F1 News: Lewis Hamilton Reveals Huge Mercedes Step Forward - 'Not Felt Fully In Control For Years'

Lewis Hamilton sees significant improvement in Mercedes performance at Belgian Grand Prix, regaining control he had been missing for years.

May 2, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton (44) during a press conference in advance of the Miami Grand Prix at the Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton crossed the line first and second at the Belgian Grand Prix. Despite Russell later being disqualified for his W15 being underweight, the surprise performance has shown a significant step forward for Mercedes.

Hamilton's start was nothing short of impressive as he quickly moved past Red Bull's Sergio Perez and, by Lap 3, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on the Kemmel straight. Despite his aggressive pursuit and strong initial lead, an exciting late-race battle saw him finishing just half a second behind Russell due to divergent pit stop strategies—a decision that visibly puzzled Hamilton, given his positive feedback on the tire conditions and pace.

Reflecting on his race performance, Hamilton expressed a newfound satisfaction with the control and responsiveness of his vehicle, a sensation he admitted having missed for years. He explained, as quoted by F1Technical.net:

"It was literally night and day different today. On Friday, it was pretty disastrous for both of us and really struggling with balance. And then [on Sunday], the car came alive and I was really surprised to, firstly, get into the lead and then be pulling away from everyone and not.

"Yeah, as I said, it felt fully under control and I've not had that for years and so that's why it was also a bit of a strange way to finish it."

Hamilton also spoke about his disagreement with Mercedes on his pit stop strategy. The seven-time champion was eager to try and pull off a one-stop strategy, however, the Brackley-based squad brought him in for a second pit stop. What irked the British driver more was that Russell did go ahead with a one-stop strategy and initially took the victory. He continued:

"I mean, if you listen, you could have heard what I said to the team most of the time. But yeah, I think the tyres were pretty good. I still had plenty of tyres and I was going quicker. I didn't want to stop."

Hamilton is currently sixth in the Drivers' Standings ahead of Red Bull's Sergio Perez and behind Ferrari's Carlos Sainz. Mercedes is running in fourth position in the Constructors' Championship with 266 points behind Ferrari in third with 345 points.

Formula One is now on the summer break for three weeks and will come back for the final ten races of the season shortly, starting with the Dutch Grand Prix which is set to take place on 23-25 August at the Zandvoort circuit.