Hamilton: Mercedes stagnant amid rivals’ development gains

Lewis Hamilton has attributed Mercedes' recent dip in performance to the substantial upgrades brought by its rivals, rather than any significant changes to the Brackley squad’s W15.

The German outfit entered Formula 1’s mid-season shutdown riding high with a series of impressive results – including George Russell's victory in Austria and Hamilton's wins at Silverstone and Spa.

However, the team's momentum has undeniably faltered in recent rounds, with Russell's fortunate podium in Baku standing as the team's only top-three finish in the last five races.

Much of this downturn has been linked to an ill-fated floor upgrade that Mercedes was forced to abandon, but Hamilton believes the root of the issue lies first and foremost with the progress made by their competitors.

When asked what had changed for Mercedes since the break, Hamilton responded bluntly: "I don’t think it has changed. I think the others have gained.”

• Read also: Hamilton admits winless streak turned into ‘battle of the mind’

Hamilton explained that while Mercedes introduced an upgrade at Spa, it never made it to the track due to unforeseen issues. Meanwhile, their rivals capitalized on a series of successful updates.

“We brought an upgrade to Spa, but then we didn’t end up using it,” he said.

“And then I think the others, from Zandvoort to Monza, have brought more upgrades, particularly like Ferrari. I think McLaren have as well.

“So, we await ours in a couple of races.

“I think McLaren seem to be the ones that are evolving and advancing the fastest if you look at their impressive [rear] wing.

“We just have to kind of wait and see and do the best with what we have.”

Despite the challenges, Hamilton remains hopeful that Mercedes will bounce back with its own updates, which are set to arrive for the upcoming United States Grand Prix at COTA, a track where Hamilton has historically excelled,

“It’s a good track, it’s one of the best circuits for racing,” commented the seven-time world champion.

“I’m looking forward to going there and well, at least I have a fresh engine there. Hopefully our upgrades work. I know the team are working incredibly hard to bring these upgrades.”

But as with any new development in Formula 1, there are no guarantees.

“Over the last three years, sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t,” he added. “Sometimes it doesn’t correlate perfectly to the wind tunnel and CFD.

“I’m really hoping, fingers crossed, that we add it and it really works. Last year, we brought an upgrade there and it was great. So I’m kind of praying that it does.”

Mercedes technical director James Allison recently confirmed that Austin would see an updated W15 on the grid.

“We’ve got a fairly substantial set of new clothes for the car coming for Austin that we hope will give us a decent weekend there,” he said.

“So we’ve got to deliver all that and get ourselves ready for these last few races of the year.”

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter