Lewis Hamilton leaves Toto Wolff ‘amazed’ as Brit in good spirits

Lewis Hamilton’s mentality ahead of the new F1 season has left Toto Wolff “amazed” despite Mercedes’ problems. Wolff said Hamilton is “super determined” regardless of Mercedes’ struggles at Bahrain’s pre-season test.

The Silver Arrows suffered from a range of issues over the three days and appear to have a performance deficit to Red Bull. But, Wolff commented: “I’ve been amazed, because he’s been in the team now for 10 years.

“And every year he just comes back more mature, more professional, more understanding of what’s good for him. He’s in high spirits, and certainly super determined.”

Hamilton’s running was curtailed on day two after floor damage forced him back to the garage. The team’s mood took a drastic turn for the worse on Friday afternoon as George Russell was plagued with mechanical issues.

READ MORE: Hamilton ‘a long way off’ Alonso as Eddie Jordan gives retirement view

The 25-year-old stopped on track with a hydraulics issue which forced the squad to give up 90 minutes of prime-time evening running. The situation concerned Mercedes engineers who got together for an unplanned meeting to discuss the issues that evening.

The German manufacturer also appears to lack pace compared to Red Bull and Ferrari based on early lap times. They could even be under threat from a resurgent Aston Martin who stunned the paddock with an impressive pre-season.

Last week, Russell claimed the team were unlikely to taste success at the opening Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday. Hamilton reiterated his team-mate’s pessimism, suggesting there was still a “mountain to climb” before they could challenge at the sharp end.

He added: “We’re not quite where we want to be but it’s a good platform to start from. It’s a much more beautiful world to be in when we’re not bouncing but we do have some pace to pick up in a straight line.

DON’T MISS
Lewis Hamilton ridiculed for ‘dangerous’ F1 complaint with FIA [INSIGHT]
Lewis Hamilton outlines only reason he could ditch Mercedes [ANALYSIS]
Kravitz makes worrying Hamilton prediction that will please Alonso [COMMENT]

“We have some things we need to work on, it’s still not perfect and we’re still not able to match the Red Bulls, or the Ferraris, currently. Who knows where we’ll be next week, we’ll just try to stay positive.”

But, Wolff seemed to suggest Mercedes are sandbagging in a bid to throw off their rivals. He admitted the team were still keeping some performance in the tank ahead of the opening race next weekend.

Wolff explained: “Yeah we are still hiding a little bit.” He revealed Red Bull and Ferrari look like the pacesetters but stressed it is still impossible to tell this early in the campaign.

He added: “They are fast, no surprise there. It’s very difficult to judge at that stage. Everyone is playing around with fuel loads and it’s a little bit hiding on engine modes so you can’t really judge.”