After a slow start to the season for Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton is hoping that the team will be able to fight back in Australia, as the team finds the perfect set up for the W14.
Hamilton has scored back-to-back fifth place finishes, while George Russell scored seventh and fourth place in the first two races of the season.
While Mercedes wasn’t on par with the Red Bulls in Saudi Arabia, as it was a second a lap behind the world champions, Hamilton was clear in his praise of his teammate’s efforts to chase after Fernando Alonso.
“George did a fantastic job all weekend, put the car exactly where it needed to be,” Hamilton told Sky Sports. “I struggled a little bit with the balance that I had.”
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As Mercedes looks to close the gap to Red Bull and fight for second place in the Constructors’ Championship, Hamilton expressed his hopes for the Australian Grand Prix.
“I’m just hoping the gap isn’t a second and I hope that we can just hit the ground running with the set-up,” he said.
“We’ve got a great group of people that are working really hard back at the factory that are trying to fix the issues that we have,” Hamilton told reporters at Albert Park.
Reflecting on a tough race in Jeddah, Hamilton was proud of the performance Mercedes put on, as they secured the held off Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
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“We still managed to get fourth and fifth…We beat the Ferraris, who have definitely started with a better package than we have,” he said.
However, despite this progress, Hamilton is realistic about when the team can expect to be back in the title fight, pushing for pole position and podium places.
“It’s not something that’s going to happen in one race. It’s going to take a few races. Hopefully as short as possible to get there.”