Sir Lewis Hamilton had been counting down the days until the new upgrades to the Mercedes W14. Apparently, it did not take much time to feel the need for modifications due to the problems of W14 with the concept of zero-side pods since the opening Grand Prix in Bahrain. The plan was to implement the new upgrades in Imola, Italy. But the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix could not take place because of the terrible flood in Northern Italy. Hence, teams like Mercedes and Ferrari, who had plans to test modifications in Imola, had to wait a little longer.
Ferrari reportedly postponed plans to implement the new upgrades at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. But Mercedes could not wait for that long. They felt it was unnecessary to waste any more time. And after the race, the result was nothing new, as Mercedes missed another chance at a podium finish in Monaco. On the other hand, Red Bull won yet another race, with Max Verstappen winning his fourth race this season. But Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton had a positive reaction after the race as he secured a P4 finish. Evidently, he had a good feeling about the car after a long time.
Lewis Hamilton Felt Good After The Monaco Race
Lewis Hamilton finished fourth in Monaco. At the same time, his teammate George Russell finished fifth. But the surprise of the day was Alpine driver Esteban Ocon, who beat the Mercedes drivers to finish third, earning a podium finish. Despite that, Hamilton was “really happy” with the progress the revamped car has made. The seven-time champion mentioned, “We beat the Ferrari team and brought the car in one piece. I want to thank everybody back in our Brackley factory for the upgrades.” It is true that the Silver Arrows’ primary focus was to beat Ferrari, and they achieved that in Monaco.
Lewis Hamilton asserted that after earning valuable points as a team in Monaco, they have high confidence for the Grand Prix in Barcelona. Apparently, it should be easier in Spain than in Monaco, where the road was bumpy and tricky. The Mercedes driver mentioned that, at times, the car felt twitchy and stiff. But he is optimistic that it is going to be a much better package in Barcelona. However, Hamilton also revealed that the conditions for racing were dangerous as it started raining later. He felt the tires were not working at times, and it was like driving on ice. There were even times when Hamilton came very close to crashing that could have caused a terrible crash.
Mercedes Hoping To Get Better Results With New Upgrades
However, the street circuit of Monaco would never be an ideal choice for testing upgrades to the car. But Mercedes went ahead with the plan. And the race ended on a positive note for Hamilton and Mercedes. Since last season the car never made the Briton feel good. So now, they will look to build on the improvements in the following races. After the Monaco Grand Prix, Max Verstappen is still leading the points table and enjoying a healthy lead over the rest. On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell remain in fourth and fifth positions, respectively.