Lewis Hamilton has acknowledged that the “bouncing” problem that troubled Mercedes during the 2022 Formula 1 season made a comeback at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday.
Starting the race in a respectable third position at Spa-Francorchamps, the seven-time world champion faced challenges in defending his position from eventual race winner Max Verstappen. Additionally, Hamilton encountered difficulties in overtaking Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc, who were ahead on the track.
Hamilton adopted a late pit stop strategy to secure the fastest lap and successfully earned an extra world championship point.
The 38-year-old has now narrowed the gap to just one point behind Fernando Alonso, who holds the coveted third position in the standings. However, amidst the triumph, Hamilton did have a point of concern that caught his attention after the race.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the race, the seven-time world champion revealed: “We had big bouncing this weekend, back to the bouncing like last year.”
The Silver Arrows endured a challenging season marred by the bouncing and “porpoising” of their car on straights, posing discomfort and safety concerns for both Hamilton and his teammate George Russell.
Although the issue appeared resolved by the season’s end, Hamilton expressed bewilderment as the bouncing resurfaced 12 races into the current season, leaving the Mercedes engineers puzzled about its reoccurrence.
“To me it is a concern,” he added “We’ll work through the data this week and try and work out what to do for the next race.
“I know what I want, I’m praying for it and just waiting for the day we get it.
“It was kind of a non-eventful race, not much going on. I wasn’t able to keep up with the cars ahead of me.”
