Lewis Hamilton admits Mercedes has a "mountain to climb" in upcoming F1 season
Lewis Hamilton has warned that Mercedes faces a significant challenge this F1 season after struggling during pre-season testing in Bahrain. The team's W14 car proved difficult to handle, leading Hamilton to suggest that they have a mountain to climb.
Mercedes have "a mountain to climb" in the upcoming F1 season, according to Lewis Hamilton.
The pre-season testing in Bahrain proved to be a difficult outing for the team, with their trusty W14 machine often proving to be a handful.
Despite the pecking order remaining shrouded in mystery, the consensus among experts and fans alike is that Red Bull and Ferrari are poised to lead the pack.
It seems that Mercedes, on the other hand, will be forced to play catch-up, with many expecting them to begin the season as the third-best team.
However, it's not all doom and gloom for the German outfit, as their recent porpoising issue has finally been resolved.
Hamilton said: “It’s been an interesting few days. It’s never easy. There’s been a lot of discovery."
"I think the thing that I have been most impressed with is that it’s my 11th year with the team and everyone’s turned up with the same mentality, working hard. No one has been complacent."
"We realise that we have a mountain to climb and no one has fussed. Everyone has kept their heads down. Really proud of that, everyone in the garage, back here and at the factory will be going through all of this data and pushing" on said Hamilton.
“Reliability has generally been good, obviously we had a stop yesterday but generally it's been relatively good."
"At the end, it’s always nice when the track gets a bit cooler and you put on the softer tires, and see the steps between them all."
"We’re not quite where we want to be but it’s a good platform to start from.”
It's rumored that the team will be bringing a lower-downforce rear wing to Bahrain in an attempt to address some of the issues with W14.
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