Formula 1

Hamilton: Mercedes 'not quite where we want to be' after Bahrain test

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Lewis Hamilton admits Mercedes are "not quite where we want to be" after Formula 1 pre-season testing concluded on Saturday.

After the issues of Friday, when teammate George Russell stopped with a hydraulics issue, the final day was much smoother as both drivers managed a combined 148 laps in Bahrain.

Hamilton also ended with the second-fastest time, albeit three-tenths behind Red Bull's Sergio Perez.

But reflecting on the test, the seven-time world champion admitted mixed feelings.

“I think it’s difficult to sum it up," he said. "We’ve had a couple of difficult days – yesterday particularly was difficult. The first day didn’t feel too bad, [but] yesterday was a little bit more of a struggle.

"There has been a lot of discovery and the whole team has approached it with the same mentality, working hard, not being complacent and staying focused.

"We're not quite where we want to be but it's a good platform to start from. We don't know where we will be next week, but we will stay positive and continue to push to the maximum."

After the test, the general consensus is Mercedes are still the third-best team behind Red Bull and Ferrari.

But the main relief for Hamilton is the progress made with the W14, particularly when it comes to porpoising.

“Right now, for example, the bouncing that we had has pretty much gone, so that’s a huge step for us," he said.

"It’s nice to drive without the bouncing for once, but there are still some underlying things that we’re working through.

“Some of the balance limitations that we had last year are present – we’re working through them.

"[But] I’m really proud of everyone in the team for continuing to remain positive after a tough year last year, [doing] amazing through the winter for us to drive and have the mileage that we’ve had.”

As for Russell, he was happy to make up for the lost time on Friday, completing 83 laps in the morning.

"We had a much more positive day today," he said. "We took a step forward and made progress with the issues we faced yesterday.

"I believe we have improved the car over the course of testing and got the W14 in a much better window today.

"There is still plenty of work to do but we're in better shape for next week with more to come."

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