Mercedes’ woes appear to persist this season, with a mixed outcome in Bahrain last weekend. George Russell clinched fifth place, while Lewis Hamilton struggled to secure seventh. Despite arriving in Jeddah with hopes of overcoming their setbacks, the Silver Arrows faced ongoing challenges.
In FP2, Russell demonstrated a strong performance, trailing leader Fernando Alonso by just over 0.2 seconds. However, Hamilton continued to grapple with handling issues in the W15.
According to a report by Crash.net, Karun Chandhok noted that neither driver is satisfied with the W15. Despite Russell’s relatively better performance, Chandhok emphasized the need for Mercedes to address the car’s balance issues.
“Lewis [Hamilton] was a couple of tenths shy of George in Bahrain and the race, four or five seconds behind in the end. He has just not looked as happy as even George has done today. Certainly, on the long runs, both were complaining about the rear end going away and instability at the rear end, which we heard a lot of last year. There’s work to do overnight,” explained Chandhok.
Hamilton faced more significant challenges than Russell, with power unit overheating issues hampering his performance in Bahrain. Additionally, a cracked seat further exacerbated the 39-year-old’s struggles, leading to a disappointing P7 finish after qualifying in P9 for the season opener.
In Jeddah, Hamilton continued to encounter problems, experiencing several oversteer moments due to the W15’s loose rear end. After two sessions on the Saudi Arabian track, Hamilton admitted to lacking “full faith” in the car’s performance.
