Hamilton Outperformed All Mercedes's Simulations In Las Vegas

Tuesday, 26 November 2024 at 20:00

Mercedes's trackside engineering director, Andrew Shovlin, suggested that Lewis Hamilton's pace surprised even his own team.

The Mercedes F1 team struggled pretty much in all races since the summer break. However, the German team suddenly found themselves in the position of the fastest team on the track in Las Vegas, and their drivers made the most of it.

George Russell won the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix after snatching the pole position during the qualifying. His teammate, Lewis Hamilton, finished second after starting from P10.

Although the seven-time World Champion made two crucial mistakes in the qualifying, he made up for them during the race as he put in one fastest lap after another, showing an incredible pace.

According to Mercedes's trackside engineering director, Andrew Shovlin, the 39-year-old outperformed all the simulations of the German F1 team:

"Lewis, meanwhile, outperformed all our simulations today to achieve P2. His final stint was immense."

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"He'll be frustrated that he lost too much time in traffic to allow him to fight for the win, but the 1-2 is, of course, a great result for the team. We now have two races to go in the season."

Speaking to the media after the Grand Prix, Hamilton said, "It would have been a breeze" during the Grand Prix if he had done his job in the qualifying.

Unexpected pace and Russell's third victory

Shovlin also admitted that Mercedes overall didn't expect to have the pace that they did compared to their rivals at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit.

Silver Arrows were fastest in every single session starting from Thursday. Hamilton won FP1 and FP2, and Russell won FP3, qualifying, and of course, the Grand Prix. Shovlin added:

"We didn't come to Las Vegas thinking that this track would suit us, so it's been great to see the car working so well."

"We've been quick from lap one of practice on Thursday. We knew from those sessions that the single lap would be strong, but it was very encouraging to see the race pace today."

"George did an amazing job managing from the front, covering off safety car risks and making sure he kept his tires in better shape than the cars behind. It was another well-deserved win and the third of his F1 career."