'No magic fix' for struggling Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes at Australian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton has been warned there is “no magic fix” to the team's problems ahead of this weekend's Australain Grand Prix in Melbourne.

The seven-time world champion is already 29 points adrift in the championship race after finishing down in 10th at the second round in Saudi Arabia two weeks ago.

Mercedes have dominated the sport since 2014 – carrying Hamilton to six titles and winning an unprecedented eight constructors’ championships in succession.

But Hamilton and new British teammate George Russell have all but written off their aspirations unless Mercedes can radically improve their underperforming car.

Mercedes’ season has been derailed by ‘porpoising’ – the phenomenon seen this year when the car violently bounces on its suspension at high speed.

The problem caught Mercedes completely off guard, and Russell said it is the source of 99 per cent of the team’s problems.

And Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admitted on Thursday that there is still a lot of work to do to solve the issue. “We are in a learning race and the first two weekends have shown we still have plenty to learn,” he said.

“At the moment, our track performance is not meeting our own expectations, but everyone at Brackley and Brixworth is focused on understanding the problems and finding the right solutions.

“There won't be a magic fix for the next race weekend, but we're pushing to steadily bring gains over the upcoming races, to hopefully move us closer to the front of the pack.

“Until then, we need to maximise each opportunity and make the most of the package we have.”

Red Bull's Max Verstappen of the Netherlands celebrates after winning the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah on Sunday, March 27, 2022. AP

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