Hamilton puts in countless simulator lapts: "He's at his very best now"

Mercedes may be trailing in the championship in both drivers and constructors, but according to Chief Technical Officer James Allison, that is no reason for Lewis Hamilton to throw in the towel.

Allison says the Mercedes driver is putting extra time and effort into finding more speed, in order to help his team better understand their problems with the car. "He's been doing a lot of laps in the simulator at the factory, and is hugely committed to finding that little bit of extra performance so we can put pressure on Red Bull," he says on the F1 Nation podcast.

Hamilton puts more time and effort into improving than ever

"I think we're seeing him at his very best at the moment," he adds. It's notable that Hamilton has often said in the past he's not a fan of the simulator and doesn't want to spend time on it unless he has to.

That necessity is clearly there now. Mercedes is at a disadvantage and tries to find performance wherever possible. The team has indicated earlier that they think a rain race could be to their advantage, so perhaps there is an opportunity there for the German team.