After sticking to its troubled 2022 concept, mercedes benz Discovering it may have made the wrong decision even before the season started, it instead directed its development resources towards changing the floor and sidepod concept it is preparing for next month’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola Prepare for the race.

It remains committed to changing course, even with Hamilton and george russell The Australian Grand Prix was much stronger.

They finished third and second respectively, with Russell within three-tenths of Red Bull’s pole position Max Verstappenhe briefly took the lead in the race, with Hamilton finishing second at the finish.

Hamilton warned that while Red Bull’s RB19 could stall, it could also continue to find pace. Therefore, the capture may take longer than expected.

“I know it can take a long time to catch up with a car. If you look at Red Bull, it’s likely to continue to develop,” Hamilton said.

“While some cars plateau in terms of performance, when you get to a certain point it just can’t keep going. But maybe it can.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG

Photography: Mark Horsburgh / motorsport pictures

“They have a great team around them, so I’m sure they will continue to add downforce.

“We’ve got to make sure that when we make changes, hopefully that work isn’t too far away and we’ll spend the rest of the year making sure that it’s possible to close that gap.”

When asked what he expected from Mercedes’ new-look W14, he hoped the tweaked design would take immediate steps to make development easier.

He added: “I hope in the bottom of my heart that we’ve found the knack and that we’re directly on the right track not far from the others.”

“We’ve shown in the past that we can go fast, and I expect that to be the case as the car’s potential develops.

“These guys can go full steam ahead in that direction. I appreciate their willingness to make a difference and not be stuck with what we have.”

Additional reporting by Adam Cooper