It was confirmed last week that James Allison would return to the role of technical director at Mercedes after a disappointing 2022 and a difficult start to this year for the team.
Speaking during Thursday’s press conference ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton believes the reshuffle is going to be a huge positive for Mercedes.
“Well, James has always been a part of the team, obviously was focused a little bit on another area before. I think having him step back in a little bit to support and work alongside Mike, I think it’s only going to strengthen the team moving forwards. And he’s obviously got an amazing amount of experience.
“Moving forwards, I think it’s just going to be great for the team. Particularly with all the things we want to achieve, not only on track, but off track. I think it’s going to be good.”
Hamilton comes off the back of a strong performance in Melbourne, holding off Fernando Alonso to finish P2 and continue his astonishing record of finishing on the podium at least once in every single season he’s competed in during his Formula One career to date.
The seven-time World Champion is hopeful that Mercedes can be in the mix once again with the main contenders.
“I’m as confident as I can be, I guess. A lot of work has been done in the background. I think the last race was really, really great for us; we worked really hard to get that sort of result.
“It won’t be easy to do again. We know that Ferrari will be quick, the Red Bulls will be quick, Astons will be quick as well. So I hope that we’re just in the mix. I hope that we get to battle with them.
“This is an amazing event for us to do that. And particularly with the shakeup of the whole format of the weekend. It’s probably the most exciting weekend so far this year, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it turns out.”
This weekend sees the sprint format return for the first time in 2023, albeit with a twist as a second qualifying session takes place on Saturday morning to decide the grid for the sprint race later in the day. Hamilton is a fan of it.
“I think it is going to be tough for everybody, but we’re all in the same boat. You know, what a track to be able to do it at, where overtaking is possible. It’s great racing here. We always have mostly the best races here.
“So yeah, it’s definitely difficult to just have one session where you probably get, like, 20 laps, and then straightaway, you’re into Qualifying. But, that’s what we’re here to do, right?”
Photo credit: Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team
