Unlike George Russell, Lewis Hamilton did not have a perfect day in Saudi Arabia. Where his teammate was in the top three for long periods during the first two free practice sessions, the seven-time world champion was often in the midfield. Hamilton is not happy with the rear end of his W15.

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“Yes, it was a difficult day. Just lacking confidence in the rear of the car. In the setup, we did some work through session to session. But there was an underlying issue with the rear end that I was struggling with, so I had a couple of really big moments out there. In these high speed areas you need to have full faith in the rear of the car and I just don’t got that yet,” the Brit explained to F1TV.

Difference between Russell and Hamilton
How come the differences between Russell and Hamilton seem so big on the first day of racing in Jeddah? “I don’t know, you’re going to have to go through the data and stuff, but George is obviously a lot happier with his car. We kind of went in different directions today, we’re all trying different things to try and find the right solution for the car. All I want is a stable rear and then I’ll be happy, so that’s what I’m working on.”

In Bahrain, the Briton considered the car a “real race car”. Team boss Toto Wolff also explained after the first free practice sessions that Hamilton and Russell lacked confidence in Mercedes’ car.