Hamilton points out Mercedes design flaw: 'This needs to change 100%'

For some time now, things have been rumbling internally at Mercedes. Hamilton already complained after the first race that the team had not listened to him when designing the car. After the second race of the season, the seven-time world champion added that there was a specific problem with the car that bothered him, although at the time he would not say what exactly that problem was. It has since become clear: the Mercedes' cockpit sits awkwardly far forward in the car.

"We sit closer to the front wheels than all the other drivers," Hamilton explained. "Our cockpit is too close to the front. When you’re driving, you feel like you’re sitting on the front wheels which is one of the worst feelings to feel when you’re driving a car. So, what that does is it just really changes the attitude of the car and how you perceive its movement. And it makes it harder to predict, compared to when you’re further back and you’re sitting closer, more central. It’s just something I’ve really struggled with."

Hamilton initially agreed to the design

The choice of the car's design was, of course, made in consultation with Hamilton. However, the Briton claims that had he known these consequences, he would never have given his blessing to the design. "I listened to the team and that was the direction that they said that we should go. Had I known the feeling that I would have in it, it wouldn’t have happened. And it has to change for the future. 100%."