Lewis Hamilton admits Mercedes are further off the pace than their result in Bahrain suggests
- Planet Sport writer
- 7 March 2023
Mercedes ace Lewis Hamilton claims his fifth place in the Bahrain Grand Prix was a very good result considering on how far off the pace he believes the 2023 car to be.
Hamilton qualified to start the race seventh but some good racecraft and solid moves saw him move up the grid to earn fifth at the chequered flag.
His teammate George Russell ended up seventh.
It isn't news that Mercedes are not happy with their 2021 contender. Team principal Toto Wolff has already suggested they are considering abandoning upgrading it to focus on creating a better contender for next season.
While some felt the wily Austrian may be sandbagging a little, Hamilton has now reinforced the point by claiming the team is well behind Red Bull and Ferrari.
"We were miles away," the seven-time champion explained to media, including RacingNews365.
"There was a Ferrari that would have been ahead of [Alonso], so we would have really been sixth [had Leclerc not retired], so a podium was nowhere near.
"It generally felt the same as last year.
"When we did the strategy in the morning, I told the guys it wasn't going to go as far as they said it was going to go - and it didn't.
"We have just got a lot of work to do. We have just got to add downforce to the car - we're lacking a lot of downforce.
"That is really where the [lap] time will come from. As soon as we put more load on the rear and the front, we'll pick up the pace."
