© Finn Pomeroy for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes has been “trying to tame” the W13, and adds Ferrari would get a one-two if the race was held this Sunday.
Mercedes has caught everyone’s attention at the Bahrain pre-season test when they debuted an updated ‘zeropod’ version of their 2022 car.
However, in the first two days of the test, the car has been plagued with massive oversteer and porpoising. Lewis Hamilton says his team is hard at work to fix the problems they are facing.
“Yeah, it’s tough,” said the Briton.
“I mean, you can see on the on-board, tank-slappers left, right and centre. You’re bouncing and bumping and it’s not quite happy at the moment. But we’re trying to tame her.”
Lewis adds that he doesn’t believe Mercedes’ upgrades are the reason for the problems, instead he believes its down to the specific conditions in Bahrain.
If you like SilverArrows.Net, consider supporting us by buying us a coffee!
“It’s the wind, it is the bouncing that we have. We still have that this week, and if anything it’s worse.
“So we’re just working through lots of different scenarios, trying to figure out how to hold on to the downforce and not have it bouncing as it was in the last test.
“I think everyone’s probably in a similar boat. Some have managed to utilise or get around it in a better way.
“But it’s difficult out there. It’s bumpy, it’s slippery. It’s sand in the morning. In the morning, it’s way too hot. And in the afternoon, it’s just dusty.”
However, Lewis believes Mercedes can overcome these problems.
“It’s just hurdles that we’re coming across with this new kind of car that everyone’s facing in 2022.
“I’m confident in the team here and back of the factory, that they will figure it out. But it’s definitely not going to be a smooth run.”
The Briton also dismissed any suggestions that Mercedes is sandbagging.
“We would be really, really, really good if we were having all these oversteer moments and having this tacky driving, just to hide our cars.
“It’s not the case. We definitely have things that we’re trying to get through. I think, as I said, others are struggling less but who knows?
“Maybe when we get to next week, we’ll have a better understanding.”
When asked who would win if the Bahrain Grand Prix was held this Sunday, Lewis said:
“From what I can see, Ferrari would probably be getting a one-two, and maybe Red Bull.”
