Lewis Hamilton suggests the troublesome 2022 Mercedes is “becoming more of a racing car” as the Formula 1 season enters its second half.
The Mercedes W13 package left the championship-winning squad struggling to find answers to its early season problems, including extensive porpoising.
Coming into this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix after five straight podium finishes, Hamilton is confident that the team’s first race win of the season is just around the corner.
“We’ve been improving, we’ve had this consistency that’s come up of the recent races and great progress that the team was just making, everyone pushing together, continuing to pull,” Hamilton said.
“The car is becoming more of a racing car which is not particularly what it was at the beginning of the year, more like a normal racing car in the sense of its characteristics so that’s positive.”
The Hungarian Grand Prix saw the team’s best result of 2022 with a double podium headed by Hamilton in second, who also picked up fastest lap of the race, followed closely by team-mate George Russell.
“The last race was obviously the best showing that we’ve had so far,” Hamilton said.
“And that, for us, was a huge boost of [confidence] that we can close the gap. It’s naturally going to continue to be tough, we will keep our heads down.
“The other guys are doing an amazing job but I do believe that we can close the gap.”
This improved performance has incited renewed confidence that the team can win one of the nine grands prix which remain this season.
Spa-Francorchamps has been a particularly a successful track for Hamilton with four wins at the Ardennes venue.
Team Principal Toto Wolff also commented on the second half of the season for his Mercedes team as it looks to be creeping closer to the frontrunners, Red Bull and Ferrari.
“We’re getting closer, so we need to keep the momentum going and the pressure on,” he said.
“[We have] nine more opportunities to find improvements, make progress and hopefully challenge Red Bull and Ferrari for wins.”
Russell ended Free Practice 1 in Belgium fifth while Hamilton was ninth after the opening 60-minutes of running.
The squad is this weekend sporting a tribute livery
Track action resumes with Free Practice 2 at 01:00 AEST.
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