P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Lewis Hamilton has said he thought he had incurred damage to his Mercedes Formula 1 car amid the huge understeer
Hamilton had a strong start to the weekend with a second-place finish in the Sprint race but struggled during the subsequent sessions in Shanghai, starting from 18th and finishing 9th in the Grand Prix. He chose the grippiest Soft compound for the start but faced difficulties and dropped a position on the opening lap due to excessive understeer. Hamilton admitted that his strategic choice did not work out, leading to a challenging race. He made aggressive set-up changes post-Sprint, which contributed to the difficulties he faced. Despite the challenges, Mercedes Trackside Engineering Director acknowledged the relief in Hamilton finishing in the points positions after a tough race. Hamilton is determined to avoid making similar set-up mistakes in the future races to improve his performance.
