P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Lewis Hamilton has admitted to keeping a close eye on rival F1 teams’ designs and feeding back his discoveries to Mercedes’ aerodynamic department.
Mercedes, after their dominant run was abruptly halted at the start of F1’s new regulation era in 2022, have faced two difficult seasons and are on track to go winless for the first time since 2011. Despite this, Hamilton has had an impressive campaign, securing third place in the drivers’ championship. When asked if this season was better than 2022, Hamilton was unsure, mentioning their race win in Brazil last year but acknowledging their slow start in Bahrain. He expressed hope for progress in the winter. In an effort to improve their car design for 2024, Hamilton has been following what other teams are doing, particularly taking note of the floor of Red Bull’s sister team, AlphaTauri. Despite this, Hamilton plans to stay with Mercedes and is regularly checking in with the head of aero to share any findings or progress. Hamilton’s last chance to end his and Mercedes’ winless streak will be at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
