Hamilton: Just 'biding my time' until Mercedes car is right

Lewis Hamilton says he's immersed himself these past months with his Mercedes team and is biding his time, insisting he'll be ready to pounce when his car "is right".

Hamilton's winless streak in F1 extends all the way back to the 2021 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, the penultimate round of the season that saw him cede the world crown to Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

After last year's difficult campaign marked by Mercedes' aerodynamic troubles that wreaked havoc on the team's efforts, the Briton is slowly but surely emerging once again as a force to be reckoned with, although the Brackley squad's W14 car is still no match for Red Bull's dominant RB19.

Asked ahead of F1's reprise this weekend in Zandvoort how difficult it has been for him to sustain his motivation amid such a lengthy barren run, Hamilton detailed how he dealt with events.

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"I don't think it's particularly difficult, because there's always areas that you can improve," he said.

"[We’re] just working on fine-tuning how we work in the background.

"We're constantly trying to improve our processes, we're continuously making adjustments. It's improving our communication in the background, making sure the heads of departments are getting the real information through.

"And deep diving into certain subjects, whether it's bouncing, whether it's car characteristics, through corner balances, all these sorts of things."

Hamilton revealed that his involvement with his team, and on the development of next year's contender, has surpassed anything he's done in the past.

"I've had more time to be able to focus on that with the team than ever before. And generally, be even more hands-on in the direction that we're going with the car next year.

"And when I step away, just making sure that I'm fit and mentally in the right place for when the car is right. And so hold on to that.

"Fortunately, I've got these other things that keep me motivated as well, which tap into the whole ecosystem. Like the [Brad Pitt] movie for example. So yeah, I'm just biding my time."

Relative to its direct rivals in the upper tier of the field - meaning Ferrari, Aston Martin and now McLaren - Mercedes has enjoyed an upturn in its form. The team now sits second in F1's Constructors' standings, 51 points ahead of Aston.

Hamilton believes his outfit's achievements of late have not been appreciated to their full extent.

"I think it’s a huge achievement, and I think it’s something that I feel has been a little bit overlooked, if I’m really honest," he said.

"There hasn’t I would say been the most positive narrative. But I’m really proud of the team, the progress and the steps we have taken with the car, from feeling like an almost identical car to last year, to making all the changes that we have.

"There are some small adjustments we are making moving forwards over these next couple of races. We have some small bits added to the car this weekend, every point of downforce, every little bit that we had makes a difference.

"So I’m super grateful to everyone back at the factory for continuing to push, even through the hard times, and just staying focused knowing that we will, with the belief that we will get there at some point."

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