(Motorsport) Seven time World Champion Lewis Hamilton will be looking for his 300th Formula 1 Grand Prix victory in France this weekend as Mercedes look to close the gap on Ferrari and Red Bull with a new upgrade for the W13. Few would have predicted that Hamilton and Mercedes would fare so poorly at the beginning of the 2022 season but the Silver Arrows have improved significantly in the last few races and the team are hoping for a favourable outcome at Le Castellet's Paul Ricard Circuit.
Hamilton, who was relatively pessimistic about his team's chances early in the season now considers himself as one of the candidates to win the French Grand Prix this weekend, a testament to Mercedes’ engineers and their tireless efforts to fix the W13’s problems. A win at the French Grand Prix would be the longest time Hamilton has had to wait in his career for a victory and it will also be an achievement for the British racing driver as he could become only the sixth driver in history to secure 300th GP wins.
Speaking ahead of the Grand Prix weekend, Hamilton said “I hope so (being in the hunt to win), that's what we're all working towards. I'm working towards getting that win and I do believe at some stage we will be able to compete with these guys, whether that's this weekend or in five races time. The journey is the important part. We started off not where we wanted to be, we've made progress and we've started to hit a patch of consistency. When we do get back to where we deserve to be, I think we'll appreciate it that much more.
"Every weekend we're helping to improve, for sure. I really don't know to what extent this weekend. We have things we're constantly changing on the car, aero surfaces and things like that. I'm hoping we discover something this weekend and that hope creeps further forward. In general this has been a decent race for us, and I hope that continues this weekend” concluded Hamilton.
Hamilton’s teammate George Russell was not as confident about his team's chances, saying “The honest answer is we don't really know. We think we'll be closer than we probably were in Austria, relatively speaking. It could be reasonable. I think we're not going to be quicker than Ferrari or Red Bull. I think if we have an exceptional weekend, we could be within two tenths if we get absolutely everything right, but I'll be shocked if we get any closer than that."
Mercedes have been working tirelessly to understand the problems plaguing the W13 and have introduced a new aerodynamic upgrade to boost performance at the French Grand Prix. The redesigned nose appears to be flatter and could reduce drag, giving the car a boost in straight line speed. The full package is set to be revealed before Friday’s practice session and the Silver Arrows have not ruled out the possibility of installing even more upgrades.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said “Our understanding of the W13 is growing with every lap and it's encouraging to see that reflected in our development and results. While we were quicker in Austria, we still weren't quick enough to challenge at the front. We need to keep chasing those final few tenths and bringing new developments to the cars, including this weekend in France."
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