Debate | Hamilton is back in control with Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton seems to be regaining confidence in his Mercedes car. The Briton beat teammate George Russell again in qualifying for the French Grand Prix. With three podiums in a row, Hamilton is showing he is not giving up yet.

Hamilton has received a lot of criticism from fans and pundits this season. The Briton had a difficult start to the season when it appeared that Mercedes had not developed a strong car. Russell seemed to cope better with the bouncing Mercedes and often scored higher than his teammate.

Meanwhile Hamilton has reduced the gap to Russell in the drivers' championship to 19 points. The seven-time world champion has managed to finish third on the podium at the last three races. This means that the Briton now has one more podium to his name than Russell this season.

Hamilton performs better and better

In qualifying, Hamilton also seems to be slowly regaining confidence. The Briton finished fourth in France and was four tenths quicker than his team-mate, who was beaten by Lando Norris. At the Canadian and British Grand Prixs, Hamilton also proved himself in qualifying by beating Russell.

The Mercedes team is still not in contention for victory, but the upgrades seem to be working better and better. Russell may have had an advantage at the start of the season as he got used to a lesser car after three years at Williams, while Hamilton was unfamiliar with racing in a bad car. With the car improving all the time, Hamilton too seems to be finding his form again.