Hamilton: We lose more than a year ago

After a bad Friday, Lewis Hamilton said Mercedes is now even more inferior to rivals than a year ago…

Lewis Hamilton (8th): “The size of the gap was already clear in the tests, we are really far behind. I do my best, but what is is. We have to keep working and try to solve it somehow.

We are about equally inferior to Red Bull and on a fast circle, and on a long range. On a long run, they lapped a second faster, so we have something to work on.

It is unlikely that we will seriously add tomorrow. The car already has optimal settings, with small adjustments we can regain a few tenths, but not a second. However, tonight we will not sit back, we will check all the data, focus on work and try to make progress. We have to try and see if we can increase the efficiency of the machine overnight.

I thought second fastest would be Ferrari, but it looks like Aston Martin is second and Ferrari is only third – and we’re pretty close to them. So we are at the same level as last year, or we are a bit behind.

The situation is difficult. Obviously the team expected different results, this is not at all what our employees deserve. Apparently we have chosen the wrong path, we need to come together and find the right direction. Hopefully we will make some serious progress as the season progresses. Last year we improved a lot, but now we are still inferior to our rivals than a year ago.

Do I believe that at some point we can bridge the gap? Yes, but that will be difficult with the current car concept.”

George Russell (13e): “We have to find the reasons for the lack of speed. Several teams are very fast, especially in Aston Martin – they’ve done a great job this winter. We’ll compare today’s data to what we collected last week and understand how our new products worked.

What’s missing? downforce and speed. But we only spend the fourth day with the new car. You need to find her working range in which she can reveal her potential. It is clear that we are not ready yet. We’ve found the right settings at this point, but that doesn’t mean they’ve made the car faster. Let’s see what will happen next. We’re looking for answers.”