09/03/2023
NEWS STORY
Lewis Hamilton says that he warned Mercedes about issues he feared being carried over from the 2022 car but the team didn't listen to him.
On Sunday, Mercedes worst fears were realised, Red Bull and even Ferrari aside, the Aston Martin drivers, one of them still recovering from a cycling accident, were essentially able to play with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell before finally putting them out of their misery.
At race end Toto Wolff described it one of the team's worst days in racing, vowing that no stone would be left unturned in returning the Silver Arrows to the front of the grid.
However, amidst the calls for a return to the drawing board and even speculation over a possible B-Car, Lewis Hamilton has said that fears he had in terms of mistakes on the W13 that were carried over to its successor went unheeded.
"Last year, I told them the issues that are with the car," he told BBC Radio 5 Live's Chequered Flag podcast.
"I've driven so many cars in my life, so I know what a car needs, I know what a car doesn't need," he added.
"I think it's really about accountability," he continued, "it's about owning up and saying 'yeah, you know what, we didn't listen to you, it's not where it needs to be and we've got to work'.
"We've got to look into the balance through the corners, look at all the weak points and just huddle up as a team, that's what we do," urged the seven-time world champion.
"We're still multi-World Champions you know, it's just they haven't got it right this time.
"I've had many cars like this, particularly back in the McLaren days. I don't know when or how we're gonna turn it around but it's gonna have to happen," he vowed. "They didn't get it right last year, but that doesn't mean we can't get it right moving forwards."