Hamilton knew Mercedes updates were coming

©Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton says he was aware of Mercedes' plans to bring more updates to its 2021 car despite inferring the contrary last weekend in Austria.

Mercedes and Hamilton's comprehensive defeat by Red Bull and Max Verstappen in the Styrian Grand Prix prompted the seven-time world champion to encourage his team to implement "an upgrade of some sort" on its W12.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff had also left everyone with the impression that the Brackley squad had now frozen its car's development. But technical director James Allison clarified Wolff's comments, saying that previously devised updates were in the pipeline and set to be introduced at upcoming races.

Ahead of this weekend's second round of racing at the Red Bull Ring, Hamilton said that he knew about Mercedes' development plans but urged his team to keep pushing for more improvements.

"Well, I mean, I knew we had that upgrade coming," Hamilton said. "But at the end of the day, everyone is working absolutely flat out.

"We’re learning more and more about this car, we’re discovering where we need to push more and extract more, and I have all the confidence in the team that we will do over the course of time."

Read also - Mercedes: Hamilton 'as committed as anybody' to finding an edge

After Mercedes suffered its fourth consecutive defeat by Red Bull, it's third by Verstappen, Hamilton lags his championship rival by 18 points in the Drivers' standings.

But the Briton noted that it was still a long haul to F1's 2021 finale in Abu Dhabi.

"They’ve done obviously a great job in these last for races," Hamilton said.

"It’s been really difficult for us from Monaco, which was obviously a bit of a disaster, and then the same for Baku.

"[It was] better in France and last weekend, however they have taken a step ahead of us. So, we’re just working as hard as we can to see if we can close that gap.

"We’re not even halfway through the season. So I am still chasing this title."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.