Lewis Hamilton shares ‘biggest improvement’ about Mercedes’ Canada Grand Prix upgrades

Lewis Hamilton recently talked about Mercedes improving the W15 with a major upgrade package in the Canadian GP. The seven-time world champion dove deep into the areas where the car felt great, and where it lacks.

Ever since the FIA brought technical regulation changes in 2022, Mercedes has been struggling to find the correct car concept. In 2022 they struggled with porpoising, an aerodynamic phenomenon that creates an airflow around the car, forcing it to vertically oscillate. Along with that, their zero sidepod concept was also a failure since they were unable to squeeze out decent performance.

In 2023, they went for a more traditional air vent on the sides. However, they were still unable to close the gap to Red Bull. Coming into 2024, Ferrari and McLaren's steep upward trajectory has dwarfed any improvements made by Mercedes. The team was unable to bag any podiums in the first eight races of the season and fell into the upper midfield section of the grid.

In the Canadian GP, Mercedes introduced a major upgrade package aiming to unleash performance from W15 and close the gap to other top teams like Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull.

Speaking in the FIA press conference ahead of the Canadian GP, Lewis Hamilton praised the team and talked about the improvements they have made in 2024 with the new package. He pointed out that the lower ride height has helped improve the overall ride quality of the W15.

“The biggest improvement coming into this year has been ride quality and being able to get the car lower, which has been what others have been able to do. And then, stability on entry of corners, the car is far more predictable than it ever was, particularly this year it’s a lot more stable so you can be a bit more committed into the corners,” Hamilton said.

On the other hand, Hamilton was unsatisfied with the balance of the car while taking corners.

“But then through corner balance is where we’ve been lacking, where some of the others have taken big steps so that’s what we’re trying to work on,” he went on.

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Lewis Hamilton optimistic about out-qualifying George Russell in Canada

Lewis Hamilton talked about the new upgrade package from Mercedes at the 2024 F1 Canadian GP and whether he would be able to out-qualify George Russell.

Back in the 2024 F1 Monaco GP, Hamilton dropped a cryptic statement about how he would not be able to out-qualify his teammate in 2024.

Hence, in the press conference ahead of the Canadian GP, he was asked whether he would be able to do so in Montreal. To this, Lewis Hamilton simply replied that he would try to out-qualify Russell.

"I don't think it's far away. And so we've got the upgrade. Both cars have the upgrade this weekend. So I'm looking forward to seeing how that feels actually on track," Hamilton said.

"I'll try," he replied.

In the 2024 F1 drivers' championship after eight races, Lewis Hamilton is currently down in eighth place with 42 points while George Russell is in seventh place with 54 points.