Things finally turned around for Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton at the Spanish GP as they appeared to be competitive for the first tie this season during the sixth race. The seven-time world champ did not have a great start to the season as he constantly finished behind his younger teammate George Russell. Despite bringing a series of upgrades to Barcelona, Lewis finished P5. Meanwhile, Russell managed to secure his second podium of the season by finishing P3. Hamilton lost his way at the back of the field after making early contact with Kevin Magnussen in the opening lap. The Briton gave a great fight for the fifth spot before a coolant leakage forced him to slow down and settle with the fifth.
After the race in Spain, Lewis was asked if Mercedes\’ W13 had the potential to win a race during the 2022 championship. The Mercedes driver was pretty confident about the team\’s progress and was happy with the improvements made in the car. He explained that the W13\’s pace was very much better, and the car was nicer to the driver during the race with the reduction of porpoising. Thus, the former world champ says that Mercedes can definitely win a race this season.
Hamilton Thinks His Car Needs Improvement During Qualifying
Lewis Hamilton explained that Mercedes still have a long way to go if they want to challenge the frontrunners. The Silver Arrows are well off the pace as compared to the F1-75 and RB18. Hamilton feels that his team needs to make improvements during qualifying. He explained that Mercedes experimented with something on George\’s W13, which resulted in him performing better in the qualifying. Hence, the 37-year-old plans on bringing the same changes during Saturday\’s qualifying in Monaco.
Lewis thinks that it is a great sign for Mercedes that they are headed in the right direction. He had no doubts that, at some stage, they would be able to challenge the leaders. Hamilton was also upset about his contact with Magnussen. He thought that he might have had the opportunity to compete with the Red Bulls last Sunday. Lewis added, \”That gives me hope that at some stage we will be fighting.\”
Further, the strong points for Mercedes this season have been slow-speed corners. It was evident in the Australian GP when the W13 appeared to be a little competitive with Ferrari and Red Bull. However, Hamilton said that Mercedes still has a long journey to cover to get back into the title contention. He downplayed his chances of winning at the Monaco Grand Prix despite the track helping the team out. Lewis told that he did not know if he would be quick enough to win. In addition, Hamilton said, \”I don\’t think we are quick enough to qualify first just yet.\”