SUMMARY
- Lewis Hamilton faces career-low start in F1 season, exits Australian Grand Prix early due to engine issue.
- Hamilton's dismal start worsens with poorest qualifying and consecutive disappointing finishes in previous races.
The 7x champion Lewis Hamilton is now struggling to finish a race. Hamilton expressed his disappointment, labeling the start of the 2024 Formula 1 season as his “worst” ever. The Australian Grand Prix, which occurred last weekend, was a nightmare for Mercedes. The 39-year-old driver faced an early exit from the race at the Albert Park Circuit due to an engine issue.
In the most surprising turn of events, two of the top contenders, Max Verstappen and Hamilton faced a DNF. Before retiring from the race, Lewis Hamilton encountered his poorest qualifying performance in Australia since 2010. This setback came right after some of the most disappointing finishes at the Jeddah race and Bahrain Grand Prix with P9 and P7 results.
Lewis Hamilton acknowledges 2024 as his “worst ever” F1 season start
With just eight points accumulated across the first three races, the British sensation currently holds the ninth spot in the drivers’ championship standings. Hamilton points out how serious the issue is, drawing comparisons to McLaren’s rocky opening in 2009. The driver emphasized that if the car fails to deliver satisfactory performance, it places a heavy burden on the team staff.
Lewis Hamilton told media that this [2024] season is the worst start to a season he’s ever had, “and it’s worse than 2009 I think!” 💀
do you know how BAD a season needs to be to top 2009? the season where he thought maybe he should stop racing? Mercedes what are u doing omg- 😭
— deni (@fiagirly) March 25, 2024
During his media interaction, Lewis Hamilton stated, “I mean this is the worst start to a season I’ve ever had. Oh yeah, for sure, and it’s worse than 2009 I think! I think it’s tough on the spirit. I think for everyone in the team when so much work has gone on throughout the winter for everybody and you come in excited, motivated, and driven, and then you’re with the mindset that you’re going to be fighting for wins, and then obviously that’s not the case.”
He went on to add, “And then you either get maybe second or third, but that’s not the case and it cascades a bit further down and you just go through the motions. It’s challenging, but I continue to be inspired by the people I work with.” Adding to Mercedes’ woes, George Russell also failed to complete the race, crashing out at P7 on the final lap.
Toto Wolff on edge: Reveals insights into the “brutal” day at Australian GP
Silver Arrows team principal, Toto Wolff expressed deep frustration over their upsetting kick-off to the season. This marked the first race since the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix where neither Mercedes driver earned points. No formal double DNF took place as per reports, but Russell remained to be a classified driver. The last time the Brackley-based outfit experienced such a setback was at the 2018 Austrian GP.
📰: Toto Wolff expressed deep frustration with Mercedes’ start to the season, describing it as “brutal” and “super tough” after both drivers faced setbacks at the Australian Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton retired early due to a power unit issue, while George Russell crashed out on… pic.twitter.com/ZxGaDtTQ5I
— F1 Naija (@f1_naija) March 24, 2024
In his conversation with the media, Wolf said, “Tough to take, super tough. And I would be lying if I would say at any moment ‘I feel positive about the situation and optimistic’, but you just need to overcome the negative thoughts and say ‘We will turn this around’. But today, it feels very, very, very brutal.” It was discouraging, to say the least as both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell failed to end the race.
With an eye on the huge 40-second lead over the third-place Lando Norris before Russell’s crash, Wolff expressed worries about the team’s underlying speed complications. Mercedes, expected to be competing with the papaya team in the battle for the “best of the rest” behind Red Bull, faced some of the worst unanticipated challenges.
