Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes don’t have the quickest car in Formula 1 yet but expects them to make significant progress with their coming upgrades.
The team scored its second consecutive victory last weekend after locking out the front row of the grid at Silverstone. Hamilton, who will leave the team at the end of the year, scored his first victory for more than two-and-a-half years at Silverstone.
Hamilton said he was relieved he will not leave Mercedes without taking another win for them.
“When we started the season and we had a car where we weren’t going anywhere near Red Bull, for example, anywhere near looking like we would ever get a win through the year, that for me felt like it would be kind of bittersweet at the end of the season, where you’ve not had something like today,” he said.
“The fact that we’ve really all come together, everyone’s done such a great job to get the car into a place where we’re feeling much more comfortable, really changes from the foundation from last year. So [I’m] not leaving on a low, but leaving on a high, which has been our goal.”
However he believes there is still scope for improvement with the W15. “There’s still a long, long way to go,” he said. “The car, by no means, is the car the quickest car on the grid right now.
“I think we are super close and I think hopefully with the next upgrade perhaps, we will be in an even stronger position to really, really be fighting at the front row more consistently.”
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said the team will bring upgrades to the next two races at the Hungaroring and Spa-Francorchamps.
Hamilton admitted his victory owed more to the car’s performance than George Russell’s did a week earlier in Austria. Russell was running third when Max Verstappen and Lando Norris collided while fighting for the lead.
“George’s win last week was amazing, but it wasn’t on pure pace,” said Hamilton. “I think this weekend was the first time we did it on pure pace, qualifying on the front row and after that, in that first stint, both of us pulling away from everybody else.
“Then, ultimately, I think with the conditions today, the driver’s able to make a bit of a difference.”
Hamilton said Niki Lauda, the three-times world champions who served as an advisor to the team until his death in 2019, would be proud of their efforts.
“I’m hugely grateful to everyone in the team. I…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at RaceFans…