Mercedes are using an old spec floor in Baku to gather crucial data
The seven-time world champion finished just 0.066 behind Charles Leclerc and 0.006 behind Sergio Perez on Friday, September 13 suggesting that the Silver Arrows could be in the hunt for a first Grand Prix victory since the F1 summer break.
And he particularly praised their ability to make gradual steps forwards and to start on form, pointing out that the team has previously struggled in these areas and tends to fall behind when it turns out they were really playing catch-up all along.
However, despite the promising start and apparently strong qualifying pace, he did highlight long-run data as a vulnerability and concern from the team ahead of the 51-lap race on September 15.
“It was really a good day, I enjoyed the day,” Hamilton told F1 TV at the 2024 Azerbaijan GP. “[We] hit the ground running from the get-go, and made incremental steps with the setup.
“For once, it felt like we didn’t have any steps that we had to come back on. It was consistently building. I don’t know how my long run compares to others, but we didn’t get a huge amount of laps.
“I think Red Bull seems pretty quick, as does Ferrari, but we’re there or thereabouts but I really don’t know.
“You don’t know what fuel loads everyone’s on, and often when we get to P3 or when we get to qualifying, everyone takes a step and so far we haven’t always.
“So, I think we’ll stay cautious and just try to do the best we can with what we have. I hope that we are closer to the front as it seems.”
Floor making the difference at 2024 Azerbaijan GP?
Mercedes seemed as though they hauled themselves into the F1 title fight, at least from the perspective of the constructors’ championship, after claiming victories at the Austrian and British GPs.
They then introduced a floor upgrade following a tough run at the 2024 Hungarian GP in the aim of cementing their status at the front of the pack but it didn’t quite work out as Hamilton finished 15 seconds behind Oscar Piastri’s race-winning McLaren.
They then took the floor off at the Belgian GP after feeling uncertain and went on to win the race at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, before giving it two more unsuccessful attempts in the Netherlands and Italy.
So at the 2024 Azerbaijan GP, Mercedes confirmed they were taking it off to run the old floor to see whether it’s causing their stagnation and although they’ve had a promising start in Baku, Hamilton admitted they can’t make a conclusion yet.
“It’s really difficult to say what the car would have felt like with the other floor here,” Hamilton added to F1 TV by the Caspian Sea. “It’s hard to feel a lot of difference between the two.
“But I’m not un nohappy with the one we have.”
