Seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton seemingly isn’t feeling too optimistic about Mercedes’ upcoming concept change, with the driver noting that it won’t gain him the time he needs to catch Red Bull.
Hamilton did well on Sunday at the Miami Grand Prix to finish sixth, with the 38-year-old having made up seven places during the 57-lap race after starting from 13th.
The Mercedes driver was embarrassingly eliminated in Q2 for the first time in his career on American soil, a nation he is usually so dominant in.
Qualifying performance remains a huge issue for the Silver Arrows, with the side arguably being fourth in the pecking order when it comes to one lap pace.
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Whilst their new concept in Imola will perhaps improve their qualifying performance somewhat, the 103-time race winner is aware that things won’t magically improve, with the huge upgrade being more about making a “step in the right direction”.
“Well, it’s all a bit of an unknown. It’s not like I have a one-second upgrade coming, which is what I need,” Hamilton said.
“But it’s something. It’s a step in the right direction, hopefully, for us to really be able to progress.”
Hamilton battled hard on Sunday at the Miami International Autodrome after struggling early on in the race.
Mercedes opted to start the Briton on the hardest compound of tyre, something which saw him make minimal progress in the opening laps due to having been surrounded by cars on the Medium tyre.
As a result, he found himself stuck in a DRS train; however, he was then able to make significant progress as those around him on the Mediums began to pit.
Hamilton ended up overtaking Pierre Gasly and Charles Leclerc in the closing stages following his late pit-stop to finish sixth, marking a respectable result for the Stevenage-born driver.
“I don’t know about the strategy,” Hamilton said after the race. “I don’t know if that was optimum. Maybe it was.
“It was definitely difficult at the start, being in the DRS train with a bunch of cars, and trying to get past the Williams which is always quick on the straights. Eventually I was able to start making headway.
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“Once I’d done my stop, and got back out on the hards, I was able to really push.
“The car came alive midway through the race. From 13th to sixth, I’m pretty happy with that. I enjoyed the race, I had a lot of fun, just making my way through. It’s nice to have a battle with people.
“Thank you to the team for keeping their heads down and continuing to push.”