Belgian GP: Mercedes 'long way off' pace says Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton says that Mercedes are currently a ‘long way off’ the ultimate pace being set at Spa-Francorchamps, ahead of final practice and qualifying.

F1 is in Belgium this weekend as the summer break comes to an end at one of the most iconic circuits in motorsport.

Indeed, it’s a track that every driver wants to win at and Mercedes, after showing good signs of improvement and progression in the lead up to the break, will be hoping that a victory, if not here, is not far away.

Certainly, they will need to close the gap to Red Bull and Ferrari quickly this weekend if they are to stand a chance of winning, though we do usually see them improve over the course of a Grand Prix event and by Sunday, more recently, they have displayed strong race pace.

Hamilton is hoping that that can be the case again this weekend, then, though he admits the team are currently ‘a long way off’ where they need to be to challenge up at the sharp end.

Speaking on Friday here at Spa, Hamilton said:

“We’re going out and giving it everything we’ve got.

“It could be tyres, it could be tyre temps, it could be wing level. It could be a multitude of things.

“It doesn’t feel disastrous out there. It’s just we’re a long way off. But we often find this on the Friday and things change a little bit more on Saturday. So I hope that that’s the case.”

There is one more practice session to play out this afternoon before qualifying, and Mercedes will at least feel positive of starting the grid high up with both Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen slapped with engine-related grid penalties, sending them to the back of the field for Sunday’s race.