Toto Wolff says a rigid suspension configuration used on the Mercedes W13 during early training was responsible for the loud vibrations that Lewis Hamilton complained about.
Hamilton finished the first hour of training at the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend with the tenth fastest time of the session. He complained several times about the excessive rebound he was suffering around the Monte Carlo street circuit.
While Mercedes has a well-documented problem with the high-speed porcelain with its new ground-based car for the 2022 season, team manager Toto Wolff told Sky that Hamilton’s difficulties today were caused by the car’s rigid suspension configuration.
“I think we have a travel problem,” Wolff said. “There is something we have had during the season and it is on the rebound. Sometimes it’s a combination of aerodynamics and rigidity; today is rigidity. “
Wolff believes that if the team can find a solution to his driving problems, he will be able to prove that he has a “good” car in Monaco this weekend.
“It looks like our car is working, because we were fast,” Wolff said. “Maybe not at the end, where we had the hard tire and we did the long runs. Overall, I think it’s a good car, but you can’t drive like that. “
The team will try to make their car more comfortable for their drivers, Wolff said, working on its setup over the next two training sessions. “I think [we will] working on the setup, trying to make it a little more enjoyable for them, “he said.
Hamilton asked racing engineer Peter Bonnington to install elbows in his cab to help him cope with the car’s vibrations. Wolff joked, “If he’s fast, we’ll give him all the pills he needs.
“Anyway, we’re getting closer, learning more and more,” Wolff added. “This is positive.”
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Monaco Grand Prix 2022
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