Lewis Hamilton's final Mercedes season is becoming forgettable

Lewis Hamilton has suffered his worst start to a Formula 1 season in his final year at Mercedes.

The seven-time world champion stuttered in Australia, failing to break into the top 10 in qualifying after delivering competitive times in final practice.

Hamilton made little progress in the race's opening stages despite starting on softer tires than his immediate rivals. The Mercedes driver clumsily ran wide at Turn 1 before retiring due to sudden oil pressure loss.

The 39-year-old lamented the Mercedes W15's unpredictable nature: “The inconsistency in the car really messes with the mind,” he said. “There is a long list of things to fix. 

"Our car is on a knife-edge. In the afternoon the wind picks up and the car becomes unstable, but the others can pick their pace up in qualifying and I am not sure why. 

"It didn’t feel the same in qualifying from practice even though we had lighter fuel. It is not a great feeling for everyone in the team, but we will keep working away.”

The British driver has yet to win a race since the introduction of ground effect regulations in 2022. His last victory was in Saudi Arabia in 2021.

Mercedes has yet to grasp the current regulations, which emphasize generating downforce with the car's floor. Red Bull has mastered this during its dominant form.

In Australia, they were outclassed by their engine customer, McLaren, which is third in the Constructors' Championship, 29 points ahead of their engine suppliers.

Hamilton's driving style, in particular, requires complete confidence in the rear of the car to maximize lap time.

Mercedes' current car is lacking in this area, especially in Saudi Arabia, as Hamilton lost ground to McLaren's Lando Norris in the high-speed turns, a significant weakness of the W15. Pre-season testing was optimistic for the German team. 

“It’s massively encouraging and great to see everyone working so well together. The focus, determination, and communication is the best I’ve ever seen," Hamilton said.

These positive comments soon dwindled after both Mercedes drivers Hamilton and George Russell failed to score a podium in 2024.

The following two rounds at Suzuka, in Japan, and Shanghai International Circuit, in China, could be challenging for Hamilton and Mercedes.

They are a couple of circuits rich in fast, flowing turns, an area where Mercedes has floundered this season.

A switch to the red of Ferrari is finally becoming a reality as Hamilton chases his eighth championship.

The Italian team have been Red Bull's closest challenger and took a superb 1-2 finish in Melbourne. A move to the Scuderia could be just the change Hamilton needs to re-energize his career after multiple winless seasons.