Lewis Hamilton performs down hopes of beginning F1 season with a win

The season begins in Bahrain subsequent week and Hamilton, hoping to win again the title from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen after a controversial finish to the 2021 season, took the underdog place.

Mercedes have received the final eight constructors’ championships.

Hamilton mentioned the brand new automotive had proven first rate reliability and the workforce had acquired by means of their take a look at programme however it was clear there remained a lot to do.

“In the meanwhile I do not assume we’ll be competing for wins,” he mentioned.

“There may be potential inside our automotive to get us there, we have simply acquired to be taught to have the ability to extract it… we’ve got some hurdles to beat.

“Subsequent week we’ll get a a lot better exhibiting of our tempo however I feel folks will likely be stunned, possibly. Folks hold speaking about (whether or not) we’re speaking ourselves down or not however it is a bit completely different this yr.”

Mercedes’s rivals have taken such declarations with some scepticism up to now.

Final yr Mercedes had a troubled pre-season, finishing the fewest laps of any workforce, however Hamilton nonetheless received the opening race in Bahrain.

In 2019, Mercedes had regarded as much as half a second off Ferrari’s tempo in testing after which completed one-two in Melbourne.

This season has radically revised guidelines and Hamilton, the game’s most profitable driver of all time with a file 103 wins, mentioned it felt completely different.

“I feel we’ve got far greater challenges this time,” he mentioned. “It’s going to take somewhat bit longer. From what I am advised, we’ve got a substantial quantity of tempo to search out.”

AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly, who adopted the Mercedes carefully on Saturday and noticed Hamilton’s struggles with the automotive, was ready to agree.

“I feel they do have some work to be preventing proper on the high, however it’s solely testing,” mentioned the Frenchman.