Hamilton pins hopes on Mercedes updates: 'Could definitely help us with this'

Looking ahead to the Grand Prix weekend at Silverstone, defending champion Lewis Hamilton knows there is a lot at stake. Losing out at Silverstone will not only mean a further increase in the gap to Max Verstappen in the title race, but also a symbolic defeat in front of his home crowd. In light of this, Hamilton is pinning his hopes on the announced Mercedes updates, even though he too knows they will be minimal.

"It's not a massive update," Hamilton says of the improvements announced to the Mercedes this weekend. He does this in conversation with Formula1.com.

Hamilton tempers expectations immediately, however, acknowledging that it won't be enough to completely close the gap to Red Bull on Silverstone. Hamilton: "There’s a lot of changes on the car but it’s not a massive update in terms of the gap that we’ve seen in the races, but it definitely helps us in terms of closing that gap quickly."

Hamilton continued: "A lot of work has gone on over the past couple weeks. So, I’m hoping that coming back to a circuit that suits us a little bit better and hopefully bodes well for a closer battle at least with the Red Bulls."