P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Lewis Hamilton believes Mercedes’ upgrades have made its F1 car slower as he qualified behind his team-mate on the old-spec at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Mercedes faced another disappointing qualifying session with George Russell in fifth and Lewis Hamilton in sixth, unable to challenge their main rivals. Hamilton, the only Mercedes driver with the updates, ended up almost three-tenths behind Russell in Q3. Despite suspecting the new parts caused his spin in Austin, Hamilton kept them on his car. The team boss downplayed any issues with the developments, but Hamilton believes they haven’t improved performance. Set-up tweaks showed promise, but transitioning to a more loaded rear wing backfired, making the car slower. Hamilton still struggles with a “three-wheeling” sensation, making it challenging to keep pace with the frontrunners. The Briton anticipates a tough race ahead and hopes to finish this time, facing stiff competition from Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull.
