Over the weekend, Red Bull marked its 100th race victory thanks to Max Verstappen who secured a triumphant win in the Canadian Grand Prix, finishing 9.57 seconds ahead of Fernando Alonso.
Though Hamilton secured a spot on the podium, his initial boost momentarily allowed him to surpass Alonso, positioning him behind Verstappen. The Mercedes racer subsequently noticed the powerful rear axle of the RB19 and its superior performance during high-acceleration phases.
After receiving significant upgrades to the W14 in Monaco, the seven-time world champion, Hamilton, feels that Mercedes is progressively inching closer to its competitors. However, he stressed the importance of not becoming excessively focused on the current season, particularly when Red Bull may have already begun preparations for 2024.
Hamilton shared: “The weekend has been splendid despite the challenging conditions. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the car which has significantly improved and is now more in alignment with my driving style.
“The ongoing battles with Fernando in the Aston and consistently securing a spot on the second row have been thrilling experiences. To achieve podium finishes in two consecutive races is undoubtedly a significant accomplishment for us.
“We also managed a fourth-place finish in Monaco, demonstrating that we are indeed closing in on our competitors. The rest of the season is poised to be a development contest.
“I suspect Max’s team is already investing efforts into the car for next year. It’s imperative for us to shift our focus to the future as well, but I’m content with our current position.”
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W14
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / F1 Flow Images
Even with Red Bull possibly allocating resources towards 2024, Hamilton predicts that the team based in Milton Keynes is likely to secure victories in all upcoming races this season.
However, he clarified that this potential outcome doesn’t trigger any frustration. He added: “It’s not about feeling frustrated anymore, if it ever was. Their superior performance is out of my control.
“They’re expected to continue their winning streak for the remainder of the year unless the Astons and we manage to substantially enhance our cars’ performance or they experience any issues.
“But discovering a performance boost equivalent to theirs is a challenging task given the current regulations. They seem to have an upper hand with a 30-point lead in downforce at certain points during the race. We certainly have our work cut out for us.
“Despite this, I wouldn’t describe the situation as frustrating. I’m glad to be back in contention and hopeful that we can level the playing field soon for more exhilarating races like those in 2021. It would be incredible to have a fiercely competitive three-way race.”
5 comments
don’t understand why people complain bout red bull dominating, its just racing, someone’s always gonna be the best, right now its them.
if merc doesn’t start pushing for 2024, they’re toast. no two ways about it. Hamilton’s got the right idea, question is, will they listen?
Hate to admit it but Hamilton’s right…Merc’s gotta step up their game if they want to compete with the bulls next season. Hope they’re listening!
Lewis is spot on! Merc needs to stop chasin’ this year and start plannin’ for 2024. Else, we’re lookin’ at another Red Bull year!
gotta respect lewis’s attitude, no excuses, no whining, just focusing on what needs to be done. Thats a champ’s spirit right there.