Lewis Hamilton says his Mercedes have encountered a new kind of bouncing they need to fix in practice for the Monaco Grand Prix.
But although he was only 12th-quickest in second practice, Hamilton’s team mate George Russell set the sixth-fastest time, and the world champion can see potential in his car.
“I just didn’t get to put great laps together,” said Hamilton. “A good sector one and two’s almost there and then three wasn’t there. I think the best laps of the day were really like P1, the first few laps.
“We’ll study the data, we’ll try and figure out how we can improve the bumps and really hope for a better day together. It feels like the car’s almost got the potential to be almost up there with the guys but there’s all these things that are just kind of hindering.”
Hamilton complained about the discomfort he experienced due to bumping at several times during practice. He said afterwards the track felt “the bumpiest the track’s ever been.”
“It’s probably the bumpiest track I’ve ever driven,” Hamilton explained. “So that makes it difficult but [also] just generally our car bounces a lot.”
While Mercedes said they had successfully addressed their porpoising problems at last week’s Spanish Grand Prix, Hamilton says they have encountered a different kind of bouncing around the unusually slow Monaco track.
“It’s different bouncing to what we’ve experienced in the past,” said Hamilton. “It’s a lower speed also but it’s not aero, I think it’s just the bumps on the track are making it worse.
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“But otherwise it’s not really having to learn the track different it’s just fighting the car. To put a lap together is, wow, holy crap, it’s a lot different. I don’t remember experiencing it like that before.”
He said the track felt like “the bumpiest rollercoaster ride at the moment.”
“I think the locking I was having through the car is on the ground, on the…