Lewis Hamilton offers "a million dollars" as reward as F1 legend suffers again
After a wretched Brazilian Grand Prix weekend during which he said his Mercedes felt like "a plank of wood", Lewis Hamilton is ready more than ever for his new adventure with Ferrari
by Daniel Moxon · The MirrorLewis Hamilton's desperate desire for a consistent Mercedes car has hit new heights after he offered a monetary reward to anyone who can make it more compliant.
Mercedes have struggled since the start of the 2022 season when new regulations brought ground-effect aerodynamics back into the sport. Other teams have got to grips with their cars much more easily while the Silver Arrows have been saddled with a series of temperamental machines.
There have been highs, most notably Hamilton's wins at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps earlier this year. But the lows have been far more regular and one of the toughest came last weekend as the seven-time F1 champion endured a harrowing Brazilian Grand Prix weekend.
The 39-year-old suffered a second Q1 exit in three qualifying sessions while his race pace was not much better. During the Grand Prix he span before labouring in traffic as he finished 10th to score just a single point.
Asked if he could explain why his Mercedes car was not performing, he replied: "You tell me - that is the million dollar question. If you can find [the problem], I will give you a million dollars."
Hamilton will turn 40 in January when he starts a new chapter of his glittering career with Ferrari. Also after the Sao Paulo race, he admitted the end of the current campaign "cannot come soon enough" and said he is looking forward to a holiday.
He added: "The race was crap. Let's not talk about the car, because the car is no good. [Saturday] was terrible, [Sunday] was terrible, qualifying and the sprint race were bad, the car has just been bad all weekend. It is like a plank of wood - no suspension.
"It is bouncing on the tyres everywhere and you cannot get on the power anywhere. It is just the worst ride, I think the worst ride that we have definitely ever had, particularly through corners. It is just so stiff. But hopefully we will not have any more bumpy tracks. I think the last three are not so bumpy."
Hamilton is seventh in the drivers' championship and on course for the lowest finish of his career after team-mate George Russell leapfrogged him in the standings. Bur he insisted: "I just put my focus on something else. I am not fighting for the championship, it does not really matter where we finish in the championship.
"I do not care if I finish ahead of George or behind George, it does not make that big of a difference to me. I just want to keep the car out the wall and try to score points if I can for the team. If I can finish well and they give me a car that does not bounce off the track in the next few races, then hopefully we get a better result."
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