A dejected Lewis Hamilton laments 'It was a pretty bad day' after the first day of F1 Belgian GP

Lewis Hamilton was disappointed with the results in the first two practice sessions at the 2024 F1 Belgian GP. He explained how the car felt different at Spa compared to previous races in Europe.

Hamilton and his team Mercedes have worked extremely hard to make gains in performance since the start of the 2024 F1 season. At first, they struggled to keep up with top teams like Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull. In the European leg, however, Hamilton managed to bag his first race win in 945 days at Silverstone, while George Russell won in Austria.

Coming into the Belgian GP, the last race before the August summer break, Lewis Hamilton has felt a sudden change in the Mercedes W15. He told F1.com that he was not satisfied with FP1 and the latter half of FP2. Even though the car was faster in FP2, the 39-year-old said other teams made more significant gains.

"It was a pretty bad day, I don’t really know what to say. [The car] has been feeling great in the past couple of races, and it just felt completely different today. There’s a bunch of balance issues we had through the lap, but it was better in this [FP2] session. But everyone else went even better. To be 1.2 seconds behind is not great," Hamilton said.

When asked about chances of rain, Lewis Hamilton said a downpour could open up opportunities for him in qualifying and race. The seven-time world champion concluded that Mercedes are not the quickest around in dry conditions.

"Overnight we can make some changes for sure. I think, if it rains [tomorrow], that opens up a little bit and hopefully we can do a better job. I think the car should be better in the wet than it is in the dry," he added.

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Lewis Hamilton against the addition of an active cooling system in F1 cockpits after 2023 Qatar GP weather conditions

Lewis Hamilton recently talked against the addition of an active cooling system inside F1 drivers' cockpits to ease the racing experience for them. This was planned by the FIA after several drivers suffered during the 2023 Qatar GP where the conditions were extremely hot.

Speaking at a post-race press conference at the Hungarian GP, Lewis Hamilton opined that the cooling was not needed since F1 is a high-energy sport and racing drivers are 'highly-paid athletes.' He added that drivers should train extremely hard to withstand any weather conditions the track throws at them.

"Well, firstly, I didn't know that. And it's not needed. This is Formula 1. It's always been like this. It's tough in these conditions. And we're highly paid athletes. And you've got to train your ass off to make sure you can withstand the heat, ultimately. And it's tough. It's not easy, especially when you go to places like Qatar and Singapore. But I don't think we need an AC unit in the car," Hamilton said (via Motorsport Week).