Hamilton: "We thought Red Bull would be as fast as they are if not faster"

Lewis Hamilton had a dramatic winter test two weeks ago. He had even bigger problems with the stability of the W12 than teammate Valtteri Bottas. Things are looking up this weekend, but the world champion is not completely satisfied.

The big question for this weekend was whether Mercedes could make a step forward after a difficult winter test. For that, Lewis Hamilton already has an answer: "I think obviously coming into this weekend we have done a lot of work over the past week and I think we have taken a step forward but we still have more to do," Hamilton told Sky Sports. 

Red Bull and McLaren are fast

According to Hamilton, the overall balance has changed due to the new guidelines and is still not quite where it should be. The car was particularly unstable at the back during the winter test and a stable car is crucial now, although he thinks most teams will suffer from this.

The team in the world champion's view is Red Bull Racing, although he does see a bright spot. "We thought Red Bull would be as fast as they are if not faster. We know they are leading at the moment and McLaren have taken a step it would be interesting to see the long runs," he added.