Hamilton: Mercedes' 2023 F1 car still has "limitations"

Mercedes have endured a mixed pre-season test in Bahrain and suffered a setback on the second day both Hamilton and teammate George Russell appeared to struggle with the handling of the W14 before it later broke down with a hydraulic failure. 

The Silver Arrows reportedly also suffered a “strange loss of downforce on the front axle” which left the team “a bit lost” after Friday’s running. 

Speaking during the lunch break on the third and final day, Hamilton admitted Mercedes’ new challenger still has some shortcomings that need to be addressed. 

“They are just things that we are working through,” Hamilton said. “Some of the balance limitations that we had last year are just present, so we are just working through them.”

The seven-time world champion added: “I think we’ve had a couple of difficult days. Yesterday particularly was difficult. The first day didn’t feel too bad but yesterday was a little bit more of a struggle. 

“George has had a much better morning today, a bit like the first day. So hopefully we’ve got the set-up in a better place.

"Right now the bouncing that we had has pretty much gone, so that’s a huge step for us. It’s nice for us to drive without the bouncing for once. 

“But there are still some underlying things that we are working through.” 

Russell has already downplayed Mercedes’ chances of being in victory contention at next weekend’s season-opener but Hamilton insists he is buoyed by the team’s hard work over the winter.  

“I’m really proud of everyone in the team for continuing to remain positive after a tough year last year,” Hamilton said. 

“They’ve done amazing work through the winter for us to arrive and have the mileage that we’ve had. Every single year they arrive with the same focus and determination to fix whatever issues we have. 

“I enjoy being in the offices, churning away, going through the data.And I’m really proud of everyone in the garage. We’ll hopefully get there."