Lewis Hamilton marginally slower than Max Verstappen; speed trap data from Saudi Arabian GP shows Mercedes' troubles are only aerodynamic

Lewis Hamilton was only 2.2 km/hr slower than Max Verstappen in the speed traps at the Jeddah circuit in the Saudi Arabian GP. The Briton was surprisingly quick in certain sectors of the circuit and marginally slower than Verstappen, who was the fastest in the speed traps.

Based on data from the race, it's understood that Mercedes' problems are purely aerodynamic, while their engine seems to be as quick as their rivals. Verstappen's speed in the speed traps was 334.6 km/hr, while the seven-time world champion’s was 332.4.

Analysing the data from the speed traps, Italian analyst Franco Nugnes from Motorsport Network suggests that Brackley team’s engine is not underpowered. However, he added that the car could have some deficiencies when it comes to design elements, such as the wing. Mercedes have chopped some parts of their rear wing to reduce the drag and run low downforce levels. He said:

“Before closing the PU argument, it is worth remembering that Lewis Hamilton on the straight reached 332.4 km/h with the Mercedes W13, followed by Alexander Albon with the Williams at just 0.2 km, a sign that the unit of Brackley has certainly not become the last in the paddock and that the problems of the silver arrow are aerodynamic in nature.”

Pointing out the problem with Lewis Hamilton’s car, Nugnes said:

“The rear wing of the W13 was dumped to improve peak speed, but the problems with Brackley's car remained unsolved, a sign that the lack of competitiveness is not with the engine.”

Mercedes driver George Russell suggested that resolving the problem was key to most of their performance woes. In Jeddah qualifying, the junior British driver was in a completely different setup from Lewis Hamilton, who qualified 16th.

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F1 analyst believes cost caps and limited time in wind tunnel reflecting in Lewis Hamilton’s car performance

The British champion and his Mercedes teammate have suggested that their problems could take time to resolve, probably even a season.

However, Gary Anderson wrote in his column on The Race suggesting that budget caps and limited wind tunnel testing, and CFD time might be the prime reason in the Silver Arrows' underwhelming performance.

Identifying the reasons behind Mercedes' woes, Anderson said that the eight-time champions have unlimited resources at their disposal to fix their technical issues. However, the budget caps and reduced aerodynamic testing might be reflected in the development of the Mercedes W13, saying:

“Perhaps these are signs that the cost cap and the sliding scale of aerodynamic testing that gives the top teams less windtunnel time and CFD items are starting to have an impact.”

Hamilton has also suggested that the team are far behind their rivals and that there might not be a quick fix in the near future.