The rebound of Mercedes

Even the greatest have moments of weakness in which doubts attack them and project an image of fragility that is very unusual for them.

When that happens to Lewis Hamilton it's very interesting and entertaining.

Above all, when that tremor comes over him during a race.

He, holder of all the records that have been and will have and that this season will try to overcome the record of seven titles that he shares with Michael Schumacher, is capable of getting into a hole on any Sunday from which Peter Bonnington, his track engineer, tries to rescue him over the radio, usually without much success.

Most of these times, Hamilton ends up on the podium or even wins the test, and that is something that, naturally, irritates his rivals, who see him as the typical classmate who seeks solace after an exam,

and then gets a better grade than most of them.

Precisely for this reason, no one has given the Stevenage rider any credibility this winter when he has had enough of emphasizing the lack of competitiveness of the new Mercedes.

Despite all of the above, this time he may be right.

No one, not even the team that has dominated the last decade, with seven titles out of a possible eight, can mask the punch of a single-seater during preseason so well.

Last year, the German manufacturer also showed up at the first stop on the calendar like a wolf in sheep's clothing.

And Hamilton added his first victory.

Now, however, that objective does not seem realistic if we take into account that the technicians of the Silver Arrows are still focused on solving the complications caused in their car by the effect of the revolution that has been applied to the technical regulations.

"First we must stabilize it and then look for its limit," a technician from the German manufacturer explains to EL PAÍS.

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A breath of fresh air to revolutionize Formula 1

The most visible problem is what, in jargon, is known as

, and that is a consequence of the ground effect that this year has been partially rescued, after being prohibited for more than 30 years (since 1983).

The high levels of aerodynamic load generated by the redesign of the belly of the single-seaters, with channels through which the air flow circulates, the cars stick to the asphalt to the point of generating a vacuum, which breaks when they lose grip or go through some bump in the asphalt.

This relaunches the car upwards and causes it to enter into a syncopated sequence of bounces, up and down, which disorients the pilot and, above all, makes it impossible for him to find the limit.

"In Montmeló, George [Russell, Hamilton's new partner], could not even keep the accelerator fully pressed throughout the main straight, due to the jolts he received," adds this authoritative voice.

Bumpy road to the top for Charles Leclerc!

🤕#F1 pic.twitter.com/Z6a5e6d3bo

– Formula 1 (@F1) February 24, 2022

Hamilton claims Mercedes suffers from

more than most of the competition, but that mishap that no one had foreseen – “I think we all underestimate its appearance and effects a bit”, says Mattia Binotto, director of Ferrari – is not the only one that brings the racing department of the car upside down. stuttgart giant

The suspensions have also been greatly simplified by regulations, and that has also played a trick on the Brackley (Great Britain) troop.

“It is costing us to control the height of the car and that is vital to be able to move forward”, concedes this source that leaves the Mercedes workshop, which, yes, also ensures that the magnitude of the tragedy does not have incorrigible dimensions: “In the Last tests we saved some speed, but so did the others.

This Saturday – in qualifying – we'll see who lied the most”.

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