"It's quite difficult when you're not really going forwards" - Lewis Hamilton terms battling in midfield 'a different point of view’

Lewis Hamilton believes that battling in the midfield is difficult and a unique experience of its own. The Mercedes driver feels the car has not yet improved and it will take time before they are back to their winning ways.

Speaking to the media during the Miami GP weekend, the Briton said:

“It’s still racing, just a different perspective, a different point of view. You always want to generally try and go forwards, but I will say it’s quite difficult when you’re not really going forwards. It is what it is, but it’s an experience for sure.”

According to the seven-time world champion, battling in the midfield is a unique challenge of its own. Since the Saudi Arabian GP, Lewis Hamilton has struggled to make it into the top-10 with an undrivable car and has languished behind the top teams.

Upon being asked if Mercedes will soon be back to winning ways, the Mercedes champion replied, saying:

“Unfortunately not. We’re the same speed as we were in the first race, so we’ve just got to keep trying. We haven’t improved, unfortunately, in these five races, but I’m hopeful that, at some stage, we will. We’ve just got to keep trying and keep working hard.”

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Lewis Hamilton is making excuses for his performances, according to Dutch racing driver

Dutch racing driver Tim Coronel believes Lewis Hamilton is making excuses for his performances after losing momentum with the team. The Dutchman feels the synergetic bond between the Briton and Mercedes is not on a high at the moment, leading to George Russell looking better instead.

Commenting on the rhythmic vibe between Mercedes and Hamilton, Coronel said:

“Mercedes and Hamilton are not on a good vibe. As a driver, in a warm environment, you express yourself well, and then you can be creative and keep going. Hamilton and Mercedes are definitely not in that at the moment. I see Hamilton making a lot of excuses. Then you go to the wrong momentum and you see that happening with Hamilton now. He’s looking for excuses.”

Suggesting that the British champion was preoccupied with off-track drama, the 50-year-old said:

“Russell takes chances because he feels pretty good. He creates that. We used to see that with [Michael] Schumacher, who really thought along with the team. Now Hamilton puts the ball to the team, but as a driver you also have to think. Hamilton is too preoccupied with his piercings, gems and other nonsense than with real racing.”

At the Miami GP, a large part of the headlines surrounding the Briton which stole the limelight involved his battle with the FIA and its president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, over his jewelry. While Hamilton finished sixth in the race, most of his performances were hampered by a bit of luck that was out of his control. As it stands, the British champion is currently 23 points behind teammate Russell in the drivers’ standings, where the Mercedes junior is comfortably in the top-5.