Hamilton dismisses rumours of plan-B: "That's rubbish"

"I see people talking about a plan-b, there isn't a plan-b. That's rubbish," Hamilton told the Sky Sports' cameras. Among other things, the 38-year-old Brit points to the budget cap. "To rebuild and redesign a car you have to go back to square one. We don't have time in a season to do that. That's not on the cards."

"We will continue to evolve and push it to the absolute limit. I know I have the best team behind me to close the gap but it's just finding that performance as fast as we can," said Hamilton, who is reluctant to say exactly where Mercedes stand.

The Bahrain Grand Prix weekend will shed more light on what is currently possible with the W14. "We will find out over the next couple of days what is realistic. But I've prepared myself for a championship battle. Whether or not we have the equipment to fight for the championship, we will find out. I do believe I have got the team still that are championship-worthy."

A big advantage according to Hamilton is that the 2023 car does not suffer from porpoising, something that was the case last year. "This year we are starting with a car that doesn't bounce but it's very similar to last year's car but there are positives and I believe it's a good foundation to start on," he said.