Hamilton hoping to have 'the car we want' by Silverstone

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Lewis Hamilton hopes Mercedes will be snapping at the heels of its front-running rivals Red Bull and Ferrari by next month's British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff claimed in Barcelona that the Brackley squad's engineers had made a significant step forward in understanding and mitigating the chronic porpoising issue that has undermined the team's 2022 car this season.

Both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton confirmed that their car was bouncing a lot less than previously during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend.

But the bouncing ride returned in Monaco, although Wolff reckoned that the disruptive behaviour of Mercedes silver arrow in the Principality was due to the street circuit's bumpy characteristics rather than to the W13's aerodynamics.

Mercedes is working tirelessly to stabilize its car and untap its underlying potential. And Hamilton hopes the reigning world champions will be in the mix with its leading rivals by Silverstone, after the Azerbaijan and Canadian rounds.

"I hope by the time we get to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone we will have the car as we want it – to be able to fight with Ferrari and Red Bull," said the Briton, quoted by Speedweek.

"It would be nice if we can give them a run for their money at our home race.

"I know that work is going on tirelessly in the factory to make progress with the car. And I have no doubt we will get it right sooner or later."

Read also: Russell says Mercedes 'needs to find a bit more downforce'

Next weekend, Baku's long straight will put Mercedes' car to the test and validate whether it now has its porpoising issue under control, or not.

Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin fears that Baku's street circuit might trigger a few of the same issues that the team encountered in Monaco.

"Baku might present some similar challenges," said Shovlin. "We are working on areas though to try and improve the ride, try and be able to run the car a bit closer to its optimum window.

"But we are well aware that in addition to adding base performance to the car, we’ve got to make it work over a wider range of circuits.

"So, these are all things that we are busy with in preparation for Baku but also longer-term because there are other challenging tracks that will come up.

"But all of those projects are being worked on really hard because the team and the drivers are desperate to get back to the front."

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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.