P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Lewis Hamilton admitted after the Chinese GP that he mistakenly drove extreme set-up changes. The biggest lesson in that isn’t that what ever was tried plainly did not work, but that the Mercedes F1 team’s focus needs to be elsewhere if it really is to drag itself out of mediocrity
Lewis Hamilton admitted making extreme set-up changes at the Chinese Grand Prix as part of Mercedes’ acknowledgment of the need to focus on the basics. In the past two years, Hamilton and sometimes George Russell have attributed erratic performance swings to ‘set-up experiments’, often at the team’s direction. This year, it was Hamilton who faced challenges after struggling in Shanghai, starting 18th and encountering difficulties during the grand prix. Hamilton’s self-deprecating remark about set-up changes reflects a growing awareness within the team about the need for stability and consistency in approach. Senior Mercedes figures highlighted the drawbacks of extensive changes, emphasizing the importance of avoiding drastic alterations each race weekend. The weekend’s results underscored the team’s need to balance risk-taking with strategic decisions to optimize performance.
