'Game on' for improving Mercedes at Hungarian Grand Prix, says Hamilton

By Sports Desk July 19, 2024

Lewis Hamilton has declared it is "game on" for Mercedes at this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix as the Silver Arrows target a third straight win.

Mercedes endured a dismal start to 2024 as the team suffered teething problems with their W15 car, but recent upgrades have led to a major upturn.

George Russell triumphed at the Austrian Grand Prix three weeks ago, before Hamilton secured a record-breaking ninth victory at the British Grand Prix a week later.

Mercedes are now just seven points adrift of second-placed Ferrari in the constructors' championship standings, and Hamilton is confident in their chances at the Hungaroring, where he has a record eight wins.

"We definitely don't want to get ahead of ourselves, that's key in our approach," Hamilton said. "But also, we're like, 'it's game on!

"We're fighting, we're chasing, and we're going to try and win as many races as George mentioned or compete for as many wins as possible.

"It may turn out this weekend that the Red Bull is still light years ahead, or the McLaren is, who knows? 

"We are united as a team and we are going to try and make sure we finish this season on a high.

"If we can lift the team up in the ladder of constructors, if we can progress – we are not too far off the drivers up ahead of us – then that will be great."

Three of the last four races have seen both Hamilton and Russell finish inside the top four, after neither of the duo managed such a finish in the first eight races of the season.

"If you told us at the start of the year we'd be fighting for three wins in a row, we wouldn't have believed it," Russell said.

"We have led the last four races since the upgrades, which is an incredible turnaround for us and everyone is super motivated."

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    The 30-year-old is now in the final stretch of his four-year stint with Ferrari, with whom he has won four races.

    Sainz has three more opportunities to add to that number, starting with the Las Vegas GP next week.

    While the Spaniard would love to bow out on a high with Ferrari, he does not believe joining Williams will end any hopes of further triumphs.

    "Nothing would make me happier than achieving something like that before the end of the year," he said when asked if he's targeting victory across the final three races. 

    "I'm going to give it my absolute best. If it comes, great, and I'll be for sure celebrating. And if it doesn't, I don't believe it will be my last chance of fighting for wins or podiums in Formula 1.

    "I'll carry on working hard to try to get myself in a position – even if it's with Williams – to put myself in a position to win another race.

    "That's what I'm hungry for and that's what I believe I can do, and that's what I've proven that I can do in Ferrari. So, yeah, it doesn't end there."

    The most recent of Sainz's victories came at the Mexican Grand Prix last month when bouncing back from losing the lead to Max Verstappen.

    Ferrari have not won a title in F1 since 2008 and are 36 points behind McLaren heading into the Las Vegas GP, which is followed by races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

    However, Sainz's team-mate Charles Leclerc is hopeful of closing that gap by coming out on top in the States, having himself finished second behind Verstappen on this track last year.

    "I think on paper it's a track where we should perform well," he told Sky Sports News.

    "However, the fact we have improved a lot with tyre management, means on a track where it is so cold, it will be difficult to put the tyres in the right window.

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    Lewis Hamilton said watching Ferrari and McLaren overhaul Red Bull in the Constructors' Championship has been "quite incredible" ahead of his move to the Italian team. 

    Red Bull appeared to be set for another dominant year on track after Max Verstappen won seven of the first 10 races, with team-mate Sergio Perez also securing four podiums. 

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