Lewis Hamilton suffers difficult Chinese Grand Prix in worst start to F1 season

Lewis Hamilton suffered a weekend in China that has summed up his and Mercedes' struggle since Formula 1 introduced the latest generation of cars in 2022.

The British driver endured a taxing weekend at the Shanghai International Circuit, getting knocked out in the first part of qualifying for the Grand Prix, lining up in 18th place on the gird.

A battling drive to ninth place rewarded just two points at a track Hamilton has won at six times, the most any driver.

The seven-time world champion picked his way through the midfield, favouring Turn 9 as his main overtaking spot, a corner that rarely sees passing.

 “I’m grateful to just get to the points. I didn’t honestly expect a lot more this weekend," Hamilton said to Sky Sports F1 after Sunday's Grand Prix.

“Hopefully we have some steps forward coming in the next race. Until then we’ll be back in the factory next week, just try and position the car a bit better for Miami and hopefully have a better weekend.”

The 39-year-old performed admirably in the rain in qualifying for the Sprint, taking second on the grid and finishing in P2 after leading the race for nine laps.

He remained unchallenged by Fernando Alonso and the two Ferraris behind in the 100km Sprint but conceded the lead to Verstappen in the far superior Red Bull.

Mercedes' past three seasons have been characterized by an unpredictable car and a lack of a clear baseline.

A slump by their lofty standards has yielded brief moments of brilliance, such as George Russell's victory in Brazil in 2022 and Hamilton taking pole position in Hungary last year.

Hamilton is enduring his worst start to a season in his illustrious career, even worse than the infamous 2009 year at McLaren.

The Briton is yet to finish on the podium in 2024 and has only delivered a best finish of seventh place at the season opener in Bahrain.

The Formula 1 circus rolls into Miami on May 5th for the first of three races in America. The Miami Grand Prix joined the calendar in 2022 as F1 continues to capture the American audience.

The Mercedes driver has finished sixth on both of his visits to the Miami International Autodrome, an event dominated by Verstappen.

The Miami Grand Prix will host the second Sprint of the season, leaving just one practice session instead of the usual three, forcing the 20 drivers to hit the ground running.