Lewis Hamilton says the upgraded Mercedes has not shown the “improvement we had dreamed of” in terms of performance.
In Monaco, the Brackley-based team introduced a major new package to the W14, including a shift away from their unique zero-sidepod concept to a design more in line with Red Bull and the rest of the grid.
Team boss Toto Wolff has called the changes a “new baseline” for Mercedes going forward, while this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix is expected to offer a much better indication of where the team stands with their 2023 car.
But Hamilton’s frustration at Mercedes’ current place in the pecking order was clear when he spoke on Thursday.
“The true step forward we were hoping for was to [overturn] a one-second delta [to Red Bull] in race trim, and we have not covered that with this step,” the seven-time world champion said in Barcelona.
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“When you bring upgrades, naturally you should be progressing forwards, and the fact is that it is an improvement, but it just not the improvement we had dreamed of.
“It is one step at a time. I don’t feel negative towards it, I am grateful we have it, and I understand how much work has gone into making these parts, the rush that has gone on, and the amount of flat-out work by the team.
“We are hugely hungry to move in the right direction so I would say that I am just hopeful that it puts us on a better track.
“We have taken account of where we are, where we have gone wrong, and now we are slowly chipping away and navigating our way back to the front but unfortunately it is just a long process.”
The good news is Hamilton is at least feeling more optimistic about his Mercedes car since the upgrade was introduced.
“What I felt last weekend was, I felt more confident in the car, more ability to be able to commit to the corner, so I’m hoping that at this track that it’s the same,” he explained.
“Hopefully better because there is a lot of medium to high-speed corners. So I’m hoping the flow of the car is better and maybe we can follow closer.”
As for how competitive Mercedes will be in Spain, however, Hamilton was coy noting that Ferrari, Aston Martin and Red Bull are not standing still either.
“I really don’t know what to expect and others too have upgrades here this weekend, so we’ll find out tomorrow about those upgrades,” he said.
“Just from looking at the numbers of what this upgrade is, before they had their upgrades, maybe they’ll put us right close with them.
“But we’ll see now whether they take a big step or a small step forwards this weekend. I’m still hopeful that we can compete with them this weekend, but it’s a big hope.”