Hamilton Mercedes F1 Car Not Far Off Disastrous 2009 Mclaren
Hamilton’s Mercedes F1 Car Is Not Far Off Disastrous 2009 McLaren
Hamilton has had a surprisingly hard time in the W13. In Jeddah, he finished seventh after a pit entry error cost him a solid result. He finished ninth at Imola. Both results were disappointing, and the race at Jeddah was particularly jarring, as Hamilton missed an opportunity to improve under a red flag.
The McLaren from 2009 remains the worst car Hamilton has driven in his F1 career, but the Mercedes W13 may not be far behind. Hamilton had only one car like it in his F1 career, and that was the car he drove to 13th place at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. The Mercedes W13 has had a tough start to the season. This is the worst start since the Japanese Grand Prix.
After a disastrous start to the 2009 season, McLaren were forced to make some significant changes to the car. In particular, Hamilton’s anger at the Turkish Grand Prix led the team to upgrade the car before the Hungary break, where McLaren was able to make a big difference. Hamilton then went on to score two victories, three podium finishes, and jumped from fourth to fifth place in the championship.
After qualifying, Hamilton’s pace dwindled. He had ended all three sessions faster than teammate George Russell, but it was still far behind the Alfa Romeo. Russell ended up sixth, while Hamilton was second on the grid. Hamilton suffered a puncture on the first lap and was unable to finish the race. He was 19th out of the pit lane. Hamilton suggested to his team radio, that the car be retired after the crash.
Hamilton’s first Mercedes car was the W04, which was his most disastrous. It only won three races in its first year and was no match for the dominant Red Bull. Sebastian Vettel, the German driver won 13 races with his car. The W04 was not competitive in the early stages of the season. It finished eighth and 12th.
The Hamilton Mercedes F1 car is very similar to the one driven in 2009 by McLaren. Although the reliability of the car was questionable at the beginning, it quickly recovered to take fifth place. Hamilton also took fifth place at the first pit stop, passing Bottas & Sainz. The second stint was more consistent, with Hamilton improving from fourteenth to fourth. However, Hamilton was forced to slow down by eight seconds per lap due to a water leak. He finished fifth behind Sainz, and second behind Ocon.
Hamilton’s Mercedes is not far off the mclaren from 2009. The team had a disastrous 2009 campaign and a new engine was in order. Hamilton’s car is an improvement, but it still isn’t far off the mclaren from 2009 in terms of reliability and performance.