The Mercedes enjoyed a P3 and P4 finish in Melbourne last week. But what got everyone’s attention was Lewis Hamilton saying he’s in a “difficult position” because of the Mercedes cooling system.

The seven-time world champion showcased outstanding performance at the Albert Park Circuit last week. But during the race, Hamilton was struggling and especially when he was following another car. When his teammate George Russell was in front, Hamilton mentioned being in a difficult position because of his team.

What did Lewis Hamilton mean by ‘difficult position’?

Later, the seven-time world champion clarified he meant the cooling system of the car that put him in a difficult position. As he couldn’t push his car because of overheating. Silver Arrows further explained the issue faced by Lewis in Melbourne.

The Mercedes strategy director, James Vowles, explained, “That was all about engine cooling and keeping the PU cool during the course of the race. We push everything to the limit, as you would imagine, and one of those is engine cooling. We do it by closing the bodywork or changing the louver design at the back of the car.

“That decision was made on Saturday but obviously, we were racing on Sunday, 24 hours later, and in this particular circumstance the ambient was one, maybe two degrees warmer than we had expected.

“As a result of that, ourselves, and not just ourselves, you would have heard it from teams up and down the grid, were right on the limit of what the engine and the PU can take in terms of cooling requirements.

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“During the course of the race, when you are following a car it meant Lewis had to compromise what he was doing. He had to move out of the dirty air of the car in front of him and make sure he got cool, clean air through the radiators to drop the PU temperatures down. But doing that makes racing the car in front incredibly difficult and that’s why his message came out.”

How is the season going for Mercedes so far?

The eight-time world champion constructor had a tough start this season. The Mercedes duo is struggling with the 2022 challenger as they are still experiencing significant porpoising with the W13. So, the Silver Arrows cannot fight at the front alongside Ferrari and Red Bull.

But even after the struggling for, Mercedes is sitting in P2 in the constructors’ standings. It is all thanks to Hamilton’s lucky P3 finish in Bahrain and the epic P3 and P4 finish in Melbourne. The German constructor looked better in Australia. So, the fans are hoping for the Silver Arrows to improve further as the season will progress.

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F1’s next stop is the Emilia Romagna GP, which will feature the first sprint race qualifying of the season. Fans should keep their eyes on Mercedes to see what they do there in Imola.