LEWIS HAMILTON fears that his Mercedes will “bounce for the rest of the year” in a blow to the seven-time world champion.
The 38-year-old is third in the Formula One driver standings, only behind Red Bull duo Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
Mercedes have shown signs of life this season, having largely put the porpoising that plagued their 2022 season behind them.
According to Hamilton, however, the issue hasn’t completely gone away.
The Brit said: “This car is going to bounce for the rest of the year.
“But I feel optimistic for next year that it won’t be a characteristic on the car.
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“It comes and goes – some races it isn’t bouncing and some races it is. But it is nowhere near as hardcore as when we had it [last year].”
Earlier this season, Silver Arrows boss Toto Wolff vowed to provide Hamilton and team-mate George Russell with a “more reliable car” in 2024.
He said: “Our season didn’t really start well in Bahrain, but I think over the last races we’ve been able to comprehend the car a little bit better.
“And the race for P2 is really tight between Aston Martin, Ferrari, McLaren, and ourselves.
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“Now it’s really focusing on what we need to do in order to be winning championships again.”
He then added: “Positives are we clearly see some development routes that function. We understand where we need to add performance.
“It’s a frustrating process because it takes time to change the car fundamentally, the concept and aerodynamics. But there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel.”
Further quizzed about what his team need to do better, Wolff continued: “Main areas of improvement is just about giving the drivers a more reliable car.
“It’s not about absolute amount of downforce but it’s just for them to know the car is going to be stable when they come into the corner, which isn’t the case at the moment.”
Hamilton and Co will be back in action in Texas this weekend.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
