12 March 2024 , 11:46
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Lewis Hamilton said he was "not having fun" as he struggled and finished only ninth at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Though the seven-time world champion has praised his new W15 car, he struggled for pace in the fast corners of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. That, plus a Mercedes strategy gamble which didn't pay off, meant he finished 47 seconds down the road from winner Max Verstappen.
As a result, Hamilton was left feeling like he was behind the wheel of a car from a "different category". Team principal Toto Wolff said there was a "fundamental" problem with the W15 which means that it is far too slow in those quicker turns.
And Hamilton is bracing for his tough start to the new season to continue with the issue likely to take some time to resolve. He said: "I think all the high-speed circuits we are going to be at a disadvantage with the package we currently have.
"But we're good in the low-speed, and some of the medium-speed, we're not so bad. It's just really the high-speed, so we just have to add performance. It was like I was in a different category when I was going through the high speed with the other guys around me."
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Asked about his race, the Briton added: "I wouldn't say I'm having fun. I'm racing for ninth, so I definitely can't say that. Finishing ninth is definitely not fun. But I am enjoying the actual racing part. And I was hunting and I was pushing as hard as I could, I was maximising everything I had with the car, I was right on the edge.
"It was just unfortunately really lacking performance in the high-speed, where they were walking all over us. But there are positives. The car is good in low speed. We have to add a lot of load in the high-speed. I think if we were able to do that then I think it puts us in the fight. But we've got some work to do."
There was plenty of optimism after pre-season testing, especially from Hamilton who seemed much more content with the W15 than had been the case with the two Mercedes cars that preceded it. Yes, the situation he finds himself in is familiar - saddled with a machine in which he is incapable of achieving his goals.
And he admitted his annoyance at that yet again being the reality. He added: "It's frustrating to three years in a row be in almost the same position. It's definitely tough, but we'll get our heads down and keep working away.
"I know everyone back at the factory is pushing as hard as they can, but we've definitely got to make some big changes. We haven't made big enough changes, perhaps. You look at the three teams that are ahead of us and they still have different concepts to where we are in some areas. So we've got some performance to add, that's for sure."