“Hopefully we’ll start a new path next race” - Lewis Hamilton ‘desperately’ waiting for Mercedes upgrades in Imola 

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has said that he cannot wait for his W14 to have its first upgrades in the next race in Imola after a 'slow' Friday in Miami.

It was a mixed Friday for the German team, as both George Russell and Hamilton looked competitive in FP1. However, the seven-time world champion found himself struggling to extract the maximum out of his car in FP2.

He said that the session exposed the real pace of the car and it was a setback after a decent result in Baku last week. As per F1.com, Lewis Hamilton said:

“Same as every weekend … That we’re a second down. It’s a great weekend; it’s a great place to be, lots of positives; it’s just we are not particularly quick. It’s a struggle out there. We’re trying lots of different things.

“As I said, I am trying to stay positive about it. We are working as hard as we can, it’s just we desperately need upgrades, that’s for sure. (We’ve) just got to keep our head down for one more race and hopefully, we can start a new path (at the) next race.”

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"It’s just a kick in the gut, so it’s a little bit difficult to take sometimes" - Lewis Hamilton

The seven-time world champion analysed his performance on Friday and said that the team's struggles in FP2 were a 'kick in the gut'. Lewis Hamilton said:

“FP1 looked quite good, and then we come into FP2, and the true pace comes out. It’s just a kick in the gut, so it’s a little bit difficult to take sometimes. But it’s okay; we will just continue to work on it; we will regroup tonight and try and see if we can make some set-up changes and get the car in a sweeter spot."

He continued:

“Melbourne obviously was night and day difference – (it was) much, much nicer to drive there. Baku felt better than here also. I think maybe the heat or maybe just the balance we have at the moment … I’m going to stay optimistic.

"I’m going to stay hopeful that we can get the car in a better place tomorrow and maybe be a couple of steps up. But it feels like, apart from … Last year we had hardcore bouncing, (and) it genuinely feels like we are racing pretty much the same car – that’s the difficult thing.”

Considering his struggles on Friday, it remains to be seen if Lewis Hamilton misses out of Q3 in qualifying on Saturday.