Hamilton 'chasing aero guys' to solve W13 porpoising issue

Lewis Hamilton says he's "chasing the people in the wind tunnel" to solve the porpoising issues impacting Mercedes' car and to extract gains that the team needs "now, not in two or three races".

In terms of points, thanks to circumstances, Mercedes enjoyed a productive weekend in Melbourne, with George Russell and Hamilton finishing Sunday's race third and fourth respectively, a result that has put the former second in the Drivers' standings while Mercedes is also P2 in the Constructers' Championship

But the team's performance on the track paled once again in comparison to its Ferrari and Red Bull rivals which remain in a league of their own at the top of the field.

Although Mercedes' engineers are sparing no effort to improve their new generation Silver Arrow, Hamilton wants gains to materialize as soon as the next race at Imola, and the Briton is going out of his way to spur on his crews.

"There's a lot of work, and there'll be a lot of calls, naturally," said Hamilton.

"I'm on a lot of Zoom calls with all the sponsors and our bosses, really trying to rally them up.

"We've got some improvements that we need to make. And we need everyone's support in doing so, in just making sure we leave no stone unturned.

"It's in making sure the hunger is really there and we're maximizing absolutely every moment."

• Read also: Hamilton held back by overheating issues in Melbourne

Russell recently stressed that solving the W13's porpoising problems would cure 99% of Mercedes' problems. Hamilton echoed his teammate's view, aware of the gains that are to had by getting his car's bouncing under control.

"I'm chasing the people that are in the wind tunnel, the aero guys, and just looking at absolutely every single area," he said. "There's performance to be gained in areas that we know.

"And we need it now. Not in two or three races. We all know as a team that we have just got to keep that encouragement and keep that energy high."

Many pundits have already ruled out Mercedes as a title contender for this year. But for now, Hamilton continues to see his glass as half full.

"I prefer to stay optimistic" he said. "There are 20 races to go.

"If you think realistically, with the way how the sport goes in terms of everyone's development, the top teams often develop at a similar pace and similar rate. Will that be the case with this new car? Who knows?

"I'm really, really hoping we can get in the fight soon. But with every bit of improvement we will probably make, [Ferrari] and Red Bull will probably make a similar sort of step, so it's not going be easy.

"Yes the gap is pretty big right now. But there is a long way to go."

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