Lewis Hamilton’s Scathing Assessment of Mercedes: “Felt Like I Was in Another League” – Calls for Major Overhaul

Seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has issued a scathing assessment of the Mercedes team’s performance, saying he feels they are competing in a “different league” to their rivals at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. After a strategy that didn’t work, Hamilton crossed the finish line in ninth place and faced significant challenges throughout the race.

The British driver, known for his honesty, expressed his disappointment with the car’s performance, especially at high speeds. Hamilton likened the feeling of being “in a different category” when driving at high speed to the rivals around him. He emphasized that while the car was quite efficient at low and medium speeds, deficiencies were evident at high speeds.

At the Jeddah race, Hamilton chose not to overtake during the initial safety car period, a strategy that proved ineffective. The result was ninth place and the disappointment of not being able to overtake McLaren’s Lando Norris in the closing stages of the race.

In an interview with Sky Sports F1, Hamilton expressed his frustration and mentioned that this is the third year in a row. Despite highlighting the team’s hard work behind the scenes, Hamilton made it clear that fundamental changes were needed to improve Mercedes’ performance.

The veteran driver admitted that the team did not make significant enough changes compared to the competitors before him. He noted that leading teams continue to use different concepts in several areas, indicating that a complete overhaul is needed to restore competitiveness.

This scenario follows a difficult first race of the season in Bahrain, where Hamilton struggled with cooling problems. With Mercedes now behind Red Bull, Ferrari, Aston Martin and McLaren, Hamilton stressed the urgent need to make “big changes” to improve the car’s performance.

Hamilton’s candid assessment not only provides an honest insight into the challenges facing the team, but also highlights the driver’s determination to improve. As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see how Mercedes respond to the call for an overhaul and whether they can restore their competitive position in F1.