Hamilton: 'They Didn't Listen to Me' - calls for accountability at Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton speaks out about Mercedes' struggles in the 2023 F1 season, saying that he warned the team about the car's issues last year but they didn't listen. He emphasizes the importance of accountability and owning up to mistakes in order to move forward and improve.
Lewis Hamilton has called on Mercedes to take responsibility for their poor start to the 2023 Formula 1 season, in a post-race interview with Rosanna Tennant on BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast.
Hamilton, who finished fifth in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, expressed his frustration that his feedback on the W14 car had not been acted upon by the team.
"Last year, I told them the issues that are with the car," Hamilton said. "Like, I’ve driven so many cars in my life, so I know what a car needs, I know what a car doesn’t need.
"I think it’s really about accountability, it’s about owning up and saying ‘yeah, you know what, we didn’t listen to you, it’s not where it needs to be and we’ve got to work."
"We’ve got to look into the balance through the corners, look at all the weak points and just huddle up as a team, that’s what we do."
Despite Mercedes' dominance in recent years, Hamilton warned that they cannot afford to rest on their laurels if they want to catch up to Red Bull, Ferrari, and Aston Martin.
"We’re still multi World Champions you know, it’s just they haven’t got it right this time, they didn’t get it right last year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get it right moving forwards," Hamilton said.
Hamilton emphasized the importance of the team working together to improve the car and address its weaknesses.
Hamilton also spoke about his battles with former teammate Fernando Alonso during the Bahrain GP, admitting that he needs to improve if he wants to beat his rivals in the coming races.
"I enjoyed that I managed to have a couple of battles, and it was close, but not quite there" Hamilton said.
"And I’ve had many cars like this, particularly back in the McLaren days, and I don’t know when or how we’re going to do it in terms of turning it around, but it’s going to have to happen."
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