Mercedes, without solutions in Sakhir: What happens to Hamilton?

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Friday was bound to hold something of a celebration for

, given that today marks the 15th anniversary of his F1 debut.

Since that 2007 Australian GP, ​​no less than 289 races for the most successful driver in history, involved in this World Cup start in a worrying spiral.

More than a second

and

, in line with what was shown during the tests, the seven-time champion is facing difficulties that Mercedes must find a solution to immediately.

It is not just about this ninth place in a free session, in which he finished behind a Haas and an Alfa Romeo;

nor of being outdone, in the afternoon and at night, by

, his garage mate.

The truly pressing issues for Hamilton go further and

, as the

, needs urgent measures in the W13.

At the moment, there is no way to extract the potential of that revolutionary aerodynamics, with the sidepods reduced to a minimum.

There is no way to get the car in waist, neither with the pedal to the floor, nor in the twisty sections.

And Hamilton's lamentations were repeated without remedy through the radio.

"The car still bounces a lot down the straight," he explained to his engineers, before reporting more front brake issues.

Back to the old background

No image better explains the suffering of the seven-time champion than the violent rattling of his helmet at the end of the straight.

The happy

, spread throughout the grill, brings Mercedes upside down.

To the point of making him change his mind twice during the same day.

The new flat bottom with which they started on Friday was withdrawn almost immediately to mount the previous one, with which they had had numerous difficulties during the preseason.

If the Silver Arrows have been distinguished for anything in recent years, it is for their ability to solve complicated situations in record time.

The current situation, apparently, requires another change of direction at the Brackley factory.

However, giving up so much ground at this start, against a dominant

in one lap and in long runs, can be almost reckless.

For now, the reigning champion signed up for a second free session (1:31.936) in which

and

gave more than one reason for optimism.

When the equator had not yet been crossed, the Spanish couple led the table.

That lasted just a minute, although the possibility of enjoying Sunday with the first double podium in history came to mind.

A522 Details

Alonso, oblivious to the anguish of

with the pitching of the A522, stopped the clock in 1:32.877, mounting the C3 compound and offering, incidentally, good sensations in the race simulations.

Sainz, for his part, could not follow in the footsteps of

this time .

In any case, his 1:32.520, half a second behind the Monegasque, represents only the starting point of a more than promising weekend for Ferrari.

As notorious is the progression of the

as the brushstrokes of the Alpine, which will have to shake off numerous opponents until it breaks through.

AlphaTauri, with

as the only threat, is emerging as the most qualified, because McLaren, in line with what was offered last week, needs to solve serious brake problems.

Again, it was shocking to see the MCL-36 at the end of the straight, almost at the edge of the precipice.

, badly in need of mileage, watched with resignation as his mechanics hoisted the car back into the garage, looking for a fix for that damn overheating duct.

To the equation could be added, even, the two dismissed from the last World Cup.

The experience of

with the Haas and

with the Alfa Romeo will complicate Aston Martin.

This was recorded under the spotlights, when Bottas -whom his engine had not even allowed to record a time during the first session- appeared in the noble area.

Among the reasons for the growth of

's team , none is as encouraging as the power of the Ferrari engine.

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Know more

• Carlos Sainz Jr.

• Fernando Alonso

• Max Verstappen

• Lewis Hamilton

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