Hamilton: We are no closer to finding a solution to Merc trouble
LEWIS Hamilton admits Mercedes are no closer to propelling him back to the front of the grid after a disappointing Miami Grand Prix.
The Brit started sixth and finished in the same position after he fell behind team-mate George Russell in the closing stages.
Hamilton is already 68 points behind championship leader Charles Leclerc of Ferrari and 23 points adrift of Russell, who has beaten him at the last four grands prix.
Mercedes brought a number of updates to their underperforming machine in Miami.
But although Russell provided some hope when he finished fastest in second practice, the Silver Arrows remain one-second-a-lap slower than both Ferrari and Red Bull.
Hamilton was asked if he felt his team were any closer to finding a resolution to their early-season woes.
“Not at the moment, no,” he replied. “We have the same speed as we did at the first race.
“It is a different perspective and a different point of view this season. We always try to go forward, but it is quite difficult when you are not really going forward.
“It is what it is and it is an experience, that’s for sure.”
Mercedes are set to bring further new parts to the
Spanish Grand Prix a week on Sunday, but a quick-fix is growing increasingly unlikely.
“We have been flying in the fog since the beginning,” said Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.
“It is clear there is potential in the car and it is fast but we just don’t understand how to unlock that potential.
“It is a car that is superdifficult to drive and it is on the edge, dipping in and out of the performance window, more out than in, and dissecting the data is just a painful process because it takes a long time.”