BBC F1 pundit noticed 39-y/o driver ‘struggling’ in Saudi Arabian GP qualifying

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BBC pundit Jack Aitken noticed Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton ‘struggling’ with the rear of his W15 during qualifying at the 2024 Saudi Arabian GP this Friday evening.

The 39-year-old would only post the eighth-fastest lap time in Jeddah with a 1:28.460 run in Q3. Hamilton came home one place behind Mercedes teammate George Russell in P7, who set a 1:28.316. But neither Briton would get within eight-tenths of Max Verstappen for pole.

Verstappen blitzed the field with a 1:27.472 to take pole position from Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc by 0.319 seconds. The Red Bull pilot also only completed 18 laps during qualifying at the Saudi Arabian GP, while Hamilton needed 24 tours and Russell needed 22 for P8 and P7.

Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton takes P8 in Saudi Arabian GP qualifying

Mercedes had shown greater qualifying potential during Thursday’s second practice session as Russell ran second-fastest. The 26-year-old set a 1:29.057 to end the day 0.230 seconds behind Aston Martin star Fernando Alonso. But while he found 0.741s, Alonso found 0.981s.

Alonso will start the Saudi Arabian GP from fourth on the grid alongside Sergio Perez of Red Bull. Both McLaren stars, Oscar Piastri (P5) and Lando Norris (P6), also out-qualified Russell and Hamilton. Only Yuki Tsunoda (P9) and Lance Stroll (P10) ran slower during Q3 on Friday.

Jack Aitken saw Lewis Hamilton ‘struggling’ with the W15 in qualifying

Former Williams F1 reserve driver, Aitken, sensed issues with Mercedes’ set-up at the Saudi Arabian GP as early as Q1 with Hamilton. He saw the seven-time drivers’ champion struggle to control the rear end of the W15 across the first and second sectors of the Jeddah circuit.

“Mercedes still struggling a little bit with the rear,” Aitken said on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra (8/3, 17:12). “It looks like little snaps all the way through the second sector and third sector for Hamilton. So, [he is] struggling a little bit to keep that under control.”

Improving the rear end of their car was a major focus for Mercedes in the winter. Technical director James Allison even admitted in February that Hamilton and Russell found the W14 ‘toxic’ as the rear-end of the Mercedes’ 2023 car did not give their drivers a stable platform.