Formula One F1 – Australian Grand Prix – Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne, Australia – April 7, 2022 Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in action during practice REUTERS/Martin Keep
A dejected Lewis Hamilton said on Friday that nothing being done to his under-performing Mercedes was making a difference after he managed just 13th in second practice for the Australian Grand Prix.
The British seven-time world champion has had a tough time so far this season, with his car alarmingly adrift of pace-setters Red Bull and Ferrari.
The German manufacturer’s problems with porpoising -– bouncing at high speed -– are still an issue and he is frustrated.
“It’s just nothing we change on the car makes a difference at the moment,” he said, after finishing nearly two seconds behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who topped the timesheets.
“So that’s the difficult thing. You’re getting very optimistic, and then you make changes, and then it doesn’t seem to be wanting to improve.
“We made some changes going into P2. P1 was better. P2 ended up being a bit harder for me. So I don’t know, it’s just a tricky car.”
Hamilton, who finished third at the season-opening race in Bahrain then 10th in Jeddah, said he was resigned to not being competitive around the revamped Albert Park circuit this weekend.
“It’s frustrating because you’re pushing and pushing, and even when you pull off a good lap, you look at the times and we’re over a second down,” he said.
“We’ve got lots of work to do to close the gap.”
His teammate George Russell didn’t fare much better, ending 11th.
“We’re not in a position where we want to be, there are quite a few midfield cars ahead of us and we’re obviously a long way off the pace from the front,” he said.
“We need to work hard tonight and understand the limitations.”