F1 News
Hamilton 'ready to gather data' for Mercedes ahead of blockbuster switch
After a disappointing weekend at the Circuit of the Americas, Lewis Hamilton hopes to get to the bottom of finding out what went wrong a weekend before. In Mexico, the Briton will continue running with the team's latest package, and hopes to find the answer to fix their issues.
On Lap 2 of the US Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton lost his car in Sector 3 and got struck in the gravel trap, forcing a Safety Car. That was not the first time he lost control over his car, as in free practice, he also spun in Sector 1. The Briton now understands what went wrong.
"We can see in the data that we have three wheeling, so the left wheel starts moving so the car is jacking basically. We can see from the rear the ride height oscillating a lot, so 12 to 15 mil difference going into the corner. And you can see a 40 kilometre tailwind, so you can imagine like there's a small window where the downforce is perfect and if you're too high then you fall off the peak and the other side you go over the peak, so I think it's a combination of all those things," he said in Mexico City.
He continued: "If you watch the video, the car is bouncing, the left wheel starts bouncing, and then you just lose load. And I think the floor is probably a little bit more sensitive maybe than the previous. The floor, yes. But I've kept it on this weekend because it's a much less bouncy circuit. And it's good to get, we need to get more data on everything."
Hamilton to run with latest upgrade package in Mexico
Hamilton will have the latest upgrade package that Mercedes first brought to COTA available to him in Mexico. He previously offered Russell some parts after his teammate's crash in qualifying, something with hindsight he wishes that happened, the seven-time world champion said jokingly.
"This weekend, George is on the old package, the same package as last weekend, so we'll get a good read of…. The upgrades should be better, but I'd be interested to see if there is much difference between the two," Hamilton added.
Ferrari switch doesn't influence Hamilton
Given that in five Grands Prix time Hamilton will leave Mercedes, the Briton will not be able to reap the rewards of his current work on a longer term. However, the former champion underlined that does not influence his approach.
"I wouldn’t say that it feels odd. I think it's, I mean, it's ultimately everything, every bit of input that I put in now, along with George's for example, is contributing to the development for us, but that's the job, that's what I'm paid for. I'm not holding anything back in any of our sessions."
"At the end of the day, this is a team that I've been successful with for many, many years, and I want the team to continue to have success. That's just how I am wired, that’s how I am. Maybe other people would do it differently," he concluded.
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