‘Rattlesnake’ Mercedes F1 Challenger Poses Venomous Threat to Lewis Hamilton’s Driving Style

Lewis Hamilton redeemed himself in the Australian Qualifying. The seven-time world champion got a P16 after a Q1 elimination in Jeddah. But he managed to get P5 in the Melbourne Qualifying. Although the Silver Arrow driver was happy with the 2022 car, the bouncing issue still haunts him.

The Mercedes 2022 challenger has been struggling with significant bouncing since the season-opener. And it is still a major issue for the German constructors. It is affecting their performance and they are not getting the pace to fight at the front.

However, the Silver Arrows significantly improved in Australia, especially during the qualifying. Even Hamilton was happy with the car’s performance. But shares the porpoising issue is still there when pushing the limit of the car.

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The 37-year-old Brit reported, “I think we’ve extracted the most from the car today. I feel like there was a little bit more in my lap so, that’s a positive. Naturally gutted that I wasn’t able to extract that little bit but, the problem is, like I said when you push that car just a little bit more she’s quite spiteful so… she’s like a viper or like a rattlesnake, you never know.”

Lewis Hamilton lost his qualifying dominance in Australia

The Australia GP returned to the F1 calendar after a two-year absence because of the pandemic. But it is finally back as the third race of the 2022 season. Further, the Qualifyings for the main race are also over. But this Australian qualifying marked the end of Hamilton’s qualifying dominance.

The Briton has been the fastest in every qualifying in the turbo-hybrid era. Hamilton has been qualifying for pole since the 2014 season and the streak remained unbroken until 2019. However, Hamilton’s dominance in the Australian GP qualifying ended in 2022.

Lewis finished fifth in the qualifying for the Melbourne race. Meanwhile, Red Bull and Ferrari dominated the qualifying, as they have been in the last two races. Charles Leclerc was the one to break Hamilton’s dominance by securing  pole for himself. Further, the Red Bull duo, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, qualified P2 and P3. Also, Hamilton’s new teammate George Russell finished P6 behind him.

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The seven-time world champion would return to Albert Park Circuit on Sunday for the Australian GP. Fans should keep an eye on the Brit to see whether he can bag another podium comes Sunday.