“Not a big difference” - Lewis Hamilton discusses impact of Mercedes’ upgrades after P6 result in the Imola GP

Lewis Hamilton felt Mercedes upgrades made a small impact in the Imola GP. Speaking to media including Sportskeeda, the Brit was content with his sixth place result.

Finishing ahead of his teammate George Russell for the second time this season, Hamilton found his race eventful. Starting eighth on the grid, he moved two places ahead during the race and had to battle through the field.

Commenting on whether the upgrades on the Mercedes W15 had worked, he felt that they had not made a significant impact. He still felt they have a long way to go before they could join the mix at the front with Ferrari and McLaren.

Asked by Sportskeeda if the upgrades had made an impact or if there was any progress, Lewis Hamilton said:

“Yeah not a big difference they are with small steps but very very small.”

Asked if he was happy with his race result, he replied:

“Yep”

On whether it was a boring race, he said:

“Not really, it's eventful.

Asked when Mercedes would join the mix with Ferrari and McLaren, Lewis Hamilton said:

“That I cannot tell you. Like I said, that deficit of George had five tenths off yesterday. In the race, probably three or four tenths. That's not in the wind tunnel at the moment development wise.”

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Lewis Hamilton felt Mercedes are still lacking a few tenths compared to the frontrunners

Lewis Hamilton felt that Mercedes are still two to three-tenths behind the Ferraris and McLarens. Reminded of the Mercedes trend where their car was better in qualifying, he stated that their car is better than before and he matched the pace of the cars ahead. However, the 39-year-old felt that their pitstop cost them significant amounts of time, giving him little room to progress any further than he already had.

Asked if Mercedes still have a better race car than a qualifying car like the trend before, the British driver said:

“I think our pace in the second stint was comparable to the guys that are towards the front but I think we're still lacking two or three-tenths.”

On the amount of time he lost after changing tires, he said:

“I think about 5 seconds with that off. Then that meant that I came out behind Fernando and I lost another bunch of seconds there. So I think probably all in all, a good 8 seconds, probably not ideal but didn't lose many positions.”

Lewis Hamilton has a total of 35 points but he is still nine points behind his teammate George Russell. Unlike the strong start he had in 2023, sixth place has been the highest he has finished so far in 2024. Mercedes have struggled with the performance of the W15 and are currently in fourth place in the constructors' championship.