‘Not over' but Lewis Hamilton admits Mercedes yet to master “very complex” F1 car

Lewis Hamilton admits Mercedes are yet to master what he has described as being a “very complex” F1 car - but insists “it’s not over yet”.

For the third straight season, Mercedes have faced a difficult start to the campaign with an inconsistent and underperforming car, despite making radical changes with their W15 challenger.

Mercedes suffered a nightmare weekend with a double DNF in Australia last time out, leaving them fourth in the constructors’ championship and already 72 points adrift of Red Bull.

When asked if Mercedes’ ongoing woes have led him to the conclusion that the eight time constructors’ champions have not been able to master F1’s new regulations, Hamilton replied: “I think we just haven’t yet. It’s not over yet.

“But I think with this sport, it’s naturally difficult if you start on the right foot and the first brick down has got a good foundation and continue to build on it, I think that’s what we experienced in the past years.

“When we started on this generation of car, we started with five bricks, good weight, had to knock it down and try again, knock it down and try again and take off that performance basically.

“We’ve made all these changes, we’ve tried everything. Sometimes lost our way, sometimes then found it and lost it again. I think it’s just very complex.”

And the seven-time world champion remains convinced there is real potential still to be unlocked from the W15.

“I definitely do feel more optimistic about this car,” Hamilton said.

“Obviously in the first couple of races, there’s been small showings of the car feeling great and we would have pace for a moment and then it kind of disappears.

“So there’s definitely performance there. We just need to work on making this car more consistent and easier to drive.”

Hamilton is currently enduring his worst ever start to an F1 season but is determined to end his illustrious Mercedes stint on a positive note.

“Ultimately if you dwell on difficult times then there’s only one way you’re going,” he added. “I think it’s really good to be able to unplug and reset your focus on your goals moving forwards. And so I have a few of these things.

“But still the ultimate thing that keeps me up at night is when we’re to be fighting for wins again. What can I do different? What can I do better in the car? How can I improve in qualifying? How can I deliver more for the team? What different set-up things could we take?

“So those things still keep you up. But we win and we lose this team, we’re very united, everyone’s working incredibly hard, so I’ve just got to continue at it.”