Button explains why Hamilton cockpit position hurting confidence

Jenson Button has shed some light on Lewis Hamilton's recent grievances regarding his further-forward seating position in his Mercedes and the struggles it has caused.

Ahead of last weekend's Australian Grand Prix, Hamilton revealed the impact of his seating position in Mercedes' 2023 car, a characteristic that he wants changed in future designs.

As part of its overall new-generation chassis package, Mercedes conceived a car that features a cockpit space located "quite forward" relative to its previous designs according to techncail director Mike Elliott.

That specification has been retained for this year, much to Hamilton's regret as he believes the position is hindering his feel for his car, an issue that only adds to the broader aero problem embedded within Mercedes' W14 machine.

"If you look at the past, I’ve always enjoyed an oversteering car," Hamilton explained last weekend.

"I don’t know if people know, we sit closer to the front wheels than all the other drivers. Our cockpit is too close to the front.

"When you’re driving, you feel like you’re sitting on the front wheels which is one of the worst feelings to feel when you’re driving a car.

"If you were driving your car at home and you pulled the wheels right underneath your legs, you would not be happy when you're approaching the roundabout.

"What that does is it really changes the attitude of the car and how you perceive its movement. And it makes it harder to predict compared to when you're further back and sitting more centered.

"It is just something I have really struggled with."

• Read also: 'Tough but not impossible' to catch Red Bull - Hamilton

Reflecting on his former McLaren teammate's plight, Button says the problem experienced by Hamilton ultimately points to a confidence issue.

"It’s [to do] with what he’s not feeling," Button told Sky F1 in Melbourne. "I think that’s the biggest problem with Lewis.

"The way he drives, he’s quite aggressive on the throttle, quite aggressive on the brake and he does everything through the steering wheel, so he really needs to feel what’s happening through the rear of the car through his arms.

"And he’s not getting that so he doesn’t have that confidence to push the car and these cars are tricky anyway, especially in qualifying, and if he doesn’t have that confidence, he’s not able to get the maximum out of it."

Despite his ongoing discomfort, Hamilton delivered a runner-up position to Mercedes in Australia behind race winner Max Verstappen.

The Briton says the "on the nose" characteristic of Mercedes' W14 is the main contrasting – and unfavourable – trait of its car compared to Red Bull.

"We still have generally a very strong front and not as good a rear as we would hope to have,” he said, comparing the W14 with its W13 predecessor.

“If you look at the Red Bulls, the places where they get on the power earlier and the speed they can take through the corners is just because they have a much stronger rear end."

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