Mercedes F1 pace down to ‘incremental’ gains - Hamilton

Mercedes has spent the majority of the season on the back foot in its fight against Red Bull, but strong performances in Brazil and Qatar appear to have swung the momentum back in its favour heading into the final two races. 

Having claimed just two wins in 14 races, Hamilton has gone on to rack up consecutive victories in the last two events to reduce his deficit to championship leader Max Verstappen to eight points. 

Asked where he feels Mercedes’ pace advantage over Red Bull has come from, the seven-time world champion replied: “I think we just, as the year’s gone on, we’ve understood the car more. 

“We’ve definitely been able to squeeze more performance out of the package without bringing any upgrades. 

“We’ve not had an upgrade since Silverstone, so it’s quite phenomenal to see the small bits… the increments that we’ve been improving. 

“I think it’s very close between the two cars, clearly, so I think that lines us up for a great battle. 

"In these last two, I think we’ve just been able to do a better job overall. I hope that we can take this form into those next two.”

Hamilton’s best spell of performance this season has coincided with the championship run-in, boosting his bid for a record-breaking eighth world title. 

The 36-year-old Briton, who admitting to suffering from the after-effects of catching COVID-19 late last year, says he is feeing fitter than ever as the 2021 season reaches its climax. 

“I feel in the best shape physically that I’ve been in all year,” Hamilton explained. 

“I feel great, the car is feeling better than ever, and I feel positive going into these next couple of races. 

“I think they should be quite good for our car, so I'm looking forward to that battle.”