Lewis Hamilton has made himself perfectly clear on Mercedes in light of Nico Rosberg’s remarks.
Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are back on the collision course – this time away from the track – as the pair share their differing views on Mercedes’ chances of closing the gap on Red Bull. The former team-mates became accustomed to clashing with each other as they fought for the title, but with Hamilton still racing and Rosberg now working as a pundit, they are still likely to disagree on the German manufacturer’s chances of success in the near future.
Red Bull star Max Verstappen has won 18 of the 22 races this season so far and some by a long distance, while only Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz has found a way to stop Red Bull from taking a clean sweep in every 2023 race. Hamilton has taken only 42 points from his last five races,
Mercedes, meanwhile, have mustered three second-place finishes with Hamilton, while George Russell has registered only one podium finish all season. But Rosberg, who won the world championship in 2016, believes there are signs that the team are making vast improvements.
“The Mercedes team has recently shown glimpses of exceptional performance. They are not reliable. However, observe Austin. They actually had the fastest car over the weekend and were fighting for the win there,” Rosberg told the Daily Mail.
We’ve observed that they’re beginning to comprehend the car, but their consistency issues persist. Although they still struggle with straight line performance, they are beginning to realize this.”
In evaluating Mercedes’ prospects of unseating Red Bull following consecutive Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles, the former Formula One champion is optimistic the Silver Arrows may have a say in the championship conflict.
“Having been there myself, I have faith in Mercedes’ abilities. I am aware of their strength. The people are consistently the same,” Rosberg remarked. “There is undoubtedly a possibility that Hamilton will challenge for the title again the following year.”
Hamilton would probably argue otherwise. Hamilton has been cautious when discussing Mercedes’s chances of catching up to Red Bull in the upcoming season, whether that is intentional or just a way to hide the team’s pace after he visited the factory a few months ago.
Hamilton claimed that Mercedes was far from overtaking Red Bull at Suzuka after witnessing the W14 disaster once more. “We’re a long, long way away, but I have no idea where the car will be next year,” he remarked while in Japan. To close that gap and be knocking on doors, the next six months of development must be the best we’ve ever had.”
By the time they arrived in early November at the Brazilian Grand Prix, it’s safe to say his opinion had not changed.
After witnessing the Silver Arrows finish eighth at Interlagos in Brazil—a track they had dominated in 2022 with a 1-2 finish led home by George Russell—the seven-time world champion was devastated. After a year, Mercedes was almost a full lap behind Verstappen, and Hamilton acknowledged that their chances of catching up in 2024 were very slim.
I just have to keep trying to be positive. However, given how far away Red Bull is, they will likely remain very apparent for the ensuing few years. I anticipated that the race would be difficult. It is a setback for the time being. However, as a team, we will just unite and make an effort to advance.
After Verstappen and Sergio Perez, Hamilton will finish the season in third place in the Drivers’ Championship as the best of the rest. But as the season comes to an end in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, Hamilton has every right to be skeptical about winning a record-breaking eighth title next year, as he trails the three-time world champion by 317 points.
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