Hamilton pinpoints specific problem with W14: 'That's holding me back'

Hamilton has revealed that there is a specific element in the design of the W14 that bothers him. Speaking to Motorsport.com, Hamilton discusses the current state of Mercedes and suggests that there is a major underlying problem with the car.

Even before the season started, Mercedes was struggling with problems. The design of the sidepods appeared to be far from working, a lack of downforce was immediately apparent, and the car had so little grip at the rear tyres that a new rear wing was introduced as early as the test days.

The results aren't really there yet either: Red Bull Racing is miles ahead of Mercedes, Fernando Alonso is getting the most out of his new Aston Martin and whizzing past Mercedes, and in Bahrain, Mercedes also had to beat Carlos Sainz' s Ferrari. The results in Saudi Arabia were slightly better, but the only chance for a podium came when the stewards rewarded Alonso's performance with a post-race time penalty, which was reversed a few hours later.

Hamilton seems to have problems especially at high speed

At the end of the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, Hamilton assesses that the downforce problem is still unresolved. But even if the team does manage to solve it, he believes there is something else going on. "There's a specific problem with something about the car that I've never had before in the cars I've driven. I think that's the thing that makes it difficult for me."

So what that specific problem is Hamilton won't say, but it seems to rear its head particularly at high speeds. At average race speeds, the car seems to be doing fine, but when it really needs to achieve the maximum - for example in qualifying or during a duel on track - the car becomes a lot harder to control. Team boss Toto Wolff indicated in the same interview that the team is aware of the problems and is working on a solution.