Lewis Hamilton has urged his Mercedes team to “level up” amid the continued dominance by Max Verstappen and Red Bull.
The seven-time world champion has taken some swipes at the Dutchman in recent weeks, notably suggesting he had much stiffer competition from his teammates than the soon-to-be three-time Formula 1 champ.
However, on Thursday, Hamilton turned his attention back to where it should be as he admitted it is up to him and his team to match the performance of their rivals.
“I was asked a question earlier, would I rather take Max out of the equation or take [Red Bull design chief] Adrian Newey out of the equation? And I was like ‘neither’” he explained.
“We just have to level up and do a better job. They have done an exceptional job. You can’t fault them for the amazing work they are collectively doing and have done.
“I just want to level up, all of us, so there is a lot of opportunity in these next eight races, just trying to make sure we are prepared to be there if something does happen to be coming our way. We remain hopeful for that.”
If there is one race where Verstappen and Red Bull might be vulnerable it is this weekend’s Singapore GP, where Max is yet to win during his career.
In contrast, Hamilton has four wins in the city-state and hopes his Mercedes car is better suited to the streets of Marina Bay.
“I think we were relatively competitive last year, but we had not such a great race,” he recalled.
“But given the car we had last year, I’m hoping the car has progressed quite a lot since last year.
“So hopefully, we are maybe a little bit closer than to the front. I’m hoping we can fight for a podium. I’ll find out on Friday with everybody, but that’s the reality.”