LEWIS HAMILTON has vented his frustration at Mercedes and says that he told them about the car’s speed issues last season.
The seven-time Formula One world champion started the new season in disappointing fashion last weekend.
Lewis Hamilton says he told Mercedes about the car’s problems last season
The 38-year-old could only finish sixth in Bahrain as rival Max Verstappen romped to victory for Red Bull.
Mercedes already had concerns about their W14 design, which is an evolved version of their “no-sidepod” one from last season which caused numerous issues as the team missed out on an eighth-consecutive constructors’ championships.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff wants his development team to reproduce a “radical” new design following the “worst weekend of racing” at the Sakhir Circuit.
However, motorsport legend Hamilton says they would not be having these issues if the team had listened to him previously.
The Brit told BBC: “Last year, I told them the issues that are with the car.
“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.
“And 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.
“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 went winless for the first time in his F1 career last season while team-mate George Russell scored one victory for the team in Brazil.
But despite the prospect of another year of struggle, Wolff does not expect that to prevent Hamilton from agreeing new terms.
Hamilton, 38, has a contract until the end of the year and both Jenson Button and Damon Hill have questioned whether he will re-sign now he’s not winning.
Hamilton said he IS committed to the team and Wolff has also dismissed the idea he will walk away now he has a battle on his hands.
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