After a surprising showing in Friday’s practice sessions for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton was left pondering Mercedes’ unexpectedly strong performance, especially given the team’s inconsistency throughout the season.
Mercedes’ Strong Start in Las Vegas
Both Hamilton and teammate George Russell turned heads with their results in Thursday night’s practice, topping the timesheets and finishing P1 and P2/P3 respectively. With several teams struggling to extract performance on the low-grip track, Mercedes’ performance came as a pleasant surprise, especially after a season marked by highs and lows.
Despite Hamilton’s fast lap times, the seven-time world champion admitted he was unsure why the car felt competitive in Las Vegas, given the team’s unpredictable form in 2024.
Hamilton’s Reflections on the Performance
Hamilton, who has had a mixed season with race wins and podium finishes, was cautiously optimistic after topping the timesheets in both practice sessions. He shared his thoughts after the day’s action: “It’s the first time I’ve had a day like that this year… the car was feeling generally good in FP1, less so in FP2. Difficult to know exactly where we are or why we are where we are, but I’m really enjoying driving the track.”
However, despite the encouraging performance, Hamilton remained wary, acknowledging the need for further improvement on race pace, especially given that the team’s pace may not translate to race day conditions.
Unpredictable Future for Mercedes
Despite their strong performance in practice, both drivers remain cautious, recognizing that the conditions will likely change heading into qualifying. With Lando Norris close behind Hamilton in practice and Ferrari showing competitive speed, Mercedes is not yet ready to declare themselves the frontrunners.
Hamilton’s focus remains on maintaining consistency: “The race pace is not that great, so the work we have to do overnight is to figure out how to have better race pace without losing actual pace throughout the lap.”
The Las Vegas GP remains unpredictable, with Mercedes looking to build on their surprising start while working to fine-tune their performance for the rest of the weekend.
