Lewis Hamilton discloses ‘dream’ scenario for Mercedes’ 2024 F1 car

The seven-time world champion endured another tough campaign that marked his second season in a row without a single victory, as Mercedes went winless for the first time since 2011. 

Hamilton and Mercedes are pinning hopes of a revival on a brand new car concept with their W15 challenger, which the 38-year-old Briton hopes will be a clean slate after back-to-back flawed designs. 

"There have been a few positives, such as getting pole position in Budapest, which we didn't think was going to be possible when I first drove the car," said Hamilton, who finished third in the championship behind the Red Bull pair.

"The upgrade that we saw in Austria, and the fact that with a couple more laps, we could have been in shooting range for a win, shows that we are slowly morphing this car into a more competitive machine.

"It's gotten more enjoyable to drive, and to be in a position where you actually go forwards rather than backwards.

"It's been positive, but it is still not fundamentally a winning car, and that is what we've got to change next year.

"The dream is to make sure that when we start in February next year, the car is not a replica of this year's car and feel exactly the same - but i am pretty sure that's not going to be the case.”

Hamilton has conceded Mercedes are under a “huge amount” of pressure to ensure the team do not get their car wrong for a third straight year. 

He also admitted to feeling frustrated that Mercedes did not listen to his concerns about the development of their W14 car. 

"I'm sure there were frustrations, because I had asked for certain changes, and they weren't done,” he told the BBC. 

"No-one knew exactly what the problem was. No-one knew how to fix it.”