Hamilton in good spirits: 'Most exciting time of the year'

Lewis Hamilton has visited the Mercedes factory in recent weeks. After a disappointing season - in which Mercedes failed to pick up a single Grand Prix victory - the team are looking to close the gap to Max Verstappen's Red Bull Racing next season.

Even at the start of the now-ended season, Hamilton was positive about his new car, the W14. With the W15 on the way, the seven-time champion once again has a good feeling. "I'm not an engineer or a designer, so it's not easy [to say anything about the technology]. You see the car, and it's exciting. It's always the exciting time of the year because I have seen the car in the wind tunnel."

Hamilton visiting Mercedes' wind tunnel

"I always go by the wind tunnel when I go to the factory. To see it evolving in whichever direction it ends up going. When I was leaving yesterday, I popped in just to see where we were and when I come back, it will be again, a different animal. I have full faith in everyone that's working on it. And hopefully, we'll be in a much more competitive position next year," Hamilton concluded.

No doubt Hamilton hopes to win another Grand Prix in 2024. The last time the Brit finished a Formula One race first was at Jeddah in Saudi Arabia in 2021.