‘Happy when it’s gone’ - Hamilton can’t wait to see back of Mercedes W14 F1 car

The seven-time world champion’s comments came after a frustrating Sao Paulo Grand Prix sprint race, in which he dramatically slid to a low-key seventh place finish at the end of 24 laps. 

Hamilton was particularly disappointed by the performance of his W14 after feeling Mercedes had taken steps forward at the recent United States and Mexico City Grands Prix. 

But Hamilton’s exasperation at Mercedes’ 2023 challenger has returned after a so far underwhelming weekend in Brazil, where the team had hoped to potentially challenge for their first win of the season. 

"The last couple of races we've been excited that we're progressing, and it's been really positive to see,” Hamilton explained. 

"And you come to another track and then you have the worst deg that you've had for ages. So it's like you just don't know what to expect with this one.

"But only a couple more races with this car and it's gone, and I'll be happy! This year, you're just counting down the days, trying to enjoy every day as you can.”

Hamilton suspects Mercedes “probably got the set-up wrong” for Interlagos after suffering from sudden degradation that accelerated his fall from fifth to seventh in the closing laps. 

"It was a very tough race," he added. "I think we got a good start and then... balance. We tried to get the right balance with the wing, just a lot of understeer, snap oversteer, and the rear tyres just dropped off. And in the mid-sector, huge understeer.

"I don't know whether we got the set-up wrong. We probably got the set-up wrong, but it is what it is.

"I think we have one the draggiest cars. Our floor is not as strong as perhaps the Red Bull for example, so we have to have a really big wing, and then we're just slow on the straight. We can't use anything smaller."