Hamilton: “We will also have a problem in Jeddah”

According to Lewis Hamilton and his director Toto Wolf, the Mercedes W13 has no design problems, neither with the aerodynamics nor with the performance of its hybrid drive.

The main and big problem this year is the phenomenon of jumps in the straight (porpoises), which disturb the aerodynamic balance and lift generation, forcing the champion to make adjustments for more lift in the wings – resulting in a long delay leads the final velocity.

The problem of the porpoise has occupied all teams this year, but most – and particularly Ferrari and RBR – have managed to tackle it quite satisfactorily. The problem arises in the way the ground interacts with the powerful airflow that passes under the car. represent coordination phenomena.

As explained by the two Mercedes drivers, the team has not yet found any solutions to the W13’s bumps on the straight. “That certainly has nothing to do with the track, because we also had the problem in Barcelona. “The asphalt there doesn’t have as many jumps as in Bahrain, where there are longer straights, but we still had the problem.” said Hamilton.

The seven-time world champion continued: “We expect to have the same problem at the next race where the track has even bigger straight lines. Unless the team fixes it. There are a huge number of people with amazing intelligence working in the background 24 hours a day trying to find the right solutions. “We don’t usually make frantic decisions, we think carefully about everything before we make our decisions.”

Russell seemed more anxious: “It gives us hope that the other cars had the same problem and managed to solve it, meaning there is a solution. But we’re struggling to find it” said the new Mercedes F1 star. “It would have been great if we could have solved the problem in the tests we’ve covered so many kilometers, but we honestly don’t know how long it will take us to do it. The solution can be found in the next three days or after the winter break. “I hope it happens as soon as possible, but there’s no guarantee it won’t continue like this all year.”completed.

Hamilton explained how porpoises affect the W13’s aerodynamics, adding: “It’s a big problem. I have never experienced something like that Formula 1. The cars aren’t designed to bounce like that, with the result that you’re constantly gaining, losing, winning, losing, and so on. We managed to smooth it down a bit, but it’s still not that comfortable for your waist and neck, but it’s definitely a lot better. And I hope it keeps improving.

In the final analysis, [το πρόβλημα] is just the boost. Because of the jumps we don’t have the buoyancy we need. That’s why we can’t approach other cars. They lined up their cars a lot better and are pulling – if not – at least more lift than we are. “And that allows them to drive a better lap.” closed the British.