Lewis Hamilton Confident of Closing Gap with Rivals, Mercedes F1 Team Goes ‘All Hands on Deck’
Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton believes the Mercedes F1 team is “all hands on deck” as they strive to bridge the remaining gap to their rivals, Red Bull and McLaren, to compete for wins this 2024 Formula 1 season.
Hamilton’s optimism stems from the marked strides Mercedes has made during recent weeks, culminating in his maiden 2024 podium with a third-place finish in the Spanish Grand Prix. Despite qualifying a mere three-tenths from Lando Norris’ pole position time, Hamilton warned that Mercedes would struggle to maintain speed with its rivals.
“No, I think that’s the maximum it’s got at the moment,” he stated. “But I mean we’re always fine-tuning it with subtle changes that we make. So we are always fine-tuning it when we continue to tune it through the year. But we need to bolt some stuff on, some extra bits to be able to compete with these guys.”
Hamilton’s words proved prophetic, as a sluggish start saw him lose ground in the opening laps, ultimately finishing 17.7 seconds behind Max Verstappen. While he was thrilled to break his podium drought dating back to last October, Hamilton emphasized that Mercedes requires further updates to be right at the sharp end.
“A big boost to finally get a good result,” Hamilton expressed in the Formula 1 news conference. “It’s been a minute since I’ve been up here in the race. So a huge, huge thank you to the team who have done an amazing job to, just with all the processes through the race, particularly going back to the factory.”
Hamilton praised the team’s aggressive development scheme, which has contributed to Mercedes’ recent upturn. However, he denied that fine-tuning the W15 in its current form could eradicate the existing gap, estimated to be around “two-tenths” per lap by team boss Toto Wolff.
The Formula 1 news leader agreed that consecutive podiums demonstrate the German marque’s growing momentum as he targets consistently smooth weekends. “We’re definitely getting more consistent,” he beamed. “And if I can just get my qualifying to be like this weekend, then it makes stuff so much easier. Also if you get a good start. But my Saturdays have been so bad for the last 15 races. So it’s good to have a clean weekend. And hopefully this puts us in a good position to challenge in the next few races.”
With the Formula 1 standings still relatively tight, Hamilton’s determination to close the gap will be crucial in the coming races. Will Mercedes be able to find the extra pace to challenge Red Bull and McLaren at the top? Stay tuned for the latest Formula 1 news and updates on the Formula 1 calendar.
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