Lewis Hamilton’s ‘seat position’ problem - and Toto Wolff’s plan to fix it - explained…

Hamilton had detailed that among his key concerns with the underperforming W14 is with �🐬�his cockpit.
The seven-time world champion, who finished P2 in Australia behind Max Verstappen, could be boosted upon F1’s return at th🐎e Azerbaijan Grand Prix if Mercedes’ work to fix his problems bears fruit.
“We’re dea♍ling 🀅with the big concept of driver position,” Wolff told .
“Obviously that’s one of the🐓🔜 most important things.”
“[It is about] where the driver has the best feeling in the car. That’s something that Lewis expresses very clea💙rly.
“And when a seven-time world champ💧ion has an opinion, it’s import🍌ant to listen to it.”
Hamilton previously explained his problem: "I don't know if people know, but 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 ౠwheels 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 cജar and how you perceive its movement. And it makes it harder to predict compared to when you're further back and sitting more centred.”
Jenson Button analysed the issue for Sky: "With Lewis, the way he driv🍸es, you know, he's quite aggressive on the throttle, quite aggressive on the brake and he does everything through the steering wh♉eel, 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 havꦯe that c🌊onfidence to push the car.
"And these cars are tricky anyway, they're alwa⛦ys on edge, especially in qualifying. And if he doesn't have that confidence, he's not able to get the maximum out of it.
Karun Chandhok added: "And that's the real point isn't it, because the contact patches to the ground are through the four wheels, so if you don't feel the rear axle, if he thinks ♛he's further forward, and he can't feel that that, that gives him the inability, perhaps, to have confidence on entry."

James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports🐭 for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.