Lewis Hamilton lacking one thing he needs from Mercedes W15 at Saudi Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton said all he needs is a stable Mercedes W15 rear end to be happy at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, but does not have it.

Mercedes and Hamilton went into the Saudi Arabian GP race weekend looking for an improved display after he and team-mate George Russell were hamstrung by engine overheating issues at the Bahrain season opener, though the fresh race weekend in Jeddah has not got off to an ideal start for Hamilton.

Lewis Hamilton just needs stable Mercedes W15 rear

Hamilton ended the second, more representative hour of practice down in P8, four-tenths off Russell’s pace, while Hamilton was also given a reprimand for impeding Williams’ Logan Sargeant during that FP2 session.

Speaking to reporters after FP2, Hamilton said he is lacking confidence in the rear end of the W15, which explains his Thursday struggles.

“Difficult day, just lacking the confidence in the rear of the car,” Hamilton admitted.

“The setup we did some work session to session, changed the car quite a bit, but underlying issue with the rear end that I was struggling with, so I had a couple of really big moments out there.

“In these high-speed areas you need to have full faith in the rear of the car and I just don’t have that yet.

“George is a lot happier with his car. We kind of went in different directions today. We were trying different things to try and find the right solution for the car.

“But all I want is something with a stable rear and then I’ll be happy, so that’s what I’m working on.”