Following a winless start to the 2018 Formula 1 season, Lewis Hamilton admits any chance he has of winning the year’s world championship would mean more to him than any of his previous successes.
Despite going into the season as clear favourites, Mercedes has been baffled by its recent off form that has seen the German manufacturer go three races without a victory for the first time in the V6 hybrid era.
Hamilton, who sits nine points off championship leader Sebastian Vettel, was mystified by the Silver Arrows’ lack of performance at the last round in Shanghai as he could only manage a fourth-place finish.
The reigning world champion believes should Mercedes difficulties continue it will be “tough” to clinch a fifth championship, and reckons the team only has “the second, or third fastest” car at the present moment.
“Who knows what the season holds. If we continue the way it is it’s going to be tough to win,” Hamilton said. “If there is an opportunity and we were to finish on top it would mean even more because it’s an even tougher season than before.
“It hasn’t changed my thinking, my goals are still the same. It is clear from [China] that we are not the quickest. We’ve lost performance since Melbourne and maybe more so in China.
“We are the second, or third fastest team at the moment so we have some improving to do but that’s not impossible. I think what this team has shown over the years that we are great at staying united and continuing to power on and keep working.”
With Mercedes admitting to being on the back foot from its closest competitors, Hamilton says it’s important to apply “constructive pressure” on the team to deliver a winning package.
“Everyone here, back at the factory is just going to keep pushing as hard as possible,” the Briton added. “We’ve got a lot of information after the last couple of weeks. I certainly am pushing very hard.
“I’m trying to encourage [the team] so they know which kind of areas to do with the car that they are struggling the most with so they can really apply pressure maybe in those departments or just make sure that we’ve got more development coming.
“We’ve got to keep constructive pressure on the guys. They want to win just as much as all of us. It’s just a battle, working as a team.”
