next time of asking but will face a tricky task in closing down their bitter rivals at the front of the pecking order.
Wolff believes that Mercedes will need to set the right standards in order to stand the best chance of catching up, with the Silver Arrows taking plenty of ‘proactive steps’ behind the scenes.
The Silver Arrows have lagged behind Red Bull for the last two seasons (Image: GETTY)
Quizzed on what his team’s biggest challenge will be in 2024, Wolff told Mercedes’ official channels: “It’s to set the expectations right because we have a huge mountain to climb. There’s a team that is so successful and we have a big gap to close. At the same time, I believe we’ve taken some proactive steps to close that gap.
“Is it going to be good enough? I don’t know, but we’re going to see it in testing and then in the first race in Bahrain. I’m super excited. I’d like to start going now. It’s the stopwatch that’s going to tell us what job we’ve done.”
It remains to be seen if Mercedes will fare better in 2024 after enduring another difficult campaign over the last 12 months. They finished the season on a high by beating Ferrari to second place in the Constructors’ Championship standings but they will be determined to put a greater deal of pressure on Red Bull next time around.
Wolff and Mercedes will have the opportunity to make a fresh start next year (Image: GETTY)
“We learned a lot,” added Wolff as he reflected on last season. “The races and the seasons that are difficult are the ones where you learn the most, and we always say, the days we lose are the days our competitors are going to regret because we learn the most.
“I think there are so many lessons that we learned as an organisation, as humans, but also technically that will be beneficial going forward. I wouldn’t be able to pick one out, though, because there are so many things that we have looked at that will help us progress over the next year.”
